Is it Time to Switch to an All-Wireless Network?

PC World — If you haven't looked at your network cabling in a quite awhile, it might be time to consider upgrading to an all-wireless network infrastructure. Why? Because wireless is a very viable option that can connect all your PCs together.

What's happened? Well, the cost of wireless network adapters is nearly at parity with wired ones, and if you are buying laptops as your main desktop, then there is nothing to add to your PCs because all desktops come with built-in wireless network adapters now. Second, the performance of wireless, especially the newest 802.11n-capable products, is also nearly at parity with wired networks, or at least to the point where for most common office tasks your users won't know the difference. Finally, there is better management software to handle administrative tasks, and better encryption software to protect your wireless networks from the hacker-in-the-parking-lot-with-a-laptop scenario (HITPLWALS).

Think I am kidding about HITPLWALS? I was recently visiting the Dallas Cowboys new stadium and talking to their IT manager about this: while the stadium is barely open for business, they have detected six different HITPLWALS attacks over the past several months as they have finished construction. Their wireless network will cover not only the interior of the stadium but the nearby parking lot fields as well. Now granted your business may not be trying to blanket the better part of a small city with your wireless network, but still this is something to worry about. This is why you use encryption, to keep those prying eyes and keyboards away.

Wireless networking means you can take your network infrastructure with you when your business expands (or contracts) and you need to move into new space. And you have the flexibility to put workstations where it makes sense, rather than where you can reach with a set of cables. You also can do most of the infrastructure yourself, without having to pay for specialized electricians and construction workers.

So where do you get started? First, do a census of what networking adapters you have in your current PCs and whether any of them support 11n wireless protocols. If a majority of them do, all the better. If not, you will have to make do with the older 11g standards for your PCs.

Second, look at how many wireless PCs you need to support and where they are located around your office. Unlike many networking products, it doesn't make a bit of difference what operating system they are running, but if you have older versions of XP (or even pre-XP Windows), you will have some trouble running some of the newer encryption protocols.

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