Background
Nowadays business organizations rely heavily on computer networks for their operation. The trend towards mobile communication and computing drives the networking industry further towards wireless technology — particularly Wi-Fi technology. As explained later in this chapter, the term Wi-Fi refers to the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless LAN (WLAN). Therefore the terms Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.11, and WLAN are used interchangeably in this chapter.
Kaczman (2002) reports that an estimated 1 to 1.5 million Wi-Fi communication cards and Wi-Fi-enabled laptops were sold every month during 2002. Vaxevanakis et al. (2003) offer similar sales projections in their reports.
Wireless networks, especially the ones employing Wi-Fi technology, are gaining popularity not only in the business domain but also with home users (Vaxevanakis et al., 2003). The reasons for the popularity of wireless networks over the wired ones are highlighted below (Proxim, 1998):
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Mobility: Wireless LANs can provide users with real-time information within their organization without the restrictions inherent with physical cable connections.
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Installation speed and simplicity: The installation of wireless LANs does not involve the tedious work of pulling cables through walls and ceilings.
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Installation flexibility: Wireless LANs allow access from places unreachable by network cables.
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Cost of ownership: Overall installation expenses and life-cycle costs of wireless LANs are significantly lower than wired LAN. The discrepancy is even higher in dynamic environments requiring frequent moves and changes.
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Scalability: Wireless LANs can be configured relatively easily since no physical arranging of network cables is required.
Although wireless networks may never completely replace wired networks, they will gain in importance as business assets in the future. Howard (2002) reports that the use of wireless networks for mobile Internet access is also becoming big business, as is indicated by the rising number of wireless Internet service providers in the United States. The increasing number of public hotspots also opens the possibility of providing continuous connection to a roaming business traveller (Vaughan-Nichols, 2003).