A new generation of wireless LAN (WLAN) solutions is providing dynamic, mobile workforces the freedom to be productive from any location across the enterprise.
"With the recent adoption of new standards for high-rate WLANs, mobile users can realise levels of performance, throughput, and availability comparable to those of traditional wired Ethernet," says Wolfgang Held, Network Consultant at 3Com SA.
"As a result, WLANs are on the verge of becoming a mainstream connectivity solution for a broad range of business customers."
Held defines a WLAN as a wireless extension of a wired network. "It gives mobile workers the freedom to roam around a building while staying connected to the network, maintaining access to the Internet, receiving and sending e-mail, and printing documents - all without wires. In short, wireless technologies make communication easier."
Businesses can benefit from deploying a WLAN system, which provides a powerful combination of wired network throughput, mobile access, and configuration flexibility, Held maintains. The economic benefits over wired alternatives add up when measured in worker productivity, organisational efficiency, revenue gain, and cost savings.
"WLANs liberate users from dependence on hard-wired access to the network backbone, giving them anytime, anywhere network access."
Held also points out that the wireless market is expanding rapidly as businesses discover the productivity benefits of going wire-free. According to Frost and Sullivan, the WLAN industry exceeded $300 million in 1998 and will grow to $1.6 billion in 2005.
Held also says wireless technologies that are based on radio frequency provide a far more flexible solution to other wireless technologies, such as infrared transmission which typically operate at lower speeds and need line of sight.
A new WLAN standard called IEEE 802.11b has emerged, enabling the creation of WLANs that stretch from one end of the corporate campus to another, Held points out. "The new IEEE 802.11b standard for wireless transmission opens new markets for WLANs. It`s the first standard to make WLANs usable in the general workplace, by providing robust and reliable 11 Mbps performance, five times faster than the original standard. "
He advises that 3Com will soon launch new products embracing wireless technologies. "We already have a product called AirConnect which supports the IEEE 802.11b standard. It`s an 11 Mbps wireless technology using the 2.4 GHz spectrum.
"This technology is aimed at mobile corporate requirements, and also niche requirements for wireless connectivity."
Benefits of this technology for mobile users, Held says, are that there is no need for cabling, and users have roaming access to all network resources.
3Com is also working on new wireless standards and is represented on standards` bodies that address emerging wireless technologies. "Specifically, we are currently working on a 50 Mbps standard. Today the trend is towards faster mobile productivity and closing the gap between wired and wireless capabilities."
The other arena 3Com is working in and where it will also soon launch new products, is Bluetooth. "Bluetooth is a cost-effective technology particularly suitable for light network traffic usage and home users.
"It`s an open standard for transmission of digital data and voice between mobile devices and desktop devices. Between all these devices, Bluetooth provides a wireless personal area network (PAN), also known as a Piconet."
Held explains that if two or more of these devices are in range of each other, they will be able to share information at speeds up to 1 Mbps. "This is excellent for people wanting to synchronise diary appointments and be reminded of urgent events, for instance.
As for remote access, Held maintains there is a definite global trend towards empowering remote users with access to traditional network-based resources, from diverse locations. The technologies enabling this trend are focused on two main areas: the remote access server (RAS) and the dialup client.
"The RAS must be capable of supporting calls from such diverse sources as ISDN, GSM, and standard analogue networks. At the same time the mobile user should have the option of using and switching between any of these technologies easily and quickly.
"There is a great advantage in converging these capabilities in hardware and software by using multi-function network interface cards and modems. It is only by radically simplifying these technologies that an increasing percentage of the mobile workforce will find the true benefits of these technologies," Held adds.
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