Wireless Network LAN's

The ABGs of wireless LANs

First came 802.11b wireless LAN devices a couple of years ago. Then 802.11a gear hit the market this year. And 802.11g products are slated to ship next year. As if that isn't confusing enough, 802.11b and 802.11a are incompatible, while 802.11g will be compatible with 802.11b, but not 802.11a. So let's sort it all out. The IEEE's 802.11g standard is designed as a higher-bandwidth - 54M bit/sec - successor to the popular 802.11b, or Wi-Fi standard, which tops out at 11M bit/sec. An 802.11g access point will support 802.11b and 802.11g clients. Similarly, a laptop with an 802.11g card will be able to access existing 802.11b access points as well as new 802.11g access points. However, products based on the 802.11g standard won't be available until at least mid-2003. And if you're looking for a higher-speed alternative to 802.11b, 802.11a products are out now and offer top speeds of 54M bit/sec. The main drawback with 802.11a is a lack of interoperability with 802.11b devices as well as 802.11a's network interface cards (NIC) costing 50% more and its access points being priced 35% more than their 802.11b counterparts.This alphabet soup of wireless LAN standards doesn't make it easy for network executives to develop a long-term strategy. But new multimode chipsets could result in the interoperability and migration issues melting away because next-generation devices will be able to handle any standard you decide to use.Let it B

So far, enterprise IT managers have opted overwhelmingly for 802.11b, says Greg Collins, director of the Dell'Oro Group. Very little 802.11a gear has been installed since it became available in quantity in the third quarter of 2001, mainly in low-end small office/home office-type applications, Collins says. One factor in 802.11b's favor is that it was introduced in 1999 and is now in its fourth or fifth generation. It has had most of the kinks worked out and has come down to near-commodity pricing. Plus, its 1M to 6M bit/sec throughput is adequate for a range of applications. There were 15 million 802.11b radios in use by the end of 2001, according to Jim Zyren, director of strategic marketing for 802.11 chip manufacturer Intersil. Almost all wireless LANs in public places, such as airports, hotels and coffee shops, are based on 802.11b.

posted by Hitesh @ 3:35 AM