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WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
FOR COMPUTERS
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© 1993-2000 Fred Tepfer 1380 Bailey Avenue
Eugene, OR 97402 |
This article describes the current (May 2000) state of technology for wireless
computer networking within buildings. This is a very rapidly evolving field,
so use this information only as general background. Before proceeding with
network planning, it is important to get more information from a consultant,
a network administrator, or a vendor.
Local area networks (LANs) that are wireless are quite similar in most ways
to conventionally wired networks. The individual computers connect to a hub,
which in turn is connected to other hubs via a building backbone, and (usually)
further connected to the Internet via an external link. The main difference
with a wireless LAN is that the first link from computer to hub is wireless.
The wireless hubs are short-range devices (within a room, typically). Depending
on the system, up to twenty or thirty computers can connect to one hub. Speed
eventually is reduced as more connections are made, especially if these are
bandwidth-intensive applications (sound, graphics, video) instead of e-mail.
If more users need to be connected than can be connected to one hub, then
additional hubs can be installed.
There are two primary vendors, Lucent Technologies (which provides Apple's
AirPort system) and Cisco Systems.
For educators, this can offer interesting possibilities:
- Students using laptop computers can move from room to room, connecting to
the network in each area. Their data moves with them. For colleges and high
schools, this approach may have some merit.
- The cost of wiring to individual stations in a classroom can go away. At this
point, the cost of connection via wireless can be as low as or lower than
wired (although not necessarily).
- Using wireless technology, groups or even whole labs of computers can be relocated
without huge expense. However, they may have other electrical and cooling
requirements that can't be met in most locations.
However:
The University of Oregon Law School now requires each student to own a laptop
computer, and, starting in 1999 each classroom station was hardwired into a
LAN. At this point, much computer use in the classroom appears to consist of
surfing the web, checking e-mail, and so forth. Providing connections (at considerable
cost) does not ensure that any educational use will occur. Unless your teachers
are ready to develop and use this technology in the classroom, it isn't worth
installing it.
No matter how fast wireless LANs seem to get, the hard-wired LANs stay faster.
We're now in the era of gigabit Ethernet LANs, yet wireless is moving at approximately
the speed of wired LANs of eight or ten years ago.
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