Wireless Master

In today’s day and age, knowing about Wi-Fi is very important. So in this article, we shall give you many basic details that everyone should know. For instance, do you know what a Wi-Fi hotspot is? It is an area that is covered by a wireless network, and is usually reserved for remote locations like coffee shops, and not usually the office’s wireless LAN. WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy, and is an older, far less secure method of limited the access to a wireless network. Today, WPA is preferred because it is more robust. WPA stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access, and is a newer, more efficient method of limited access to a wireless network. It has been designed to take care of the security flaws of WEP. WLAN stands for Wireless Local Area Network, and means a wireless network that covers a limited area, for example – an office building.

Now what about the business advantages of Wi-Fi? Firstly, the main advantage is that it ensures widespread coverage. This means that if you are on a Wi-Fi network, you can get access from practically anywhere in the building. So you can take your laptop from the conference room to your office without losing your connection to the Internet. So Wi-Fi gives you access to the network resources, and you don’t even need to hunt around for a free computer. Another advantage is that you can get offsite access – because today, more and more Wi-Fi hotspots are coming up in hotels, coffee shops, airports, and restaurants. In fact, municipal wireless networks are even being installed by some cities – and these allow access to the Internet anywhere within the limits of the city. So if you are an employee travelling to meet your client, you can have access to the company resources and to email, no matter where you are.

Another main business advantage of Wi-Fi is that it results in more efficient employees. What does this mean? Well, employees who need to travel a lot now can work constantly when they are on the move – they can balance their work and personal lives through a constant Internet connection.

Of course, Wi-Fi does have its share of disadvantages as well. For instance, there is the primary issue of security – it is always necessary to have a proper security plan before installing Wi-Fi. If you have an unsecured network, then someone else could easily gain access to your confidential business information. Another disadvantage is that the wireless signals extend several hundred feet from the base station, but this range falls prey to obstructions and interference. If you are working in an office environment, then the interior walls will most likely limit the range to less than 100 feet, and an exterior wall might block the signal completely. So multiple base stations are needed in an office, to cover the entire office. Finally, the last disadvantage of Wi-Fi is that electronic equipment, sometimes, can interfere with the radio waves and cause disruption in the Wi-Fi network – and microwaves and cell phones are known to cause the biggest problems.