WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORKS
FOR COMPUTERS

© 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:


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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