WI-FI PUSHING ETHERNET ASIDE?

By K.C.Bishope.

Wi-Fi has become and is increasingly becoming so popular that companies are finding 50% to 90% of their Ethernet ports are going unused.

With 70% of all new ports being wireless by 2011, is there really a need to spend so much on wired infrastructure?

Just as many younger people know only the desktop and laptop PCs, today's younger students and workers are frequently clueless about patch cords and ports. Having grown up with wireless that's what they're used to and expect.

While the culture may be changing, many companies remain unconvinced that enterprise Wi-Fi networks offer the same reliability, security and bandwidth that current applications demand. Other individuals are just as convinced that the Wi-Fi networks can offer everything that's needed.

People argue over whether IPTV requires a wire or not. Does it justify hundreds of idle switches and thousands of dollars in yearly maintenance contracts?

A lot of the activity in different companies or within different company departments depends on the company's business. Employees tied to their desk may expect and use the wired ports. For those employees that go into the field daily or for long stretches of time, the mobility and convenience of Wi-Fi cannot be underestimated or understated.

Companies have saved millions of dollars by reducing Ethernet ports to reflect actual usage, eliminating unused switches and rolling ot WLAN.

As for the question of whether WLANs can deliver enough bandwidth, it's been established that most user applications remain transaction oriented, fitting within the 1Mbps per user bandwidth requirement.

Only a few years ago desktop PCs were the norm and laptops were used only by employees who traveled. Times have changed radically in the office since with smaller technology and more power most offices now have 40% to 60% laptop users, even when they remain in the office.

According to market research by the end of 2009 50% of office PCs will be laptops and the majority will have 802.11n wireless built into them. If that's the case, these users won't need an Ethernet cable.

Cisco maintains that a unified network consisting of wireless and wired with a 3G cellular overlay is necessary since wireless only is inflexible and the cost benefits are exaggerated.

Probably since every company and every situation is different, there isn't one solution and each situation will have to be assessed and dealt with in the manner best suited to that company. However, thus far, WLAN appear to save large amounts of money while providing networks perfectly suited to the users.