Wi-Fi? Why Not? New York NY

Posted by : Nelson King

Wi-Fi may not be the biggest thing to ever hit the communications and computer industries, but in these troubled times it'll do. It's been a while since I've seen an important technology built from the ground up--driven at least in part by the demand of users. In ways reminiscent of early personal computers and the Web, families and small-business groups are adopting Wi-Fi even before the lords of IT understand it.

While many large organizations dither over Wi-Fi because of incomplete standards, security issues, uncertain control policies, and a host of implementation problems, corporate workgroups are installing rogue Wi-Fi networks. Small businesses and even individuals are creating public Wi-Fi networks as access points for the Internet. The interest in Wi-Fi home networks is particularly significant. Having been through home network installation many times, I know it's not the easiest thing to do. Yet around 10 million households have some kind of LAN, and the numbers are growing rapidly around the attraction of Wi-Fi.

There is not much mystery in this. Wi-Fi is a wireless network that uses Ethernet protocols. Wireless spells freedom. No wires to restrict where you can use a networked computer, no wires that coil in a tangled mess. Besides, Wi-Fi is relatively cheap and easy--and it works. But there's more to Wi-Fi than that, but not all of it is good for everybody.

Getting up to speed

While the enthusiasm for Wi-Fi has been b...

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