Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Ready or not, here come Wireless LANs

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 21:03:43 -0500

WIRELESS SPECIAL REPORT:

Ready or Not, 
Here Come Wireless LANs

By Jay Wrolstad

January 16, 2003 

The reason wireless is grabbing all the headlines in the local area network (LAN) industry
can be summed up in a single word: mobility. At the office and in the home, people are
gravitating toward use of laptops and handheld devices that they can carry with them while
they do their jobs or move from the living room to the bedroom. And they want untethered
access to a high-speed Internet connection. 

Wi-Fi , also known as 802.11, is the technology that makes that happen. While there have
been a few bumps in the road -- most notably security issues -- Wi-Fi is viewed as an
attractive alternative to Ethernet-type LANs. 

"Wired LANs will always be cheaper and faster, but for the mobile worker using a laptop,
it's a simple decision to go with Wi-Fi," Brian Grimm, a spokesperson for the Wi-Fi
Alliance, told NewsFactor. 
 
Alphabet Soup 

To get a grip on Wi-Fi, it is helpful to sift through the alphabet soup of standards and
protocols established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers  (IEEE). 

Wi-Fi comes in two basic flavors: 802.11a and 802.11b. The latter has been around for
years and is the most widely adopted, while the former was introduced more recently and is
in the nascent stage of acceptance by equipment vendors. 

The significant differences between the two are that 802.11a offers a faster connection
than 802.11b and operates on spectrum that is less cluttered than 802.11b. Then there are
newer variations on these two offerings, such as 802.11g, 802.11e and 802.11i, which in
essence are enhancements to the existing standards, offering greater compatibility,
flexibility and security to Wi-Fi networks. 

Brian Mathews, a member of the IEEE 802.11 Standards Working Group for Wireless Local Area
Networks, explained that 802.11b has a hook-up rate of 11 megabits per second and operates
on the 2.4 GHz band, while 802.11a offers a connection speed of 54 megs per second and
runs on the 5 GHz band. 

The 802.11g standard is a combination technology that is compatible with 802.11b and uses
the 2.4 GHz band with a data rate comparable to that of 802.11a. 

Pros and Cons 

The 2.4 GHz frequency band is crowded with occupants ranging from the government, to
microwave ovens, to cordless phones, noted Aberdeen Group analyst Isaac Ro. This led to
the introduction of 802.11a, which runs on the unlicensed 5 GHz band that is not earmarked
for any specific constituency. 

"While there is broad access to the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum [band] in the U.S., other
regions, such as Europe, have more strict regulations for using this spectrum -- while the
2.4 GHz band is more readily available worldwide," said Mathews. 

Ro told NewsFactor that "802.11a is attractive, especially in a home environment, because
it uses cleaner spectrum; there is less interference. It also offers a jump to five times
the bandwidth as 802.11b, although the range is more limited." 

He cited the fact that -- unlike 802.11a -- 802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b,
enabling an access point built for 802.11g to connect 802.11b if that is all that is
available. A laptop with 802.11b capability and a tablet PC with 802.11g, for instance,
can thus use the same base station. 

The Intel Factor 

As a result, some manufacturers are leaning toward 802.11g instead of 802.11a. Among them
is Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) , which was among the early adopters of 802.11b with its AirPort
embedded technology, which needs compatibility with the older standard. 

Still, said Ro, "I think that 802.11a is the wave of the future, because of the cleaner
spectrum and higher bandwidth. It is the best for newer multimedia applications." 

And, he pointed out, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC)  is driving the 802.11a standard with the
recently released Centrino (aka Banias) Wi-Fi chipset technology designed to eventually
offer "a" and "b" compatibility. "They have the power and influence to make sure it is
widely accepted by manufacturers," Ro said. 

Tough Sell? 

IDC analyst Keith Waryas offered a similar view, telling NewsFactor that while Centrino
currently supports only 802.11b, Intel is on the path toward supporting 802.11a and has,
for all intents and purposes, rejected 802.11g. 

"I'm not sold on 802.11g, primarily because of price," Waryas said. "If it can be offered
at a reasonable level, it could be attractive because it offers both higher speed and
greater range, but if the access points have a US$1,200 price tag, it could be a tough
sell." 

IDC reports that 8 million Wi-Fi access points were shipped worldwide in 2001, the vast
majority being 802.11b units, and that sales are expected to reach 36 million units by
2006. Thus far, 802.11a has only a miniscule share of the market. 

Grimm, of the Wi-Fi Alliance, said he anticipates the introduction of some 802.11a/g
products, with 802.11a being used in the home for entertainment applications because it
offers cleaner spectrum for audio, video and voice transmission. 

"But 802.11b will be around for a while. The 802.11a standard is still relatively new, and
the only place it has been widely accepted thus far is in Japan," he noted. 

Building a Better Network 

As Wi-Fi gains ground, protocol enhancements will make it even more attractive, Mathews
said. He cited 802.11e, a work in progress, which allows the allocation of bandwidth in
the pipeline to handle voice or multimedia traffic for individual users. "It adds quality
of service by eliminating delays in data transmission for those who need extra bandwidth
for specific purposes, and it provides greater network reliability," he said. 

Another such enhancement addresses Wi-Fi security, a problem brought to the forefront with
widespread reports of hackers gaining unauthorized use of wireless LANs. To that end, IEEE
and the Wi-Fi Alliance recently introduced WPA (Wi-Fi protected access) to replace WEP
(wired equivalent privacy), as the organizations develop the 802.11i protocol. 

Blown Out of Proportion 

Most people do not understand that achieving secure transmission with wireless LANs is
extremely difficult, said Grimm. "Users want a secure product, and they want it now, but
it takes time to deliver a quality solution. We have a viable temporary solution with WPA
until 802.11i is ready for certification," he said. 

Mathews, too, defended his organization. "IEEE has been criticized for taking too long to
develop new standards, but our work is conducted as an open process, with input from a
number of individuals who are industry professionals," he said. We want to make sure we
have good, reliable standards before they are released." 

Wi-Fi security concerns may have been blown out of proportion, said Waryas, pointing out
that plenty of users have never bothered to turn on the protective features that come with
their systems. "You cannot totally prevent outside access by those who want to obtain it,
but you can make it more difficult for them." 

http://www.WirelessNewsFactor.com/perl/story/20488.html

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