The Advantages and Disadvantages of Wi-Fi

Just like everything else in the world, Wi-Fi has its set
of advantages and disadvantages. Below is a low down of how
Wi-Fi may or may not work for you.

The biggest thing that attracts people to Wi-Fi is that one
can find a wireless connection almost everywhere, in larger
cities at least. This aspect makes mobile computing a
reality.

Aside from that, one can connect to a Wi-Fi network for
free or for a minimal fee. There are coffee shops and
restaurants that offer this connection to their patrons in
exchange for a minimum purchase.

Also, there are cities and municipalities where Wi-Fi is
offered for free. This service is often offered by local
governments although sometimes they also work with
broadband providers to create the infrastructure for this.

Then there’s Wi-Fi’s downside. First of all, its range is
very limited. Unless an area has several hotspots, one has
to be as near the source of the signal as possible.
Otherwise, the connection would be terrible.

Even the next generation of IEEE802.11 protocol, the
802.11n, can only offer a range of 250 m outdoors.

There are also security concerns regarding the use of
public Wi-Fi networks. Since these networks are
intentionally or unintentionally unsecure, malicious users
can sniff the data of other people sent and received by
others in the network and use it for criminal purposes such
as identity theft.

But this can be addressed by having an antivirus program
and a firewall installed on an individual’s computer.

The History of Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is a relatively new type of technology that is just
starting to attract a wide following worldwide. Some
consider it to be one of the most significant innovations
in technology since the internet came to the mainstream.

Because of it, computers are now able to connect to the
internet and to other computers wirelessly.

The precursor of today’s Wi-Fi was developed sometime in
the early 1990s by the Netherlands-based company NCR
Corporation/AT&T (which later became known as Lucent &
Agere Systems). Called WaveLAN, it was originally intended
to be used in cash registers.

Several competing standards prevented the immediate success
of having wireless networks. However, with the development
of the IEEE 802.11 standard and the release of its first
protocol in 1997, this technology slowly but surely came
into the mainstream.

Since then, several protocols were released and several
more will be released to address issues such as range and
speed.

The first protocol released in 1997, now known as the
Legacy mode, operated in the 2.4 GHz frequency. The
throughput and data rate are slow by today’s standards,
with only 0.9 and 2 Mbit/s, respectively. 802.11 a and b
came two years later in 1999 with the a protocol offering
faster speeds while the b provided a wider range.

The elements of the two were later merged in 2003 when the
802.11g protocol was released. The new protocol offered the
speed of the a and the range of the b.

Newer protocols are currently under development. The n, set
to be released mid-2009 provides greater speeds and almost
double the range of the a/b/g protocols. Another one, the
802.11y, is set to be released in mid-2008 has the same
speed as the g protocol although the y has an outdoor range
of as much as 5 kilometers.

The IEEE802.11 Standard and Its Protocols

It was in 1997 when the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) created the standard for
wireless local area networks (WLANs).

The standard became known as IEEE802.11, with the 802.11
coming from the name of the group who oversaw its
development. Under this standard are several protocols
developed over the years.

Below is a list of them.

1. 802.11

- also known as the Legacy protocol, this is the original
protocol created in 1997. It operates at 2.4 GHz and has a
data rate of 1 and 2 Mbit/s. Its range was limited to 20 m
and 100 m, in indoor and outdoor settings, respectively.

2. 802.11a

- was released in 1999. It operates at 5 GHz to move away
from the 2.4 GHz operating frequency of the Legacy. Its
range only offers a slight improvement from its predecessor
with a range of 35 m indoors and 120 m outdoors. It is,
however, fast with a data rate of 54 Mbit/s.

3. 802.11b

- also released in 1999. Just like the Legacy, it operates
at 2.4 GHz. It has a slightly greater range than the
802.11a, but is slower. The b only has a data rate of 11
Mbit/s.

4. 802.11g

- marries the characteristics of the a and the b. It has a
data rate of 54 Mbit/s like a and has the same range as the
b with 38 m indoors and 140 m outdoors. It was released in
2003.

5. 802.11n

- is set to be released on June 2009. It can operate on
either 2.4 or 5 GHz frequencies. It is fast with a data
rate of 248 Mbit/s and has an indoor range of 70 m and up
to 250 m outdoors.