Go Wireless – it is the new age mantra that enables you to connect to the world on the fly. It makes the anywhere anytime any device (the ones that support this technology of course!) access a reality. Wireless technology is hassle-free, easy to deploy, easy to use and liberates you from the constraints of being tethered to a location.
Whether you are sitting in Starbucks accessing your office emails (while sipping coffee) or trying to find directions in the middle of a road using gMaps or virtually participating in a conference, the era of wireless connectivity is upon us.
With the proliferation of devices supporting different forms of wireless technology in the market and everyone jumping onto the tech-savvy bandwagon, the need for a robust wireless network in place has become a necessity. When it comes to an enterprise, most of them have a wireless network already in place, although it is de facto subordinate network (to the primary wired network) whose rudimentary purpose is to provide convenience to the employees moving around or access to guest users. Enterprises are still wary of using wireless as their sole connectivity solution without a wired network to fall back upon.
The primary reason for this is the traditional belief that compared to wired networks, wireless networks suffer from serious performance and security issues. This triggers frustration amongst users which is unacceptable for businesses.
Realizing the need for a robust high performance wireless network, enterprises are now upgrading their networks to support the latest wireless technologies such as the 802.11ac WLAN standard. The 802.11ac, commonly referred to as Wave 1, provides high data rate upto 1.3 Gbps. This boosts performance by 3x over its predecessor 802.11n. Latest addition to this family is the 802.11 ac Wave 2. The data rates for the Wave 2 products are expected to average around 3.5 Gbps, providing nearly 9 times the current data rates. The most alluring feature of Wave 2 is the MU-MIMO – multi-user version of MIMO technology that allows a base station to transmit to multiple users (up to 4) at a time giving several clients simultaneous access to a channel. This means an access point can transmit to 4 single-stream devices such as 4 smart phones at once. The multi-user format significantly boosts user capacity, provides superfast video streaming and allows transmission of multiple HD videos simultaneously without loss of connection and enables high-speed wireless backup and sync for mobile devices. It’s the perfect solution for anyone with a low tolerance for slow networks.
Another technology which has been tried out across the globe is WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). Touted to be the technology of choice for Smart Cities, WiMax is based on Wireless MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) technology. It is similar to WiFi but provides higher speeds going upto 1Gbps over greater distances (up to 10KM) and for a greater number of users. WiMAX system was expected to deliver broadband access services to residential and enterprise customers in an economical way and hence was an ideal wireless broadband solution for municipalities to use in their Smart Cities projects. However, this technology has not met with commercial success yet.
Another mind-blowing breakthrough and a new paradigm in optical wireless technology is the Light-Fidelity (Li-fi). Predicted to be the potential nemesis of the existing wireless technologies, Li-fi is a bidirectional, high speed wireless communication, like Wi-Fi, using light. The Li-fi is based on system that takes light from the fiber, amplifies it and beams it across a room to deliver data at more than 100 Gbps. With a bi-directional speeds of upto 224 Gbps, the LiFi is designed to be used LED light bulbs. By embedding the LED bulb with a small microchip which modulates the light imperceptibly for optical data transmission, the Li-fi generates transmission speeds of upto 112 Gbps which is incredibly faster than an average Wi-fi connection. This seemingly futuristic technology is still at a very nascent stage and it will take several tests and changes before the product is developed for commercial use. However, the ramifications of it are huge – Imagine, just switching on
your light bulb and downloading 18 movies of 1.5 GB each within a mind boggling timeframe of 1 second. WOW!!!
your light bulb and downloading 18 movies of 1.5 GB each within a mind boggling timeframe of 1 second. WOW!!!
Today, businesses extensively rely on sharing of information and communication with the clients which requires 24/7 access to networks independent of the end devices used. Hence, building a superior wireless network that caters to all the aspects of security, reliability and throughput while providing seamless mobility becomes inevitable…….Unless, of course, Apple launches an iPad “x” with Ethernet connectivity!
