What to watch out for with Wireless
Of course, ditching the wires of your LAN system offers you new freedoms like the ease of traveling and more space. However there is a price to pay¡literally. While most Ethernet adapter cards won¡¯t run too much, wireless adaptor cards might be three times as much. Also, depending on the strength of the signal you might not always get those blazing fast speeds that you are used to with a wired network. However, the good news is technology is constantly advancing. Which means, so will the wireless network.
Why not wireless?
If space is an issue for your home network system you might want to consider a wireless network system. Basically you¡¯d still be linking all of your computers and peripherals. Only instead of having wires snake throughout the house you would be using radio waves. To do this you would need wireless adaptors for all your devices. Adaptors like D-Link DWL-122 are optimal because they have a range of over 300ft.
The network-to-go
Small at home businesses never really stay at home. You¡¯re either running to meetings. Running to work with vendors. The list goes on and on. For this reason wireless networks might be the way to go. Now, most major public areas offer WiFi for people. This wireless network allows people to log on to their own system at places like the airport, a restaurant, or even a hotel lobby. Places that could double as your boardroom away from home.
Securing your system
One of the not-so-known pitfalls of creating a wireless network system is security. Sending data through radio waves could be prime pickings for hackers. However, there are a couple of measures you can take to reduce the chances of this happening. First, if you have an infrastructure system you may want to beef up security on your router or base station. You can do this by setting a password to access the system. Also, create an encryption setting for sending all of your data. This will scramble all messages sent so they can¡¯t be intercepted mid route.
The advantages of Ad-hoc or infrastructure
There are two major forms of wireless networking. Ad-hoc and Infrastructure. Ad-hoc Wireless Networking is creating a wireless system where computers directly communicate with each other. Infrastructure, has computers all communicating through one central device. For this system a base station needs to be purchased in order for the linking to occur. If you¡¯re looking for the cheaper route Ad-hoc is obviously the way to go. However, if money isn¡¯t an issue you might want to consider the infrastructure network because of its ability to link up with other networks.