[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Is It Time To Switch To An All-Wireless Network? here

[SimonL]

well, as sure as it gets to hack in a wireless network with a specialized tool, does someone really want to run over an open encrypted as it is network, making the daily hacker an easier job ?
i think with I will just use wireless to give access to internet to office guests for the time being ... there are no safe, routers out there to withstand an outside wireless attack... (didn't want to spoil things, but a connection can be made because of routers/protocol faults/exploits too)

[rgreen4]

>there is nothing to add to your PCs because all desktops come with built-in wireless network adapters now.

The author may want to go back and check his specs. While SOME desktops may come with wireless built in, NOT ALL DO. In fact a quick perusal of HP and Dell business class desktops will reveal that few do. In the consumer lines, the higher end Entertainment PC's do, but the run of the mill do not. It is true that all come with an onboard NIC, but then that's for connection to the WIRED networks,

[WinTard]

All wireless is a nice concept except for:

- Desktops/servers which require an AC outlet power cord.
- High-bandwidth applications, such as HTPC streaming 35+ Mbits/sec per HDTV stream.
- Most Wi-Fi N routers being half-duplex, and sharing the entire network bandwidth amongst all nodes.
- No serious gamer would consider Wi-Fi simply due to the unpredictability of the bandwidth consumption by other nodes, thus the impossibility to adjust and compensate for a consistent 'lag'. Zero ping being Utopia.

And probably 1000+ other reasons justifying that all-wireless is only useful with portable devices, that are battery powered, thus truly wireless to start with.

(Imagine doing a system backup, while burning a DVD, while playing some music, while watching some video, while using the NAS / SAN, while playing a multiplayer kick-ass game online, while ...) (oh all the data comes from the network off other nodes, just like is being done with wired networks).

There is NO dedicated Wi-Fi N that can handle that smoothly. Now just add a second node (station) to that network and see performance degrade to nothing.

And let's not forget switched Gigabit Ethernet is the norm today. Whereas Wi-Fi is shared. Simply no comparisons. As a parallel, try to view FULL HDTV through a 3G wireless network... No way! HD Satellite is wireless, but light years from 3G in terms of broadcast bandwidth speeds. Hundreds of simultaneous channels in full glory 35+ Mbits/sec simultaneously!

Succinctly: If there is a power-cord attached, you DON'T NEED and DON'T WANT WIRELESS. Even for laptops while charging. The next best thing from dedicated switched Ethernet would be Ethernet over power lines. That would make sense, since the lowest common denominator would be the power source. I expect to see a lot of improvements in that specific 'wire-full' area.

[tek101]

Well....Thanks for that not so Smart advice ....As much as I enjoy the freedom of wireless .....

I still prefer doing business and banking on WIRE network with Desktop......and I think most business owners know that....

And yes ...I agree.... laptops with Draft N ....should take advantage of that ......"Freedom with your owned risk" ...though......!!!

[jboustani]

I don't recommend wireless for shared database applications such as QuickBooks, Access etc...

[rgreen4]

Boy, I'm glad you brought that up. I hadn't really thought about that aspect.
For those who have never worked with a database, if you the database and lose connection, you can have real problems recovering the database.

[stylus]

This article may be better suited for home users.

In my experiance I have seen way to many poorly implimented wireless networks causing major headaches.

Implimented or expanding your business wireless network should be taken seriously and done by a professional.