Cutting the Cat 5 Cord? Not So Fast!
Looking to cut the cord and move to 802.11n? Forget it! It's just a pipe dream! There, I've said it and I mean it! The purveyors of 802.11n technology would like you to believe that you can live in a purely wireless world! In a perfect world that may be true, but we are not in a perfect world, are we? Let's take a look at the myths that surround 802.11n. Myth #1: 802.11n is fast! Come on, let's be realistic here - although 802.11n can supposedly move data at speeds up to 120Mbps, no one will see that kind of performance in the real world. Performance quickly drops off with distance and number of users.Unlike wired ethernet, where an "ethernet switch" can give near line speed access to each user, 802.11n has to rely on a shared medium - radio waves in the 2.4 ghz spectrum. In the real world, with multiple users, a variety of vendors and physical obstructions - reliable speeds above 30Mbps is considered a major accomplishment. Myth #2: 802.11n is easy! If you want to believe the speeds and feeds offered by access point vendors, then 802.11n appears to be no more difficult then plugging in a lamp! That may be true if you are just plugging in one access point and are only using it in a single room. But, add a second access point to the mix and the complexity starts to materialize. To complicate things even further, throw a couple walls and floors into the mix and then add some mobile users and see the complexity grow exponentially. While this complexity may be a good thing for the channel (think site survey fees), it is not so good for the end user. Add to that the uneducated masses trying to make 802.11n work using consumer level products and you can quickly see how the technology may earn a bad name! Myth #3: 802.11n is inexpensive! The price of access points has dropped dramatically and multiple vendors are hawking their wares through multiple retailers, turning access points into commodity items. But, those cheap consumer-level access points come with a different price; lack of manageability. If you are looking to successfully deploy 802.11n in an enterprise of any size, you are going to have to spend a bit more on the hardware to get enterprise-level features, such as manageability, power over ethernet support, integrated security and so on. What's more, almost every deployment is unique and you will have to take into consideration the existing hardware and software mix to guarantee compatibility. Myth #4: 802.11n offers great coverage! 802.11n is an improvement over previous generation Wi-Fi technologies, thanks to MiMo (multiple in, multiple out) antennas. But, in the real world, 802.11n is still susceptible to interference, distance limitations and building design - less so than 802.11A/B/G, but still can't hold a candle to the reliability of a wired connection. Myth #5: 802.11n is secure! Most vendors will have you believe that throwing a little encryption into the mix makes for a secure wireless network, but in reality you need to do a bit more before throwing corporate data out over the airwaves. Right off the bat, there is the issue of physical security; wireless networks are built to support devices such as notebooks, handhelds and other un-tethered devices. So, before introducing wireless, you will need to make sure that those easily stolen pieces of equipment are accounted for. On the data security front, you will need to do a lot more than encryption - with a wired network, an administrator knows where every endpoint is and where every cable terminates (at least inside the firewall). With a robust wireless network, that all changes and administrators are going to have to get serious about more advanced security solutions, perhaps going to a combination of Network Access Control and End Point Security suites. That of course adds complexity and expense to the network.
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While some are advocating the move to 802.11n as a solution to all of an enterprise's wiring problems, there are a few pesky details that will get in the way.
Comments (14)
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Posted by cliffton | June 19, 2008 7:32 PM
802.11 should stay in the home. I don't know anybody that would seriously consider replacing their wired links with wireless.
Posted by David | June 19, 2008 7:49 PM
Seriously? What are you paid by the ethernet commission?
Next, 5 myths why the internet is not as good as newspapers
1. Unable to place under coffee table
2. Not available at news stands
3. Well, you get the idea......
Posted by Corey Floyd | June 19, 2008 10:53 PM
I completely agree.
Posted by wowmir | June 20, 2008 3:39 AM
While this other problem with 802.11n is not exclusive to that technology, it is especially susceptible to it, it being interference from other non 802.11n devices like cordless phones. Interesting that the exact places where folks are being pushed to deploy the stuff also are the likeliest places for these other consumer tech items that interfere. Nothing like being in a good session of WOW just to have the phone ring and when the wife answers.....
Server disconnect....
I personally have 2 such phones that have the effect from different manufacturers. Think how frustrating that would be to someone who is not 'In the Know'...
Those wires don't seem so bad now do they. Where's by cordless drill and 1/2" bit...
Posted by Lonnie Watson | June 20, 2008 8:19 AM
1. 802.11n is fast
11n AP speeds are typically 300Mbps - which deliver 100Mbps+ in many cases. I note that you only refer to 11n in the 2.4Ghz spectrum.
If you have lots of users, 5Ghz offers much greater density of APs and therefore higher speeds can be achieved. The tradeoff with 5Ghz is coverage.
2. 802.11n is easy
Well, for the vast majority of home users it is EASY - 1 AP/Router will now cover your home with better coverage and speed than previous
versions of WiFi.
3. 802.11n is Inexpensive
Again for the vast majority of home/SOHO users it is inexpensive - 11n WiFi routers with built-in firewalls are relatively cheap
4. 802.11n offes better coverage
It does offer better coverage. The interference issue is something to be wary of but this applies more to large-scale deployments.
5. 802.11n is secure
Firstly, nothing is 100% secure. 802.11n is more secure than previous versions and for the vast majority of users, WPA will suffice. Obviously at enterprise level security is more of an issue and no solution, be it wired or wireless is cheap and easy.
Lastly, what you haven't mentioned as one of the great things about 11n is convenience. No wired network can ever replace the convenience that 802.11n brings.
Posted by Allan | June 20, 2008 8:55 AM
Lousy article. No new information contributed. This article reads more like a comparison of wired vs. wireless networks.
Posted by Novan Leon | June 20, 2008 11:30 AM
Great article! It is amazing that some of those who posted can't understand what it's about!
Allan - I don't think this about what you want to setup in your living room - it is about business!
Corey - you completely missed the point! Companies like dlink and netgear are trying to sell 802.11n as the end-all fix-all to all of a businesses wired problems, when 802.11n can't even come close to offering what wired does! (ever hear of VoIP, Streaming Video, NAC, and so on) - all of those kill wireless and of course, you still need wires to the desk anyway (phone and power? DUH!)
And to the biggest moron- Novan - Nice post: No new information posted! This post reads like a comparision of what an idiot would post, instead of something intellegent!
Posted by Cisco Guy | June 20, 2008 11:45 AM
@Cisco Guy
Ok seriously, you list VOIP and streaming video?
I have an Apple Airport N with DSL....... NOT AOL and 36.6k modem circa 1995
I have 2 laptops, a Wii, and an Apple TV (all wireless), no desktop.
why laptops you ask?
Because, as of about 2006, the pricing/power differential between laptops and desktops was greatly diminished.
The same way increasing wireless speeds have diminished the differences 802.11 and 802.3.
Sure more security issues.....
Because I have about 10 hackers with 100 yards of my house at all times attempting to crack my WPA security. (Get a Mac)
I buy tons of merchandise online and pay all of my bills online.
I stream youtube and podcasts to my Apple TV.
I download more TV shows than I can watch.
I screenshare between my laptops.
I wirelessly backup my laptops with Time Machine (200GB and 100 GB HDs)
I play nintendo online with people in Japan.
Tell me again about the great services I am missing because of lack of wires.
Oh by the way, I just moved across the country and I am house hunting. I have been living in a hotel for 2 weeks. So I picked up all my devices and put them in my suite had my entire setup running within a few minutes.
So can you please explain to me again the points I missed, and slowly, because my feeble network and mind may have trouble absorbing all of your superior thoughts and bandwidth?
Posted by Corey Floyd | June 20, 2008 9:25 PM
#6: Wireless-N is still not a standard!
N is in the final draft stage, but it is not a IEEE 802.11n standard, yet. For anything larger than a home/home office, I couldn't suggest that N is the way to go - get a "G" and/or "A" router, and get bigger antenna(s) for it to get better range. Use directional ones to control where the coverage is.
Posted by A WISP manager | June 20, 2008 11:46 PM
As a tech everything is this article is correct. Can deny that but you forget no large scale business should run wireless ever unless setup by a networking specialist. I set up little stores here and there with wireless and secure it all the time but I make sure they know it has limitations and can be a security risk. They just want to be able to use a laptop at a front desk or bring in the home computer to play a game when the store is slow.
Fine whatever.
N is a draft no one can say what will work with what I own a linksys you have dlink they have netgear. People need to remember Beta VS VHS.
HD VS BlueRAY
Posted by Raymond | June 21, 2008 9:35 AM
11n uses orthagonal OFDM right?
it is also prone to creating interference
in the 2.4GHz ISM unlicensed band.
no one addresses this and the fact that its only a draft;
can anyone claim widespread interoperability with the current deployments?
there are a great many arguments we can make to keep our switched fixed wired networks too...
Posted by radman | June 21, 2008 8:23 PM
11n uses orthagonal OFDM right?
it is also prone to creating interference
in the 2.4GHz ISM unlicensed band.
no one addresses this and the fact that its only a draft;
can anyone claim widespread interoperability with the current deployments?
there are a great many arguments we can make to keep our switched fixed wired networks too...
Posted by radman | June 21, 2008 8:28 PM
Corey, wow are you stupid!
The article is about an enterprise, not what you do in your own home! -
once you setup a multisite location with a 1000 users, perhaps then you will have a slight glimmer of comprehension - until then, enjoy wathcing you tube and apple TV at home, but Why not do that at work also? - um, may be you will get fired?
Learn to read and perhaps you won't post ignorant messages?
Posted by Cisco Guy | June 23, 2008 10:07 AM