WLANs, WPANs, and WMANs...Oh My!
It seems like you can't go into a business anymore or drop in on a neighbor without seeing signs of wireless networking. Everyone is thrilled with the prospect of mobile networks and wireless computing. Wireless networks present enormous advantages and just a few drawbacks but one thing is certain...they're not going away. But just how many kinds of wireless networks exist out there?
A World without Wires
Just a few years ago, if you wanted to check your email or surf the Internet, you had to sit down at a computer that was attached to a network by either Ethernet cable or a standard phone line if you were using dial-up. While this isn't a disaster, it does pin you down to one spot in order to use an Internet or network connection. After all, you have a cordless phone that lets you roam the house while you talk and a cell phone that lets you make phone calls while you're driving your car, having lunch at a fast food place, or walking the dog. Why can't you have a network connection that you can access wirelessly, too?
You probably are the sort of person that already has two or more computers networked at home. You could be working out of your home or have a small office that you networked yourself. You know how to get a computer to share a printer with the rest of the network and transfer memos, sales reports, and photos from one PC to another. Now that wireless technology is available and affordable, you want to take the next step and add a wireless component to your wired network. You might even want to completely replace your wired network with wireless. The question is, how many types of wireless networks are there and which one is right for you?