Why Going Wireless Is Best for Your Business’ Network Infrastructure
In a post-pandemic era, wireless networking technology has become a vital part of building a business’ network infrastructure because a wireless network increases an organization’s ability to connect and collaborate with employees and customers whether you are working in the office or working from home. With today’s technology, you can build a fast and reliable wireless network at an affordable price.
Whether you are a coffee shop owner looking to provide WiFi to your customers or a large corporation looking to build a strong network connection for your teams, here are some things you might need to know about wireless networking technology.
What Is WiFi?
Often, people use the terms WiFi and the Internet interchangeably, but they are describing two different parts of a network connection. WiFi is the usage of wireless networking technology to connect devices (e.g., smartphones, computers, laptops, and VoIP phones) to a local area network (LAN), which is a computer network that connects network devices within a single location such as a home, an office building, or a college campus.
WiFi is just an alternative to using cables and wires to connect your network. While WiFi allows you to connect to a local area network, the Internet is what connects multiple local networks to each other to allow devices all over the world to connect and communicate.
How Does WiFi Work?
WiFi helps make network connection possible, but it doesn’t directly connect you to the Internet. WiFi is the technology that connects you to a router or an access point for internet connection. To create a wireless local area network (WLAN), WiFi uses radio waves to transmit information across a network. It operates at specific frequencies, typically at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
The typical range for WiFi routers operating on the 2.4 GHz band is up to 150 feet indoors and up to 300 feet outdoors. You can extend the range of your WiFi by adding wireless access points (WAPs) throughout your facility. Wireless access points connect to your router to strengthen your network connection in an area where the WiFi signal is poor.
How Can Wireless Networks Benefit Your Business?
Wireless networks are versatile and offer a few advantages over traditional wired networks.
· Increased Mobility- Employees can stay connected to your network as they move throughout your workspace. If a team is in a meeting, they can access files on your database while being away from their offices. Also, servers and databases can be accessed remotely, allowing employees to be productive when working from home or working while traveling for business.
· Increased Scalability- Wireless networks are easier to adapt and expand to fit your growing organization’s needs. If you need to add more offices or more devices, you can easily expand your network’s reach by installing wireless networking technology such as wireless access points. This is easier and less expensive than reconfiguring your network cabling.
· Increased Connectivity- Wireless networks allow users to connect to the Internet from any spot within its area of coverage. So, if you are a college campus with several disconnected buildings or you are hosting an event outside, you can build an outdoor wireless network as part of your network infrastructure.
· Reduced Cost- Oftentimes, wireless networks are easier and less expensive to install and upgrade than wired networks. Reconfiguring a wired network can be expensive as you have to pay for the current wiring to be restructured and for additional wiring to expand your reach. To upgrade wireless networks, you just need to buy hardware such as routers, switches and wireless access points.
Wireless networks can help your organization stay ahead of the digital curve.
Thinking about wireless for your business’ network connection?
Connect with us today, to have one of our networking specialists to help assess if WiFi could be a good fit for your organization’s network application.
