Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) provide network connectivity almost anywhere and at much less cost than traditional wired LANs. A traditional wired network connects devices to the Internet or other networks using physical network cables. The wired infrastructure, based on IEEE 802.3 standards, supports the IEEE 802.1 network architecture, which is concerned with LAN and MAN standards, such as 802.1D and 802.1Q, as well as network security standards, such as 802.1x, for example.
A wireless network, on the other hand, uses radio waves to transmit data and connect devices to the Internet, as well as to other networks and applications, which minimizes the need for wired connections. WLANs are defined in the IEEE 802.11 standards, which will be described later in this chapter. Although a wireless network allows users to access network resources ‘over-the-air,’ it is important keep in mind that wireless traffic also traverses the physical wired infrastructure. Therefore, it is imperative to remember that WLANs are meant to augment, rather than replace, the wired LAN campus infrastructure. This augmentation allows for a flexible data communication system within the enterprise network.
Although traditional wired network solutions do have their advantages, such as greater throughput speeds, it is also important to know that current wireless network solutions do have some advantages over wired networks, which include the following:
- Monetary cost
- Flexibility
- Load distribution
- Redundancy
In terms of monetary cost, a wireless infrastructure requires less physical connections because the primary medium, the air, is free. This can mean significant cost savings not only in cabling terms but also in the number of switch ports required to provide connectivity for users.
Wireless network solutions provide greater flexibility than wired connections in that users are not restricted to a single physical location, such as a cubicle, to gain access to the network. Instead, users are able gain network access from just about anywhere, which could include the break room, a coffee shop, or even outside the physical office building.
Wireless solutions can provide load distribution by dynamically redirecting additional users to other Base Stations or Access Points (APs) if the local AP is overloaded. This capability allows for the load to be distributed among the APs, which results in an improvement in network performance. Users connected to wired networks, for example, cannot dynamically be handed off to an underutilized, available switch because they are physically ‘bound’ to their present location until a manual change to another switch or port is performed.
Wireless solutions provide physical redundancy in that if an AP fails, another one can simply accept and connect wireless users to the network. This is unlike wired networks where, for example, if a switch fails, physical cabling moves are required to reconnect the disconnected users to the network via a replacement switch.