Wireless Options Abound for Small Business Owners

Thanks to technology, your employees no longer need to
feel tethered to their desks. There are plenty of
wireless options that will let workers not only wander
around the office without losing touch with other
employees through e-mail, but wireless technology now
lets workers log onto the Internet during downtimes,
such as when sitting in an airport waiting to board a
business flight.

by Tamara Holmes NFIB.com

The type of wireless technology you use depends on what
you intend to use it for. Different wireless options
move data at different speeds, and from varying
distances.

One technology, called Bluetooth, is ideal if you’re
merely exchanging data between multiple handhelds and
peripherals that are not too physically separated from
one another. The range that Bluetooth covers is only
about 30 feet so if you’re hoping to send data from
further away, it’s not a good option. It’s also among
the slowest wireless options, transferring data at
about 500 kilobytes per second. However, Bluetooth
consumes little power and is ideal if you’re exchanging
data between handhelds in a conference room, for
example.

If you’ve read anything about wireless technology,
you’ve probably come across the numbers 802.11. There
are actually three different wireless technologies that
start off with those numbers followed by the letters a,
b, and g, respectively.

802.11a is among the fastest wireless technologies,
transmitting data at about 22 megabytes per second.
It’s also able to transmit data as far as about 75
feet. But despite its selling points, it’s less popular
than 802.11b, which is the favorite technology among
businesses.

Also known as wireless fidelity or Wi-Fi, 802.11b is
perhaps the most important factor leading to the
widespread adoption of wireless network access. It can
transmit data up to approximately 11 megabytes per
second to distances of up to 100 feet. The prices of
Wi-Fi adapters, which make hardware compatible with the
technology, are overall less expensive than the
adapters and other gear required to work with 802.11a.
Some of the latest models of notebooks and handhelds
even have Wi-Fi capabilities already built in.

Increasingly, Wi-Fi access is available in public
places such as coffee shops, airports and hotel rooms.

The most recent wireless offering, 802.11g is being
touted as a possible successor to Wi-Fi when it comes
to widespread use. It’s faster than Wi-Fi, allowing
data to be transmitted up to 22 megabytes per second.
It is also backward compatible with Wi-Fi, meaning it’s
easy to add 802.11g capabilities to a Wi-Fi network.

There are certain pieces of equipment that you will
need regardless of the type of wireless technology you
use. A router or gateway is a device that connects a
modem to a wireless adapter or a wireless access point.
You’ll also need adapters that will connect your
computers, handhelds and peripherals to the wireless
access point.

One factor that might affect the deployment of wireless
access in your workplace is the floor plan of the
office. Open spaces carry wireless transmissions better
than closed, cramped spaces since there’s less of a
chance for signals to bounce off of walls and run into
interference.

You’ll also want to place the wireless access point in
a position where it can send and receive signals from
all of the devices you want to connect to the network.
For example, if you’re using Wi-Fi and you know data
can be transmitted up to distances of 100 feet, you’ll
want to make sure the access point is within 100 feet
of all of the computers you want to hook up to the
network.

While wireless connectivity won’t solve all of your
technology-related problems, it certainly will make it
easier for you and your employees to keep in touch
while on the go. In today’s mobile society, that can
mean a big boost for your business.

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