Which is best cable or wireless?
The world around us seems to be going wireless crazy - we stream music and movies from our home PCs to any room in the house, we can play music from our phones on car stereos and we can go to any number of public places and hook up to the internet.
Yet many businesses seem to stay in the dark ages, many remain wired and while they may have wireless it is often reserved for management and visitors and even then it is rarely the most reliable.
Yet many businesses seem to stay in the dark ages, many remain wired and while they may have wireless it is often reserved for management and visitors and even then it is rarely the most reliable.
The benefits of a wired connection
One of the great advantages of a wired infrastructure is the control, security, reliability and speed it can provide. There are obvious benefits to this such as keeping unwanted visitors off the network and ensuring that the network is not overloaded with non-business traffic.
Another bonus with a wired connection is the speed and reliability they offer, way more so than a wireless infrastructure. For businesses that regularly need to move a lot of data around, a wired set-up is the best way to go.
Another bonus with a wired connection is the speed and reliability they offer, way more so than a wireless infrastructure. For businesses that regularly need to move a lot of data around, a wired set-up is the best way to go.
The benefits of a wireless connection
Wireless networking is now the modern alternative to cable & fibre optics, it removes the nuisance placed by cables and wires between the hardware and the user device and can be the ideal solution when cabling is not permitted by the landlord or for listed buildings.
While a physical infrastructure can be good from a management point of view, having wires running throughout a building can be costly to maintain. For example, when a business expands new workers will require physical connections at their desks and any breakages will need to be manually fixed as there is no software solution for a broken RJ45 plug.
With many workers and visitors using mobile devices within the business environment, it can be vital that there is access to a wireless infrastructure, especially in Cornwall, which thrives on tourism and yet so many locations have such a poor cellular reception.
While a physical infrastructure can be good from a management point of view, having wires running throughout a building can be costly to maintain. For example, when a business expands new workers will require physical connections at their desks and any breakages will need to be manually fixed as there is no software solution for a broken RJ45 plug.
With many workers and visitors using mobile devices within the business environment, it can be vital that there is access to a wireless infrastructure, especially in Cornwall, which thrives on tourism and yet so many locations have such a poor cellular reception.
Security issues with wireless networks
Security is of the utmost importance within a wireless infrastructure and the network often extends beyond the physical walls of the building. Critical data is now available across the airwaves and if the wireless network is not secured in the same way as the wired network this data may end up in the wrong hands.
This means elements such as authentication, intrusion detection, prevention, reporting and security event management (SEM) must be included in the security set-up of a wireless infrastructure. It is also worth pointing out more simple measures – such as changing the default SSID and password to a more secure one – can be very effective.
This means elements such as authentication, intrusion detection, prevention, reporting and security event management (SEM) must be included in the security set-up of a wireless infrastructure. It is also worth pointing out more simple measures – such as changing the default SSID and password to a more secure one – can be very effective.
