What to know now about Wi-Fi's hot new standard
By Christopher Elliott

802.11n is, quite simply, Wi-Fi on steroids. It would run up to 50 times faster than the current wireless standard, 802.11b, and offer an expanded operating distance. The operative word here is would — 802.11n isn't expected to become a standard until late 2006, and likely won't shake the business world until 2007.

Experts say it is. "You have to keep your hand on the 802.11n pulse," advises Sumit Deshpande, vice president at Computer Associates, a management software company based in Islandia, N.Y. "That way, you are better prepared to deploy it when the technology is available in its standards-approved form."

So here's what you need to know now about wireless "n," the next generation of Wi-Fi.

1.         Don't jump on the 802.11n bandwagon too soon.
One of the most common mistakes small businesses make is embracing an emerging technology in "me first!" fashion. Bad idea, says Jay Krauser, general manager for NEC Unified Solutions, an integrated communications solutions provider based in Irving, Texas. "You should generally avoid being an early adopter of new technology prior to any standards-body, such as IEEE or IETF, ratifying it," he cautions. "Evaluation, perhaps. Network rollout — probably not."

Why? Krauser says there's a risk that the final, ratified technology will not be hardware compatible with other your product. In effect that would create a wireless "silo" in your business and wouldn't facilitate customer or partner use of your network. To keep up-to-date on new standards, check out the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) site (www.ieee.org) or the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) site (www.ietf.org).

2.       Think of uses beyond mobility applications.
The higher high-speed access has lots of potential for small business, according to Brian Sugar, the marketing vice president for 2Wire, Inc., a provider of broadband service platforms in San Jose, Calif. "As wireless bandwidth increases, we might see this technology being used not only for mobility applications, but for general small-office infrastructure as well," he says. In other words, these networks could be running everything from phones to TVs, rendering the traditional wired network obsolete. So if you're planning an expansion to your business, keep that in mind.

3.       "N" is for "not for every business."
Jeff Thompson, chief operating officer of TowerStream, a Middletown, R.I., fixed-wireless broadband provider, says some businesses will want to take advantage of wireless "n" much sooner than others. "It's a pure numbers game," he says. "802.11n could make a big difference if you are doing large file transfers on your LAN [local-area network]." Put another way, if your business and its customers are only exchanging small files and surfing the Internet through a wireless network, the next generation won't make a huge difference, at least in the short term. But if you're running the kind of business that depends on a network to exchange massive files containing data such as audio, video or large PowerPoint presentations, then you'll probably want to look into wireless "n."

4.         Upgrade sooner if you must, but it still may be better to wait.
Ben Personick, a network manager for Pragmatix, an IT consulting firm for small to midsized businesses, says there are basically two kinds of small companies: the ones who need Wi-Fi now and the ones who already have it. "If your small business is feeling pressure to go to a wireless Ethernet due to a large number of mobile users, or to provide quick client access for laptops, you shouldn't wait [for 802.11n]," he says. However, see Point No. 1. If you can hold off until the standards for the next generation of wireless are set, you should. "You'll have a much more effective wireless LAN, which will be able to support more users more thoroughly," Personick says.

5.         Ready sooner rather than later?
Look for a partner with a track record. When you're looking at making an upgrade to a wireless "n" network, look for a vendor with experience who can see you through it. It goes without saying that any upgrade can be unsettling to your business. When it involves new or emerging technology, it can be all the more disconcerting.

"Small businesses should be choosing a vendor who will take them to new standards with minimum disruption as they come to market," advises Graham Melville, director of product marketing for Symbol Technologies' Wireless Infrastructure Division in Holtsville, N.Y. He notes that many of the traditional wired networking companies hurrying to jump into the wireless local-area network (WLAN) market are buying solutions from startups or re-branding products from low-cost vendors, often with questionable results.

His advice? "Avoid startups which over-promise things." To find out who is a vendor and who is just re-branding, check out the Wi-Fi Alliance page  (www.wi-fi.org/opensection/index.asp).

Article found at: http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/issues/technology/broadband_mobility/what_to_know_now_about_wifis_hot_new_standard.mspx?pf=true