Local-area networks go wireless

As standards emerge, data rates rise, and laptops seek connectivity, wireless LANs are finding a market niche as extensions to wired networks. Wireless LANs have found homes in buildings where installing wires would expose asbestos or destroy historic architecture. They have also proved valuable to companies that often relocate and want networks they can take with them. Another common use is for connecting wired LANs that are physically separated. The growth has been fueled by the desire to add wireless adjuncts to wired LANs, so that mobile workers can keep in constant contact with corporate networks over short distances. The author discusses the befits of wireless LANs. The radio based wireless LAN is discussed including multipath interference and data bottlenecks. The infrared based wireless LAN is also discussed and an inset discusses standards for wireless LANs