The most widely used applications of “wireless internet” are the IEEE 802.11 standards based applications that are simply “wireless Ethernet” products. What that means is that to connect to a computer network using the prevailing protocol of Ethernet, these wireless products carry signals that are converted to and from the Ethernet format. Think of them as “invisible Ethernet cables” that are used to connect one or more computers to a network.

For several years ISP’s have been offering one form or another of service based on this technology, and most recently it is being rolled out nationally by Starbucks Coffee shops for use of their customers. The Kitsap Regional Library has installed a wireless service for use within several of the library branches. The technology promises great flexibility in connecting to the internet as well as other network applications.

The strength of the wireless technology is the relative ease of installation. One weakness of the technology is the requirement of unobstructed line of sight. Most wireless products have a range of up to about 350 to 500 feet within a wood frame structure, and 150 to 250 feet in a concrete and steel structure. Outdoors, ranges can exceed 25 miles in a point-to-point configuration. Line of sight is required to achieve the longer outdoor ranges.

Typical throughput speeds run from 1 Megabit to 8 or 9 megabits depending on the equipment and network configuration. While the higher speed products are advertised as 11 Megabit, the actual throughput is substantially less due to the radio management “overhead” that consumes a significant amount of radio “bandwidth” for traffic management. Coming onto the market are 50 megabit-plus units that, while relatively short range, will make them useful in applications that require higher speeds.

Another shortcoming is the relative insecurity of the DSS networks. The higher speed, Direct Spread Spectrum (DSS) application use fewer fixed “channels” in the assigned radio spectrum and are more vulnerable to radio interference and mutual interference (the Radio Frequency or RF environment).

The lower speed Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) product is much more stable in a high RF environment, and much less subject to mutual interference. It is also much more secure than DSS radio networks. The “frequency hoppers” hop through a preset sequence of channels within the assigned radio spectrum, and simply “hop over” any interference.

Applications for this technology are almost limitless. Anywhere your imagination can lay “invisible Ethernet cable” and for whatever application that is Ethernet-network based, wireless can deliver connectivity at a higher speed and often significantly lower cost than traditional wire-line networks.

Warehouses, hospitals, hotels, convention centers, airports (across runways and within terminals), and even the Super Bowl have and continue to use the technology in surprising and innovative ways. Detroit has used the technology for endurance tests of new car models, to connect onboard sensors to fixed computers. The ability to readily deploy and re-deploy the equipment in both temporary and long term applications makes wireless networking a very useful tool for businesses in a wide range of business applications and environments.

(Jim Kendall is the owner of Telebyte Inc, in Silverdale, Kitsap County’s oldest Internet Service Provider and a partner in N.W. Commnet, a co-location facility located in downtown Bremerton. He may be reached at (360) 613-5220 or jim@telebyte.com.).