OVERVIEW

Wireless local area networks (wireless LANs, or WLANs) are one of the hottest wireless technologies around right now. They re turning everything from sports stadiums to coffee shops to corporate campuses into wireless access points, also known as hot spots. There s obviously a different draw for all of these venues in some cases, it s a customer-retention feature, while in others it s an issue of employee productivity.

WLANs are poised for double-digit growth, according to Gartner, with healthy growth expected through 2007. The initial strong growth in the WLAN equipment market is being driven by the mobile data-connectivity needs of professional portable PC users, says Andy Rolfe, principal analyst for Gartner s worldwide telecommunications and networking group. The increase in WLAN-enabled mobile PCs and PDAs will drive demand for WLAN access in a variety of locations to support mobile access to business applications.

Gartner forecasts the penetration rate of WLAN into the professional mobile PC installed base will grow from 9 percent in 2000 to almost 50 percent by the end of 2003, and it is expected to surpass 90 percent by 2007. As WLAN equipment prices continue to fall and speed increases, wireless solutions will become a viable alternative to wired LANs in small premises, says Rolfe. This is because bandwidth demands are lower in small sites, and the cost of cabling for wired Ethernet is higher than in larger premises.

Most of the WLANs out there today are based on the 802.11b standard, sometimes called WiFi, which operates in the unlicensed...