Why not Wi-Fi?
Often, we think of productivity enhancement in terms of saving big chunks of time. But there's also value in accruing productivity in small but frequent pieces. How? Through wireless networking, or Wi-Fi. Like your cordless phone at home, Wi-Fi uses simple radio technology to let you connect to computer networks, peripherals such as printers, and the Internet, all without the fuss of connecting cables.
Wi-Fi benefits
The instant, easy connectivity of Wi-Fi provides many time-saving advantages. You can:
- Rearrange an office without moving your wiring. Whether you're adding more cubicles to your brokerage office or simply moving your home office from one room to another, Wi-Fi keeps you connected to your network without the need for wiring modifications. A good Wi-Fi home network will even let you surf the Internet from your sun-filled deck on a warm summer day.
- Use mobile equipment such as laptops and PDAs anywhere in your office. For instance, you can perform an MLS search on your laptop in your cubicle before meeting a client. When the client arrives, just pick up your computer and walk to a conference room, without losing your connection.
- Reduce the number of peripherals you need. With Wi-Fi, you can place a printer or other peripheral anywhere in your office and have it immediately available for all your users without the hassle of running wires.
One caveat: Other electrical equipment or big barriers such as steel girders may interfere with radio signals and make Wi-Fi unreliable. So consider Wi-Fi an extension of your hard-wired network, not a replacement for it.
Shopping for Wi-Fi
Although your needs will differ depending on whether you're looking to equip an entire brokerage or simply a home office, there are essentially two categories of Wi-Fi hardware to consider.
Devices such as wireless routers, base stations, or other access points broadcast the Wi-Fi radio waves and give you access to the Internet and peripherals. Equipping the typical home office usually requires nothing more than a simple base station, at a cost of less than $100.
If you're covering a larger area, such as several floors of a home or a brokerage office, you may also need to add a repeater, which extends the range of a Wi-Fi signal. Turning a brokerage into a wireless environment will also probably require multiple access points to ensure that the Wi-Fi signal is strong in all areas and that you don't get interference from your existing wired network.
Antennas receive the Wi-Fi signal, thereby connecting devices to the network. You can buy antennas for notebook computers and PDAs, although many now come with Wi-Fi built in. You'll also need antennas for desktop computers and printers, which are seldom Wi-Fi-ready.
The variations that you'll encounter when shopping for Wi-Fi equipment exist because there are many different Wi-Fi standards, some of which operate on different frequencies. The two most common are 802.11b and 802.11g. The b version is older, slower, and less expensive but is probably all you need if your main goal is to share Internet access. Another standard, 802.11a, is well-suited for supporting multimedia and video.
When purchasing equipment, you'll need to be sure that everything you buy, including any devices you have with built-in Wi-Fi, uses a compatible standard. This issue is becoming less of a concern, however, as many devices now support multiple standards. If you get confused, enlist the help of a knowledgeable salesperson or, for larger projects, hire a computer consultant.
Once you've made the purchase and experienced the relatively easy task of setting up your equipment, you'll be ready to Wi-Fi.
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