About a year ago, I took a look at wireless networking for content creation shops and chronicled my experience installing broadband in my home office. Some readers took exception with my mostly negative assessment of Wi-Fi — the sobriquet for speedy wirework networking — feeling my criticisms of its cost, performance and security were a bit harsh.
Since then, an increasing pack of vendors have offered an even greater variety of Wi-Fi wireless devices, and the high cost of entry has fallen. In the spring, several companies released devices supporting a next-generation wireless standard, one that brings wireless performance closer to that of wired networks.
Wireless networking seems like a natural for content creators — office rebels who want the freedom to create anywhere and anytime, including the backyard on a sunny day. Plus, the absence of ugly wiring appeals to aesthetically conscious designers. So, should these technical developments give a green light for content creators to head into wireless networking?
Why Wi-Fi?
In my previous column, I listed my concerns about using devices supporting the 802.11b wireless standard to connect the Macs and Windows machines on both floors of my split-level apartment. My Wi-Fi beefs included platform compatibility (or more accurately, incompatibilities) as well as the extra costs from wireless access point devices and host adapter cards.
Some of my previous cost objections have been met with inexpensive access points, as well as with the arrival of application-specific wireless devices such as Ethernet bridges and printer adapters. There’s even an adapter for old RS-232 serial products, such as older white boards.
I can now get a Wi-Fi connector for my iMac and my decrepit beige Power Mac G3 box that’s gathering dust in the closet, with MacWireless, a longtime wireless OEM developer, recently announcing a line of products under its own label.
At last month’s Macworld Expo in New York, MacWireless released a $119 USB adapter as well as a $140 802.11b PCI card. While the USB 1.1-standard adapters are common on the PC side of the fence, the company said that this is the only such device for the Mac. The adapter provides 64-bit and 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption in hardware and currently only supports Mac OS 9.04 and up; OS X support is in the works.
Some readers might wonder if such a USB wireless adapter would be "fast enough"? Needless to say, the traditional comeback is, "Fast enough for what?"
Yes, the performance of USB 1.1 devices can be very slow, especially for storage applications such as an external hard drive. The speed difference is considerable: 1.2 MB (megabytes) per second for a hard drive over a USB connection vs. about 30 MB per second for the same drive with a FireWire connection.
However, it’s a different story when using USB connectors to access the Internet. Here, that USB wireless adapters holds their own.
The theoretical maximum throughput of USB 1.1 and 802.11b are almost the same, 12 and 11 megabits per second, respectively. Remember, that’s megabits (one million bits per second) not megabytes (8 million bits per second).
Of course, actual performance will be slower under normal operating conditions and depending on the number of simultaneous users on the wireless network. And let’s not forget other factors that could slow down performances, such as the distance to the access point and any interference from radio signals or the microwave oven, which operate in the same frequency as 802.11b devices.
Regardless, the real speed bottleneck for Internet access is your broadband connection. The T-1 carrier line often used for business purposes has a maximum speed of 1.54 Mbps, a bit higher than that of USB 1.1. DSL and cable modems offer speeds between 500 Kbps and 1.5 Mbps downstream and 128 to 300 Mbps upstream. Same diff.
Yet, your use of a network is much more than just an Internet connection.
Alphabet Soup
I previously pointed out that 802.11b’s data transfer rate is slower than a wired connection when copying files from one machine to another. This slow performance was unlikely to be a problem for most consumers, but it would be a hindrance for content creators who commonly move around large files or backup data over the local area network.
Addressing this complaint is 802.11a (note the letter change from "b" to "a"), a new wireless standard that offers speeds as high as 54 Mbps, a vast improvement over the "b" flavor and well into the territory covered by 100-Mbit Ethernet wiring. Access points and cards supporting the standard were released this spring by many vendors.
The faster "a" flavor devices run in the 5-GHz frequency band, unlike the "b" flavor, which uses the 2.4-GHz spectrum. Some vendors differentiate their Wi-Fi product lines by these frequency numbers.
The higher frequency is less vulnerable to interference from cordless phones, baby monitors or microwave ovens. The lower frequency space will grow even more crowded with the arrival of computer and consumer peripherals supporting the Bluetooth wireless standard, which runs in the same 2.4-GHz neighborhood.
All isn’t roses with the "a"-flavored wireless: Its carrying range is limited to about 80 feet from a base station, about half that of 802.11b; and the products are relatively new and carry a premium price. In addition, the faster devices are twice as expensive than the older and slower versions.
Worse still, 802.11a is completely incompatible with 802.11b — they run at different frequencies, right? The 802.11a wireless network may give you better speed, but it won’t talk to any of the popular (and inexpensive) wireless cards or adapters on the market. Meeting the challenge, several vendors now offer access points that support both "A" and "B" standards, including the Intel Pro Wireless 5000 LAN Dual Access Point and Orinoco AP-2000. However, the additional capabilities add to the cost; they run from $300 to more than $500.
As with any technology, there’s always something new on the horizon. According to MacWireless President Manooch Khajeh, an alternative to 802.11a should arrive in the next half year, called 802.11g. He said this forthcoming "g" standard offers "the best of both worlds," through its support for the current installed base of 802.11b devices as well as the improved 54-Mbps performance.
This standard also has its share of caveats. Wireless gurus claim the carrying range of 802.11g access points will be less than the 802.11b models, although no one is sure by how much. And the radio frequency interference issues won’t go away.
Despite wireless’s continuing cool factor, I still advise content creators to stick to wired networks. Pulling Ethernet cables may be a pain and the resulting plastic spaghetti is unattractive, but wired networking is familiar, well-supported, and ubiquitous technology.
Even with the lower costs of current 802.11b products, wireless still carries a cost overhead, especially when weighed against the free built-in Ethernet found on all current desktop and laptop computers. A wired network offers speedy and reliable performance, as well as better security than Wi-Fi connections, even when compared with the faster standards.
Still, an 802.11b access point would offer a techno-friendly welcome to my office for Wi-Fi-enabled visitors. I’m considering adding an access point, not for my own use but for the convenience of visitors. Currently, they must choose from a spare wired connection in two rooms, neither near the comfy chair and couch.
Perhaps providing Wi-Fi access to guests will distinguish the considerate host in our new millennium. A glass of wine and a temporary password are today’s hospitality.
In bygone days, generosity was a necessary element of a person’s character, and sometimes became an expensive ordeal. There’s a rabbinic saying on the subject: "The first day, a guest is fed with chicken; the second day, on eggs; and the third day, beans." Compared to that, Wi-Fi access sounds a piece of cake.
Read more by David Morgenstern.
This article was last modified on January 6, 2023
This article was first published on August 8, 2002
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