Advantages and Disadvantages of Radio-Based WLANs
You don't need wires running across your floor to set up a network. A WLAN -- a wireless local area network -- is an alternative that uses radio frequencies to connect computers to each other or to the Internet. Tech companies initially developed WLANs to work in situations where wired networks weren't practical, but the technology has spread much further.
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No Wires
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The lack of wires in a WLAN means more than just not tripping over cables. With a wired network, the IT administrator has to plan connections before installing them. Staff place computers where they can connect to a wire. With a wireless network, workers can place their workstation wherever it makes the most sense to them. A wired network depends on cables operating to keep running, but a WLAN keeps running as long as the radio frequencies keep transmitting.
Mobility
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The original WLAN projects were specific solutions to specific problems. Hospitals that used portable patient-information terminals and rental companies with mobile check-in terminals needed to move their equipment without wires restricting them. Switching to a WLAN gave the terminals the freedom they needed. The same mobility benefits bookstores and coffee shops that offer free wireless Internet: Customers come in knowing they can sit anywhere in the store, or possibly right outside it, and start browsing the Web.
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Security
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Security is an area where a WLAN has disadvantages. Because WLANs transmit data over the airwaves, it's easier for a hacker to snoop until she gathers information she can use to crack your system. Systems come from the manufacturer with preset IDs and passwords known to many hackers. If you don't change them, it's easy to log onto your system without authorization. If you don't password-protect your system at all, your neighbors can log on and make use of your signal for free.
Interference
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WLANs run on radio waves, so radio waves from other sources sometimes interfere with them. Cordless phones, microwave ovens, wireless game controllers, Bluetooth, wireless baby monitors and motion detectors all employ radio frequencies that can interfere with your Wi-Fi. Bluetooth's design enables it to co-exist with a WLAN without trouble, but most other technology does not. Wireless interference lowers the quality of your WLAN service, and it can also weaken the WLAN's security.
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