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When we first installed multiple
PC's in our office, we had two choices. We could use
coaxial cable or CAT-5 cable for connection between the PC's to
share data. We had to install a hub, and then run cables
through the building. We did a lot of crawling around in
attics and pulling on wires. Actually, we got to do it
twice because we wrongly selected coaxial cable that later
proved to be a disaster. So - we got to do the job all
over again with CAT-5. Way back in the mid 90's a
company called Aironet was formed, primarily by former Motorola
employees who were unhappy that Motorola was not ready to get
into the new business of providing UNWIRED office connections.
We were one of the first Aironet resellers in the USA and we
learned a lot. When you are the first at anything, you always
learn a lot. The products were expensive, but they were
good. Way back then, these visionaries
determined that there were three areas where wireless technology
could benefit the consumer. The first was known as Backhaul.
Simply stated this is the concept of replacing wired or fiber
circuits between two or more fixed points that might be
separated by up to 20 miles, sometimes even more. The
second was known as a Bridge. These systems were
designed to connect adjoining buildings to extend access to an
Ethernet or Ring network among users that were not wired into
the same network. The third system is the one we now know
as Wi-Fi or wireless connectivity between computers (desktop,
laptop, or tablet) using one or more Access Points
connected to the user PC's known as Subscriber units. Our friends at Aironet have gone
on to other things as the company was purchased by Cisco several
years ago. The products are still available, still good,
and still relatively expensive compared to consumer grade
products now available at office supply, PC, and even discount
stores. Motorola continued to work on the
original designs for unwired data connection. Several
years ago, Motorola introduced a system, known as Canopy, that
revolutionized Backhaul technology by eliminating antenna
cables (Canopy uses CAT-5) combining the antenna and transceiver
in a single package and using GPS for network administration
(among other things). More recently, Motorola
introduced an expanded product line with Bridges, Access
Points, and Subscriber units that operate in the 2.4
GHz band, more commonly known as 802.11 or Wi-Fi. It is
not our intention to turn this presentation into a historical or
technical discussion. There are other sources of
information available both from us and others for those who want
to get into technical details. However, we think some
explanation is in order relative to practical applications and
definition of value. The logical starting place for
most of us is an office or home where we have two or more
computers that need to be connected without wires. There
are several ways to address this requirement. You could go
down to your local office supply store or mega retailer and buy
an Access Point or Subscriber unit (generally a
Type II or PCMCIA PC card although USB connector cards and PC
plug in cards are also available). So you get an Access
Point and a Subscriber card for under $200 (if you
are a good shopper). Then along comes Motorola who
says their Access Point is worth $576.45 and the PCMCIA card is
worth $119. Instead of spending under $200 to connect two
PC's, you spend over $600. The price difference on the
card isn't so bad, but that Motorola Access Point is very
pricey. The question is WHY? Don't they both operate
on the same frequency band, have the same power output, and
perform the same basic function? The answer is YES, but
with one major difference. While range and connectivity are
important, there is an equally important consideration called
SECURITY! Again, we don't intend to get into a technical
discussion except to say that the more expensive systems such as
Cisco and Motorola provide a higher level of security (which
keeps other people from getting into your data) and a higher
level of network protection (which keeps other people for
borrowing access to your system).
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