Abstract
A brief essay
describing multiple subjects and my personal thoughts, observations, and
concerns in regards to Ethernet and wireless technologies. A description of how
WI-FI and Ethernet are alike as well as how they contrast. As well as the
challenges a user may experience when using wireless technologies. I will
present my views on the topic of wireless developments over the last 5 years
and how these developments have impacted networking for society. I will provide
a quick summary of the steps necessary to set up a wireless network. Then share
my personal experiences when using wireless technologies in everyday life
settings. Concluding with ideas about health concerns associated with using
wireless networks as a society.
Ethernet V.S. Wi-Fi
The incorporation of wireless
technology in everyday life has increased dramatically over the past 5 years.
Before networks were mainly for business and schools but now nearly every home
has a basic wireless network. Streaming media from your smart phone to your
Smart TV or having a personal media server for all your movies is a norm and
accessing your home network from all your devices is a must. Even items such
Smart lightbulbs and heating/AC controls are being incorporated into our home
networks.
In the business world wireless
networking was at one time a luxury offered as an extra but now that a majority
of computing has gone from console to handheld or laptop, Wi-Fi has become a
necessity in the office. So if almost all computing technology is Wi-Fi enabled
now, why do we still use Ethernet cables? It comes down to three reasons,
reliability, security, and speed.
The number one downfall of Wi-Fi technologies
is Reliability. Because Wi-Fi uses radio waves it is susceptible to many
environmental factors. Although the IEEE does its best to reserves the 2.4 and
5 GHZ band to 802.11, some technologies still use the band such as wireless
phones. Generally anything that gives off radio waves such as other wireless
devices, microwaves, etc. has the possibility to cause interference, and in the
workplace this can easily become a large factor. Also there is the factor of
physical environmental issues such as walls and floors and what they are
composed of that can cause inconsistencies in the signal strength.
These reliability issues cause many challenges when using wireless. If you have had to use public Wi-Fi you will know from experience the problems of adjacent and co-channel interference. Co-channel interference happens mostly when there are too many devices on a network and they compete for time to communicate with the access points or routers.
Adjacent channel interference happens when too many access points or routers are on the same channel. This can normally be remedied by choosing a channel that has less traffic or not being used but in city based networks this can be a large issue. If you have ever lived in an apartment complex you may have experienced this issue where all the channels have many personal networks associated with them. Using a router or access point with a 5ghz range can remedy this but as this 5ghz technology becomes more popular with 802.11ac this remedy becomes futile.
These reliability issues cause many challenges when using wireless. If you have had to use public Wi-Fi you will know from experience the problems of adjacent and co-channel interference. Co-channel interference happens mostly when there are too many devices on a network and they compete for time to communicate with the access points or routers.
Adjacent channel interference happens when too many access points or routers are on the same channel. This can normally be remedied by choosing a channel that has less traffic or not being used but in city based networks this can be a large issue. If you have ever lived in an apartment complex you may have experienced this issue where all the channels have many personal networks associated with them. Using a router or access point with a 5ghz range can remedy this but as this 5ghz technology becomes more popular with 802.11ac this remedy becomes futile.
Security can be
quite an issue due to the fact that the information is being sent via radio
waves makes the information being transferred highly susceptible to
eavesdropping, and in addition it adds the threat of unwanted users accessing
the network. In the past a person had to physically access the networks lines
to attach to the network, but because with Wi-Fi all information transfer is
happing in plain air, in essence an attack can occur from any person in close
enough range (including the innocent looking granny at the bistro across the
street).
Suppose you decide
your network does not need to be secure. The next big difference is Speed.
Wi-Fi still cannot reach anywhere close to top Ethernet cable speeds. Even with the latest 802.11ac protocol hitting
a theoretical top speed of 7Gbps the speeds fall very short of other Ethernet
technologies such as QSFFP cabling running at 40Gbps or ISP multi-fiber backbones
running at 100Gbps.
When setting up a
new wireless connection the first step is to ensure you have all the right
equipment before starting. If accessing the internet, you will need to ensure
your modem is properly setup and configured. Next position the wireless access
points and router(s) in appropriate centralized locations away from other
technologies that can cause interference as discussed earlier. Configure the
access points and router(s) names and security settings as needed, an
additional firewall is highly recommended for most situations.
You are now ready to add computers to the network.
You are now ready to add computers to the network.
With the growing
popularity of wireless networks there have been other types of concerns
growing, such as health risks due to constant exposure to the non-thermal radio
waves. Though cancer from these radio waves has been generally debunked some
suggest that these waves do have an effect on human sleep patterns and can
contribute to insomnia. Until further study shows this to be fact or fiction,
for many this fear has been put to rest due to the World Health Organization’s
many in depth studies stating that “current evidence does not confirm the
existence of any health consequences from exposure to low-level electromagnetic
fields.”(Scholfield. n.d.)
My concerns stem from the fact that
if you pull out your device on any city block of a major city you will see
hundreds of Wi-Fi networks. This means that while living in a major city you
literally have thousands of non-thermal radio waves traveling through you
constantly. Though they are micro-doses if you are being exposed to these
non-thermal radio waves on a constant basis multiplied by thousands of devices
the cumulating of these waves must be hazardous.
Though new technologies such as
LI-FI are on the horizon attempting to provide faster data transfer speeds than
802.11. For now, Wi-Fi technology is here to stay, and will continue to be an
integrated part of our normal lives.
References
40
Gigabit Ethernet (n.d.). Networking and
communication glossary. Retrieved from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/40-Gigabit-Ethernet-40GbE
Lendino,
J. (2015). What is 802.11ac WiFi, and how much faster than 802.11n is it?. ExtremeTech.
Retrieved from http://www.extremetech.com/computing/160837-what-is-802-11ac-and-how-much-faster-than-802-11n-is-it
Mitchell, B. (n.d.) Wireless
Standards 802.11a, 802.11b/g/n, and 802.11ac,
The 802.11 family
explained. Retrieved from http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wireless80211/a/aa80211standard.htm
Setting Up a wireless network
(n.d.) retrieved from
Why Channels 1,6, and 11? (n.d.) metageek. Retrieved from
http://www.metageek.com/training/resources/why-channels-1-6-11.html
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