Wireless, fiber and copper: Readers respond

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: JEFF CARUSO ON HIGH SPEED LANS
08/16/05
Today's focus: Wireless, fiber and copper: Readers respond

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Readers weigh in on wired vs. wireless LANs
* Links related to High Speed LANs
* Featured reader resource
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Avaya
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Today's focus: Wireless, fiber and copper: Readers respond

By Jeff Caruso

Last month I raised the issue of the future of desktop cabling.
I got a tremendous response from many readers - for which I'm
very grateful - and I'd like to share the varied and valuable
opinions with you over the next few newsletters.

In the original newsletter
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan5219> I noted that there seem
to be three worlds colliding - copper wiring, fiber-optic lines
and wireless LANs. Copper is by far the most successful,
particularly when we're talking about enterprise desktop
connections. But WLANs are an up-and-comer based on their ease
of installation, and fiber optics could suddenly gain popularity
as IT managers start to seriously consider speeds beyond Gigabit
Ethernet.

In coming newsletters I'll relay some comments on the question
of fiber optics vs. copper. Even though it's an age-old debate,
a lot of readers had a fresh perspective on the state of that
debate today.

But first, let's look at wireless. Several readers pointed out
that WLANs have a prominent limitation: they're a shared medium.
They're not like wire-based LAN switches, where every desktop
can get its own 100M bit/sec or even Gigabit Ethernet pipe.
Instead, every wireless device shares the 54M bit/sec (or
whatever the number may be) of bandwidth available. Then there's
the issue of interference from other sources.

That may not be too bad, but as one reader put it, "Setting up a
test group of representative users may be the only way to tell
whether your own users using your own mix of applications will
get acceptable throughput using wireless or how many folks
should be connecting through an access point."

The feeling seems to be that even though standards bodies may
increase the speeds available for WLANs, the limitation of
working in a shared medium will kill any chance for widespread
deployment as an alternative to running dedicated cables.

Still, while not many readers said so, I think it's obvious that
WLANs will of course fill niche needs, and will do so nicely.

More in our next issue.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Cisco to juice 6500 switch
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan5220>

2. Cisco to double Catalyst 6500 switch capacity in coming
months, report says
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllansalert5077>

3. Test: CipherTrust tops encryption field
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan5221>

4. Microsoft tool to simplify Vista deployment
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan5222>

5. Future-proof your network
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan3556nllansalert3683>

Today's most-forwarded story:

Cisco to juice 6500 switch
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllan5223>
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Jeff Caruso

Jeff Caruso is managing editor of online news for Network World.
He oversees daily online news posting and newsletter editing,
and writes the NetFlash daily news summary, the High-Speed LANs
newsletter and the Voices of Networking newsletter. Contact him
at <mailto:jcaruso@nww.com>
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Avaya
Network World Executive Guide: Evaluating VoIP in the Enterprise

Got VoIP? More and more companies are answering yes...the
reasons vary from cost savings, network flexibility, and ease of
administration. Yet others are drawn to the promise of advanced
VoIP applications such as unified messaging and collaboration.
Register now and get a free copy of Network World's Got VoIP?
Executive Guide, which outlines the keys to successful VoIP
deployments.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=110515
_______________________________________________________________
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LANs/Routers Research Center:
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/lans-routers.html
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE
HARD WORK, GOOD PAY

According to Network World's 2005 Salary Survey, network
professionals are enjoying substantial increases in pay,
especially at the highest- and lowest-tier job titles. But are
those increases coming with higher titles, more work or both?
Find out if compensation alone is keeping network professionals
happy in their careers - or is something else? Click here:
<http://www.networkworld.com/you/2005/072505-salary-survey.html>
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