WLAN growth fueled by Draft 802.11n

Network Architecture This newsletter is sponsored by Sterling Commerce SOA and the Business of Change Changes such as mergers, acquisitions and dealing with a competitive landscape are the ever fluid business and technical environment we all exist in today. With best IT practices and SOA strategy you can prepare for success through IT/business alignment, proper organizational change management and critical skills training. Download this webcast and listen to an IDC analyst take you through this critical subject. Network World's Network Architecture Newsletter, 08/23/07 WLAN growth fueled by Draft 802.11n By Jeff Caruso One of the biggest factors influencing network architecture in recent years has been the rise of wireless network technologies. Dell'Oro Group recently published a report that found that more than 100 million wireless LAN units for small offices and home offices have shipped over the past three years. Now, the research firm is saying, nearly half of the broadband subscriber base has wireless capabilities. Lots of those subscribers have wireless routers that they bought in retail stores, but others get the routers from ISPs directly these days. Get Up to Speed on the Latest in WLANs Easily stay on top of the latest developments and issues in WLAN technology, standards, security, telephony, management and more with Network World's latest Executive Guide, "Keeping Up With the Wireless Whirlwind." Click here to download! My question is, why doesn't the other half have wireless yet? Sales of WLAN equipment continue to rise. Dell'Oro says revenues for SOHO WLAN equipment were up 15% in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same quarter in 2006. Driving the growth are Draft-802.11n wireless routers. The phenomenon around 11n has been an interesting one - the demand for faster wireless is apparently so strong that many buyers aren't put off by the "Draft" part of "Draft-802.11n" and are willing to give these products a try. Draft 2.0 was approved early this year. Early results for 11n have been impressive. My colleague John Cox recently wrote about the experiences of Morrisville State College, which dove into 11n with gusto for its organization. The school reported what it called "unbelievable" results. Maybe I'm old-school; I like my standards fully baked before I go buying equipment based on them. On the other hand, it's interesting to see the progress in this area. The draft standard can provide speeds up to 300Mbps. Will we all be wireless someday?   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: 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 jcaruso@nww.com This newsletter is sponsored by Sterling Commerce SOA and the Business of Change Changes such as mergers, acquisitions and dealing with a competitive landscape are the ever fluid business and technical environment we all exist in today. With best IT practices and SOA strategy you can prepare for success through IT/business alignment, proper organizational change management and critical skills training. Download this webcast and listen to an IDC analyst take you through this critical subject. ARCHIVE Archive of the Network Architecture Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007