These services offer the benefit of low cost. The other end of the market endures high cost for high link reliability and fast performance. Micciche forecasts that the price of high-end service will drop significantly as vendors spend less on core technology development and more on systems engineering. Specific future improvements could be in the areas of portability and lower power. Increasing the system's range also is a possibility.
Different applications require different emphasis on capability.
Handheld inventory control terminals and scanners need to be small and lightweight, have low power consumption and possess the ability to communicate while in motion. Data rate needs are modest, however. The growing use of notebook-size computers in offices offers great potential for wireless applications, according to Windata officials, who believe that portable wireless LAN devices will be the preferred method for connecting these types of computers to corporate networks within a building. Vendors will need to work within the size constraints and bandwidth needs of notebook computers.