Nor is it necessary for WLANs to match their wired counterparts bit by bit. Although WLANs may not boast the throughput of Ethernet or ATM, that doesn't mean they won't be robust enough to support the delivery of multimedia components, more sophisticated data and even voice traffic, such as the NetVision voice over WLAN product Symbol Technologies Inc. began shipping last month. Despite the changing demands, the primary justifications leading IT managers to consider wireless technology won't change. RadioLan Inc. Eliminating the wire not only eliminates that cost , but also affords the mobility users are increasingly demanding. The whole point of computers is to improve productivity, but the productivity of a computer is limited, more than any other factor, by the network to which it's connected.
Companies buy faster computers, but the network makes computers productive.
By the early 2000s, WLANs will be capable of pushing up to 30 Mbps to 40 Mbps if specifications now under review by the 802.11 working group that governs the development of wireless LANs are ratified. While still a long way from the gigabit speeds sure to be offered by Ethernet and other protocols, that throughput should be more than enough to support most data demands and also enable WLANs to penetrate the enterprise. Still, Firth and others concede that WLAN vendors have to educate IT managers about why WLANs deserve to become part of their networking mix. WLAN vendors have to show why IT managers would walk away from topologies offering higher speed to something else. If it's because they will save money, they have to be told why WLAN may be the only option available to do that.