In theory, customers would no longer be tied to a single vendor and the resulting competition among vendors would improve the performance and reduce the cost of wireless products. The 802.11 standard calls for more than interoperability among different products. It specifies a common physical interface and common rules for different technologies to negotiate wireless communications sessions and ensure data transmission. The 802.11 MAC is common to frequency hopping, direct sequence, and diffused infrared. Fulfilling the needs of office computer networks was a major factor in the development of 802.11 specifications.
Office applications have a well defined list of requirements, including high-speed data transfer.
Existing wired networking requirements are taken for granted by an 802.11 standard designed to operate as a subset of Ethernet. In office environments the average wire run is 150 feet, with a normal range between 20 and 250 feet. Because office applications consist of large data files, a premium is placed on speed. Minimum transmission speeds need to be in 1- 2 Mbps range, with higher speeds of 10 Mbps desirable. In order to facilitate true mobility, wireless devices must be able to roam.