Strengths and Weaknesses of Wireless Networking Essay

Strengths and Weaknesses of Wireless Networking - Essay Example Computer is a wonderful machine which is used in every field of life to perform different kind of tasks. At the present, almost all the organizations use computers to perform their business operations and daily tasks. When the number of users increases they also need to increase number of computers. In many cases, organizations need to process a large amount of data entered by different users simultaneously. In this scenario, the implementation of a network becomes essential. A network is a set of computers connected with each other to share data and other resources (i.e. peripherals like printer). In addition, numerous tools and techniques are available to establish a network. These days the trend of wireless networking is emerging quickly. In a wireless network, computers are connected without using wires (through air or waves) (Nash, 2000; Turban et al., 2005). This paper presents a detailed analysis of wireless networking technology. This research will outline advantages and disa dvantages of wireless networking. Computer Networks: An Overview The importance of computer networks is increasing day-by-day. At the present, there are a large number of modern network technologies available which offer an excellent support for businesses as well as individuals to communicate and collaborate with each other. Like other technologies computers networks are also classified into different categories. Normally, we classify them on the basis of geographical area. Different classes of computer networks are outlined below: Local Area Networks (LANs) This category of networks is very commonly used in our business and corporate areas. Usually, the local area network (LAN) is small and limited areas network that offer a greater capability to share resource and information on the network. LAN (local area network) is a type of network which is established for short geographical distance. This distance could be between homes or offices. Normally, this capacity is usable for shor t distance users (Mitchell, 2012). Wide area networks WAN is considerably bigger as compared to LAN. This technology based network system makes use of small LAN network to build a large network. This network is used by some large organizations, universities or multinational corporations. Usually wide area networks (WANs) are used to connected computers located in distant locations. These locations can be among cities, states, countries or among far geographical locations. In addition, this kind of network is established using internet (Mitchell, 2012). Network Designs The network technology varies in a number of ways. The implementation of a network heavily depends on its design. For this purpose, we have different network topologies, which can be used to design a network. The basic purpose of this design is to shown how systems will work and interact in physical arrangements. However, they are based on two major designs. One design is known as client server design while other is kn own as peer to peer design. Peer to peer design is the traditional telephone lines with dedicated links and communication arrangements. It is a network architecture, in which computers on the network have equal status and no one has control over others. Additionally, in such kind of network arrangement, each computer is called peer and each peer can act as both a server and client simultaneously. In simple words, in peer-to-peer network, none of the computers can have control over other computers. In addition, a any computer in a network can share devices (i.e. printer) or resources of other computers. For example, a printer connected with a computer can be used by other computers connected in a network. Figure 1Peer-to-Peer Network, Image Source: http://www.doubleeagleservicesinc.com/images/graphics/peertopeer.gif On the other hand, client-server is a network design scheme in which one of more computers act as servers and remaining act as client computers. In this