Question

a) Discuss the benefits of wireless network communication with a simple example.

b) Explain why wireless network communication is slower than wired network communication on most occasions.

c) Wireless bridges are gaining popularity in connecting discrete campuses or business premises. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of wireless bridges.

Answer 1

A wireless network is a network that connects two or more computers without any physical media to transmit data. It uses wireless technology like Wi-Fi, cellular networks for data transfer. Whereas a wired network uses physical medium like cables to transmit data between devices.

Q a . Below are the benefits of wireless network:

        1. Accessibility: Wireless networks are easier to access; the user can use the network even when moving but in the range of that network. You don't have to worry above any cables or adapters to access the network.

        2. Flexibility: Wireless networks are way flexible when compared with wired networks. In cellular networks, it is possible to access the network in different places, if the service provider gives service in those places.

        3. Cost Saving: The equipment that is required to maintain a small-scale wireless network are getting cheaper. Hence it is easy and cost effective to use wireless network in home or office in order to save cost for long cables. In few places in the home or office, it is not possible to have huge, long cables hanging here and there.

        4. Installation: Setting up a wireless network is way easy than a wired network. The time it takes to install a wireless network is very less. Hence it is mobile and portable.

To give a simple example, let us assume a person is in his home and he is watching a movie in his laptop. If he wants to move around in his home and watch the movie while carrying his laptop here and there, it will be easier for him if he is connected to Wi-Fi. Instead if he is using a wired network like Ethernet, it is not possible for him to move around the home and watch the film.

Q b. The most obvious reason on why wireless networks are sometimes slow is it is affected by outside interference, it is not possible for everyone to have wireless device to be in view or near to the wireless routers or adapters.

        1. Obstacles: There could be lot of obstacles that are present in between your router and your device, which could cut down the efficiency of the network which leads to slow down of the connection. But in wired networks, there will be no such obstacle that would slow down the network as the devices communicate using wires. Hence there will be a low interference between router and the device.

        2. Range/Coverage: The effectiveness of the network also depends on the distance between the router and the device in wireless network. If we are too far from the router, we get low speed. But in wired network, as we are connected through a physical medium, the distance doesn't matter until we are connected with the network through the wire. Wired network will also face slow speed when we use a very long wire to communication but it is a negligible difference when compared with wireless network.

        3. Loss of information: It is very evident that wireless networks have to face a lot of interference between devices in order to communicate, which results in loss of much information. Thus, the same information has to be resent by the router for complete the communication. Where as in wired communication, the probability of those errors is very less. Hence there is no need of resending much information when compared with wireless networks.

Q c. Wireless Bridges: These are devices that are used to extend the coverage of the wireless network by acting as repeater.

Advantages of Wireless bridges:

        1. They extend the range/coverage of the network; hence we can use it in much longer distances than the network that has no bridges.

        2. They increase the effectiveness of the network by decreasing the number of collisions (When two or more devices using the same channel to communicate, the signals could collide which results in data loss). The smaller number of collisions increasing the available bandwidth of the network.

        3. Wireless bridges can be used to connect through different type of devices, which may not be possible by the wireless router.

        4. They can reduce the network traffic by sub dividing the existing network into sub networks, thereby increasing the network utilisation.

Disadvantages of Wireless bridges:

        1. Exploring and expanding the existing network would be way risker because of involvement of many devices, this may result in security risks.

        2. There will be a requirement of bridges to be in line of sight to use them.

      3. The network gets complicated when a greater number of bridges and devices are connected, which may result in poor management of the network.

        4. Speed degrades when we use bridges which expands the network allowing the data to transmit through different devices and if network involves many devices, based on the usage the effectiveness of the network drastically decreases. And the path it takes to transmit the data to a device from the router/bridge is also a factor for speed.