Today, practically every worker needs a network connection, but you can't have copper cabling everywhere. Whether it's in the warehouse, conference room, or den, the handiest tool for making tough connections is a wireless LAN. Wireless LANs let you extend your network to every square inch of your campus, building, or residence. New wireless LAN services, such as the MobileStar Network, also provide Internet access in airports and hotels.

Wireless LANs have been around for years, but the systems were proprietary and, at 1.5 Mbps, comparatively slow. They went primarily into niche applications like retail inventory scanners. Now, a new IEEE standard, 802.11b, and a manufacturing consortium, the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA) have created new products that break the speed barrier, guarantee interoperability among vendors, and carry lower prices. Wireless networking is now a practical way to extend the wired network. For many people, it can be the only LAN and Internet connection they need.

WECA has established a standard called Wi-Fi that certifies interoperability and other issues such as ease of setup. Wi-Fi-certified products weren't ready for our review, but we were able to get all the 802.11b products we tested to work together fairly easily, meaning that you could mix and match products. WECA's vendor testing is under way, and you'll see Wi-Fi-certified products in mid-2000.

With an entry cost of about $1,000 for an access point to connect to your traditional Ethernet backbone, plus about $200 per PC, fast wireless networks are now very practical for mainstream business use.

Perhaps the best-known 802.11b solution is the Apple AirPort, a very successful implementation for Macintosh-based homes and campuses. The AirPort sells for only $99 per PC Card and $299 per access point and allows users to share access to the Internet. The low price results in part because the cards work only with recent Apple desktops and laptops that have the antenna built in. During testing, Lucent also announced an Orinoco RG-1000 access point with Internet access for PC-based homes. HomeRF and Bluetooth are other wireless LAN standards aimed at different markets; they are discussed in the sidebar "Crossed Signals: 802.11b, Bluetooth, and HomeRF."

Review Criteria

For this feature we tested products from Apple, Cisco Aironet, Compaq, Lucent, and 3Com, which follow the 802.11b standard. We also included a proprietary product from RadioLAN because it has almost the same signaling speed — 10 Mbps. Performance among the products was similar, though the Cisco Aironet and the RadioLAN came out on top. The Cisco Aironet and the 3Com AirConnect have the best management software. Apple has the best price, but its adapters are only for Macs, although the access point works with other products.

There are two parts to a wireless LAN: an access point and a client LAN adapter. The access point is a device about the size of a bookend that connects to the wired LAN and translates between the cabled Ethernet LAN and the radio link. It contains a 10Base-T port that connects to the LAN's hub or switch, communications and encryption software, and a radio transceiver. The client LAN adapter is typically a PC Card that fits into a portable device, although many of the vendors in our roundup also offer ISA and PCI cards. The notebook, personal access device, or specialized device such as an inventory scanner or medical monitor sees the PC Card as an Ethernet adapter. The client adapter has a small nublike integrated antenna.

In operation, the client adapter uses its radio transceiver to find an access point and negotiate a connection speed appropriate to the signal quality. If you want your wireless LAN to cover more than a few thousand square feet, you'll need more than one access point. Exact coverage depends on the building's construction and layout, but plan for a connection radius of several hundred feet in clear view and perhaps 50 to 60 feet going through walls, floors, and ceilings. As the client moves, its radio connection transfers to another access point, a process called roaming.

All of the products in this roundup except the RadioLAN try for a maximum connection speed of 11 Mbps; the RadioLAN is rated at 10 Mbps. On our tests, the best throughput we could achieve was about 6 Mbps for the 802.11b products and 7.6 Mbps for the RadioLAN, but that's almost as good as a 10-Mbps Ethernet connection.

Security and Management

These devices offer several security options, but increasing the security also means increasing the time spent managing the system. If you think someone would expend a lot of money and effort to eavesdrop on your LAN's radio links, then encryption is the key. All the products except the Apple and 3Com solutions offer encryption options. The biggest threat is from intruders coming into the LAN. Every product lets you set a seven-digit alphanumeric security code, called an SSID, in the wireless device. If you're in a high-rise building and have other buildings within a few hundred feet, set the security code.

Cisco, RadioLAN, and 3Com use a browser-based interface to manage their access points. The same three vendors also provide excellent suites of monitoring and diagnostic tools, including site survey, which helps you place your access points.

From the client PC's point of view, our test-group products are very similar. However, 3Com's neat Location Manager software lets you switch from wireless to wired LAN and dial up on the fly.

With faster speeds, standards, and the promise of interoperability, wireless LANs are finally ready for prime time. They remain more expensive than wired networks, but the added flexibility makes them worth considering.

Our contributors: Frank J. Derfler, Jr., is the senior networking editor of PC Magazine. Les Freed is a contributing editor, and Rob Schenk is a frequent contributor. Associate editor Davis D. Janowski and PC Magazine Labs project leader Russ Iwanchuk were in charge of this story.