Introduction
Wireless technologies are evolving drastically. Therefore, organizations have to keep tabs of the latest technological developments so as to adopt the most efficient and effective options. Organization needs vary with time. This necessitates continuous research of technologies. After a careful study and research of the available wireless technologies in the market, I propose implementation of one of the discussed wireless technologies
WiMax Technology
WiMax is one of the latest wireless access technologies. It uses IP for its communication. Over time it has proved to be reliable in the provision of Quality of Service (QOS) and coverage of cellular networks. Essentially, WiMax is a digital communication method that is designed and developed for “metropolitan areas”, meaning larger area coverage. In terms of capacity, WiMax offers Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) within an area of 50 Kilometers for set stations and up to fifteen kilometers for movable stations.
Ideally, WiMax has both sides of the coin, pros, and cons. The advantages include the fact that one station can serve more users than any other wireless option. In fact, currently in the market, it provides the widest coverage from a single station. This means that a big organization with many users is an appropriate wireless connection. Another advantage is that WiMax is standardized; this primarily means that equipments with the same frequency work together without much adaptation variance. Users connecting to the network will do so at ease (Grauer, Poatsy, Mulbery, Hulett, Krebs, & Mast, 2011).
On the other hand, the disadvantages include the cost; the biggest burden of Wimax is the huge initial cost of installation and the high cost of operation. Despite enjoying wide area coverage, the cost of purchasing and maintaining the equipments is higher. The other flipside of WiMax is that weather conditions make the connections vulnerable and might be disrupted from time to time.
Wi-Fi Technology
According to statistics, currently, Wi-Fi is the most widespread wireless option in organizations. This technology enables data exchange via devices utilizing radio waves. This includes the internet and other computer networks. Devices with Wi-Fi capabilities can join and share network resources such as the internet and files. This is done through an Access Point (AP), technically referred to as Wireless Network Access Point (WNAP), or commonly referred to as hotspot. A single hotspot can serve an area of approximately 20 meters, including outdoors and indoors environment
Expectantly, Wi-Fi has its strengths and weaknesses. At the top of the list is that Wi-Fi is easier and cheaper to install and maintain as compared to the WiMax option. Headaches emanating from cabling and other physical connection logistics are put at bay since Wi-Fi can “penetrate” through buildings. Another advantage is that most manufacturers include Wi-Fi facilities as they develop electronic communication devices. This implies that most of these devices come already fitted with Wi-Fi abilities (Grauer et al., 2011). Therefore once bought, is it a matter of just “plug” and “connect.” Vital to note that most “Wi-Fi certified” products are designed such that they are compatible with previous versions; technically, this is referred to as “backward compatibility”. This implies that the challenge of incompatibility will be expected the least (Grauer et al., 2011).
Some of the disadvantages of Wi-Fi are internet security concerns. Lately, internet hackers have targeted Wi-Fi connections. This makes Wi-Fi connections vulnerable, and the organization shall be forced to invest heavily in network security features for it to secure and trusted. Limitation in terms of area coverage and diminishing network strengths as distance increases is another disadvantage of Wi-Fi.
Conclusion
From the above analysis, I hereby propose the implementation of the second option. It is more economically sensitive and its performance, although not optimum, it is adequate for our organization. Please find attached an Excel file indicating the financial justification for the project.
Reference
Grauer, R. T., Poatsy, M. A., Mulbery, K., Hulett, M., Krebs, C., & Mast, K., (2011). Microsoft® Office 2010. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.