Stephen Downes

If you are considering the use of a wireless network in your institution, then you are probably asking yourself this question. In a nutshell, 802.11a is faster but has a limited range; 802.11b is slower but has a greater range. Don't necessarily listen to your tech people when you make this decision: it is true that 802.11a is newer and therefore less reliable than 802.11b but this does not apply across the board to all systems. We are planning to install 802.11a at our office here in Moncton some time shortly and OLDaily will let you know how it goes. Anyhow, this article is a pretty good decision checklist to help you decide.

CRLFAs an aside, don't confuse any of the 802.11 standards with another popular wireless technology called Bluetooth. If you are confused, think of it this way: Think: "802.11CRLFreplaces the ETHERNET NETWORKING CABLE. Bluetooth, on the other hand, is primarily designed as a CABLE REPLACEMENT FOR PERIPHERALS." (My thanks to Jeffrey R. Harrow for this formulation in this week's Harrow Report - see http://www.TheHarrowGroup.com).