Wireless Area Network Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wireless Area Network - Coursework Example Wireless network for a company of 100 employees for purpose of data sharing and printing is discussed in the paper. In a company any employee can get connected with any other computer on the network to access data collectively. Printers can be shared and data sharing becomes extremely convenient. Hardware can be shared remotely without physical connection. Applications can be used for conferencing, messaging, screen sharing and file transfers. Besides these advantages of networking, wireless networks give mobility, flexibility, range and low equipment cost over conventional wired networks. The main downside of wireless networking includes limited or slow data transfer rates because of less bandwidth available as compared to wired network. Furthermore, security threats are more. Security features have evolved over time, making intrusion difficult. There are two types of networks. Server based or infrastructure and peer to peer. Server based networks utilize central servers. These servers store data and provide to clients (connected computers on network) on request (Mitchell, 2011). Peer to peer networks have no dedicated server, and computers can act as servers and clients (Allen, 2002). Server based networks offer more security and reliability of data as it is stored centrally and is typically used for large scale corporations. Peer to peer networks are more flexible and convenient for data sharing between computers and to incorporate flexible user base. Therefore, for the company with 100 computers a peer to peer network supported by infrastructure based wireless network is most suitable. Protocols are the standards used to operate a network. Most commonly used protocols for wireless network are 802.11a/b/g and n. 802.11n is suitable for the company as it offers greater range, increased bandwidth of over 150 Mbps, improved security and can even support voice calls (DeBeasi, 2009). For security,