| During 2002, many vendors were rushing to | | | | products already, and most 802.11a products are |
| market 802.11a (up to 54Mpbs) wireless Ethernet | | | | not backward compatible with 802.11b products |
| products that were supposed to be the next | | | | (although many vendors are rushing to market |
| wave in wireless networking. However, at the | | | | with hybrid 802.11b/802.11a products), this 802.11a |
| same time, an "in-progress" standard called | | | | standard faces an uphill battle in the marketplace. |
| 802.11g may supplant both the original 802.11b and | | | | The Bottom Line about Wireless Ethernet |
| newer 802.11a standards. So frankly, the "safest" | | | | While wireless Ethernet will likely overtake wired |
| bet for now may be to seek out wireless | | | | Ethernet (Category 5) as the dominant small |
| Ethernet hardware that supports all three | | | | business networking standard at some point in the |
| standards: 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g. | | | | future, the "when" and "how" is still very unclear. |
| Wireless Ethernet as a Business Opportunity | | | | In the meantime though, many small business |
| As an IT consultant you should be aware that | | | | computer consultants are still finding wireless |
| wireless is a great business opportunity for savvy | | | | Ethernet to be a tremendous marketplace |
| computer consultants. However, since there is a | | | | opportunity. |
| fairly large installed base of 802.11b (11Mbps) | | | | |