University Business - November 2006 - (Page 41)

Wireless Upgrade Delay FAQs What is 802.11n? It's the next-generation successor to today's wireless WiFi networking gear. Why should universities care? 802.11n could be ideal for wireless applications that involve rich multimedia and full-motion video. What are the challenges? The IEEE, an organization that oversees wireless standards, is working to overcome technical hurdles with 802.11n; as such, the standard won't be completed until 2008. What's at risk? Without a completed standard in place, there's no guarantee that next-generation WiFi gear from multiple vendors will in- teroperate with one another. What's the solution? The Wi-Fi Alliance, a multivendor organization, plans to cer- tify interoperability of WiFi products that include baseline features from the developing 802.11n standard. When will testing begin? In the first half of 2007. This is the first phase in a certi- fication program of the next generation of WiFi products; a space, affirms Amit Sinha, chief technology officer of Atlanta-based second phase brings full alignment with the ratified standard, wireless security company AirDefense. Large enterprises will wait which is expected to occur in early 2008. for WiFi-certified and standards-compliant hardware. Enterprise adoption will definitely be delayed because of the standard delay. Champaign, which is taking a wait-and-see approach to 802.11n. To be sure, college and university IT leaders continue to moni- tor 802.11n's maturation closely. Most expect to use 802.11n At least for the short term, UI officials doubt laptops will have within a few years but are deploying established WiFi hardware enough power to maintain high-speed connections with 802.11n with vendor-specific enhancements in the meantime. networks, says Mike Smeltzer, director of network communications We are watching the developing standard to see how it will for Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services. affect our institution, says Keith Nelson, director of telecommu- Smeltzer expects to give it a closer look in the future. Where we nications and networking information technology services for The think it might provide some serious gain is for point-to-point and University of Texas at Austin. User demands and what the indus- outdoor mesh backhaul links, he says. Either way, we'll most likely try supplies will drive adoption of the technology. wait until the standard is finalized before buying into the technology. Nelson says it's too early to predict all of 802.11n's benefits, but The big challenge will be getting power to the multiple transmitters he expects it to provide more bandwidth, better spectrum allocation in a way that works with points of entry and laptop batteries. and sharing, and a better overall user experience. But for 802.11n Do Your Homework to truly succeed, he says, it needs to interoperate with existing stan- Meanwhile, a group of wireless vendors, working within an umbrella dards such as 802.11g. We have more than 1,700 wireless access group known as the Wi-Fi Alliance, is striving to stamp out 802.11n ports already installed, says Nelson. If 802.11n does not provide interoperability concerns. The organization plans to evaluate and good backwards compatibility, its deployment will be delayed. The situation is similar at the University of Illinois at Urbana- certify WiFi products with baseline 802.11n capabilities in the Technology managers should determine which departments or campus settings if any have demanding applications that require pre-802.11n's enhanced bandwidth and wireless signal range. universitybusiness.com November 2006 | 41 Wireless.indd Wireless.indd 41 10/20/06 4:21:12 PM http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - November 2006

Table of Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
People Watch
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Marketing
Human Resources
Money Matters
Community Colleges
Wireless: The "n" is Near
TECH Central
Rising Stars
Coming Back from Katrina
Business Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - November 2006