Wireless technology involves the use of electromagnetic airwaves (radio or infared) to transmit and receive data over the air minimizing the need for wired connections.

This technology allows users to access shared information without looking for a place to plug-in and network managers can set up or augment networks without installing or moving wires.

It is important to note that wireless technology frequently support rather than replace wired local area networks. It usually provides the final few meters of connectivity between the wired network and the mobile user.

Wireless is becoming very popular in a number of sectors including retail, manufacturing and health-care since productivity gains were noted from the use of hand-held terminals and notebook computers, to transmit real-time information to centralized hosts for processing.

How it works
End-users communicate in a wireless environment through the use of wireless LAN adapters. These are implemented as PC cards in notebook or palmtop computers, as cards in desktops or integrated by the manufacturer in hand-held computers.

The adapters provide an interface between the user and the airwaves via an antenna, which may be a small antenna (say 3 ½ inches) on the PC card itself. If the antenna on the card fails to pick up the signal, an external antenna may need to be installed.

Information to be transmitted is superimposed on the radio carrier (or radio waves) so that it could be extracted at the receiving end by a radio receiver (satellite or antenna).

A transmitter/receiver device usually called an access point connects to a wired network from a fixed point using standard cabling. Access points receives, buffers and transmits data between the wireless LAN and the wired network infrastructure.

Connection speeds of 11Mbps is usually noted depending on where you are.

Advantages

• Increases mobility/ flexibility data communication - Access to real-time information anywhere.
  
• Productivity convenience - This technology can be used from doctors and nurses to the warehouse workers and the campus student to access patient information, query a database for goods and reviewing a campus schedule respectively.
• Installation speed and simplicity - Installations can be fast, easy and can eliminate the need to pull cable through walls and ceilings.
• Installation flexibility - This technology allows the network to go where wire cannot go.
• Security - Security forms a major part of the wireless technology. It is extremely difficult for eavesdroppers to listen in on wireless LAN traffic. Complex encryption ensures data security.