Our Industry

Every so often a technology arises unheralded, unforeseen and unanticipated that completely undermines the traditional monopolist's efforts of forcing inferior products on consumers. This revolutionary technology is Wi-Fi 802.11b.

First deployed in 1996, advances in Wi-Fi now allow theoretical connection rates of 11 Mbps, usually comparable to ADSL or cable modem speeds. Corporations quickly embraced this technology as they saw how easy it was to roll out a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) into their office or campus space, without being tied to a set number of access ports or a rigid floorplan.

The adoption rate over the last few years has far exceeded expectations, showing significant growth even in this depressed market. Many laptops are shipped with 802.11 technology already installed as part of their standard configuration.

The main reason for such a successful rollout has been the standard's versatility and reliability. Wiring up an office can be expensive, especially as adding new personnel often requires tedious retrofits. But adding another user to a wireless network is as easy as handing over a wirelessly-enabled laptop.

Unlike many of the other mythic "on the horizon" technologies, 802.11 is here now. Its capabilities are known, and it has proved to be very capable.

Check out a typical FatPort setup example here.