The use of Wi-Fi in companies

Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity, a wireless connection that allows to connect all the employees to connect wirelessly to the LAN and Internet.

The advantages of Wi-fi installation and secure wireless network: here's what to know.

The benefits of Wi-Fi

- Mobility
Wi-Fi provides increased mobility. Among employees, those who use a laptop will worry no more about connecting using a connection cable. They will be able to move from their office to the meeting room without losing connection.

- Easy to use
For your employees and authorized visitors to connect to Wi-Fi does not present any technical difficulty. Simply enter the WEP or WAP key associated with your Wi-Fi after double-clicking the icon "Wireless Network Connection". After a short search for the message "reading of the network address" message, the computer will connect to the network. The computer keeps the connection settings, just as Wi-Fi is activated once the computer recognizes the Wi-Fi signal and connects automatically each time.

- Low cost
Installing a Wi-Fi costs less than network cables, since we must subtract from the budget the network cables and connectors. For equipment, an access point plus a wireless card for computer and sufficient peripheral. No software is required, only a simple operating system.

Designing a Wi-Fi Environment

Above all, do it on your needs:
How many users, for what purpose, what necessary speed (to be determined by the number of devices connected)?

To design a Wi-Fi network, you need:

- An access point (Access Point): modem, router or ISP box

It is the equivalent of a hub or a switch to a wired network. Even if the Wi-Fi may be the only method of connection in your business, it is often a way of connecting additional wired network, which often precedes it in time.
The access point provides access to both the LAN and the Internet. Today, most modems and box provided by the ISP has Wi-Fi antennas Beyond 20 users, a second access point is recommended (router).

- Wireless Cards
Every computer and device (PDA, printers, telephones ...) must be equipped with Wi-Fi to connect to the access point. Today, most mobile computers have Wi-Fi integrated.

To obtain the necessary equipment to your Wi-Fi installation, there is your ISP for a small Wi-Fi or shops specializing in Wi-Fi network is more important. This is the case with MhzShop and WifiSafe. Netgear is one of the best-known brands of modems and routers.

The risks of using Wi-Fi

Normally, the Wi-Fi waves propagate outside the walls the building. If your network is not secure, it presents several risks:

• intrusion of an unauthorized person on your network
• Privacy: loss of confidentiality of information exchanged on your network
• deterioration attacks and deterioration of your corporate network

It is therefore essential to prevent access to your network to anyone who could not leave and limit the access of users to prohibit any modification that could incapacitate your server.

How to Secure Wi-Fi

Things to know:

To avoid any intrusion or malicious act, you must:

• identify the users connected
• secure data exchange via the Wi-Fi network by encrypting data
• ensure that all devices are secure

The data that passes on your network is protected by security protocols wireless encryption the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WAP). These encryption hides information transiting your network, so that external users cannot access them. The data are available only to individuals who obtain the authorization and the access code to the network.

How to proceed:

The new wireless tools generally offer all the guarantees to prevent intrusions into your enterprise network.
When you want to connect to a wireless network, you must enter the WEP or WAP code allocated to each access point. These codes consist of a series of 13 to 26 characters, numbers and letters.

Taking advices from professionals

Companies like Cisco or Artelsys are specialized in the sale and / or deployment of wireless networks among professionals.

These are solutions to consider if your company has more than 20 employees. Count between $300 and $700 if you use a professional for installation, plus the cost of equipment (about $100 HT for an access point and $40HT Wi-Fi card).