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Wireless vs. Wired Hardware| Category | | | Summary | | With the departure of the wireless term from laptops to desktops, with the communication of wireless hardware in personal computers , and with the recent interest between wireless LANs and Hardware, this article includes the advantages and disadvantages o |
| | Body | Until some years ago, wireless technology was used almost only for commercial purposes or for laptops and/or palm pilots.
The term wireless means four things: fiber-optics, infrared, radio waves, and microwaves. The most common is infrared, because it is cheaper over short distances (fiber-optics are much more expensive and have almost the same range), because they have a smaller range of communication providing for more security (I.e., if we used radio waves to connect to wireless hardware, owned by a company and set for it's exclusive use, that hardware would be available for a long range thus enabling other users to capture the radio waves and use it for their own use), and also because infrared doesn't need as much energy as fiber optics or as a small microwave/radio wave receiver.
Almost all wireless keyboards and mice are using infrared, and almost all laptops have a red ?window? to enable infrared communication with wireless hardware. But infrared use doesn't stop with wireless hardware and LANs, it extends to many other things.
The use of wireless hardware is growing in personal environments. Great examples of wireless growth include wireless phones (both cell phones and cordless phones), wireless keyboards and mice, and digital cameras (the last 2 are not always wireless because they can also use disks and BUS cables to connect to computers).
But why is wireless hardware growing so fast? There are various reasons but the most important is ? its wireless. Yes, because wireless is handy, simple, easy to carry and easy to use. Well what about wired hardware? What does it have to offer to fight the explosion in wireless hardware? Let's take some examples of pieces of hardware and compare the wireless and wired versions to see what are the advantages and disadvantages:
Phones:
Wireless ? Advantages: Wireless phones are probably the best piece of wireless hardware you can have because you can take it anywhere and still function normally, although it depends on the existence of nearby receivers or small receivers plugged into phone networks (as is the case with some, not all).
Wireless ? Disadvantages: Wireless phones have a big disadvantage, which is that they can be used to intercept other waves containing, for example wireless phone calls. They also have the problem of all wireless hardware, which is possibility for an intrusive connection. Wireless phones are even more dangerous than normal hardware because they work with two types of wireless connection: the infrared and the phone call waves. They are also very dependent on the existence of a network of receivers and/or even small nearby receivers and dependent on rechargeable batteries.
Wired ? Advantages: Wired phones are not dependent on receivers nor a network of them, and offer a great communication quality only failing in some long distance calls. Wired phones are also much cheaper to use and to buy.
Wired ? Disadvantages: Wired phones only have a small range of usage.
Winner: Wireless Hardware.
Keyboards and Mice:
Wireless ? Advantages: Wireless keyboards and mice enable you to take them to a more comfortable or suitable place. This enables more mobility with the keyboard and mice. They are also rather stylish if not even cool to show off to your friends.
Wireless ? Disadvantages: Wireless keyboards and mice are easy to break into by intercepting the signal. They also consume a large amount of batteries thus increasing their maintenance cost.
Wired ? Advantages: Secure. No chances of interception without physical access (I.e., a key logger). They are considerably cheaper compared to the wireless versions. They are also not dependant of batteries to work.
Wired ? Disadvantages: You can't take them around and use them as you please.
Winner: Wired Hardware.
Cameras
Wireless ? Advantages: A good advantage is that you can connect your camera to a computer and enabling file sharing. By copying the film/images onto the computer you will no longer need the content of the tape/disk in the camera thus enabling the possibility to take no more than one (maximum two) tape(s)/disk(s).
Wireless ? Disadvantages: As all wireless hardware the flow of information can be intercepted. A nearby computer could intercept the information.
Wired ? Advantages: Wired cameras avoid the loss of information or accidental deletion. They are also cheaper.
Wired ? Disadvantages: Wired cameras have the limitation of needing wires to connect to a computer or a VCR thus ruling out the possibility of a raw wireless connection like camera---infrared--->computer---infrared--->cell phone (for web access) in the middle of nowhere.
Winner: None.
Wireless Hardware is good, handy, and very useful; but there are several dangers involved with signal interception so I advise:
-If you are surrounded by several corporate buildings that (most likely) use computers or even wireless LANs try to ?wire? as much as possible or at least try to ?wire? your hardware services.
-Try to shorten the range of the wireless communication.
-Try to opt for fiber optics since they are not as used as infrared.
-If you want to protect your data don't link it to any wireless LANs or Hardware unless you are pretty sure there are no infrared sensors or laptops around.
So wireless Hardware is a great thing if you don't want to spend too much money on cable installation, but it can be easily ?found? and used. Wired Hardware might be though of as old news, but it still has the security factor behind it and that is worth much more than a few coins.
Author: PaPaParleone
Edited By: Skerzhner |
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This article was imported from zZine. (original author: Prothis)
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