Computer systems are supposed to save on work rather than create it for the majority of people. Remember that idea? The chances are that a lot of readers will be feeling pretty jaundiced on reading that statement.
If they have a bunch of systems, they'll want to network them together, which, if it's going to be done with reasonable comfort, will involve ripping up a few floorboards to get the cabling in. Then there's an office move and you're ripping the floor up again, or calling in an installer and creating more disruption. It's not just the network either; links between the various bits of IT on your system - mouse, keyboard - involve more cables, and of course any PDAs you might have linked to your system through another bit of wire.
OK, you can see where this is going: getting your office cable-free, as cheaply but efficiently as possible. Costs have come down dramatically in recent months, and the savings in time and convenience are highly noticeable.
Setting up a wireless network is comparatively easy, although it's worth mentioning that some of the manuals sound more complex than they actually need to be, often due to poor translation skills on the part of the packagers. You need two basic elements: the access point and the adapters. The access point plugs into at least one of the computers on the network or, preferably, a network hub, and acts as a hub for the rest of the adapters which, once configured through the software, can take a feed from it across the air.
Sounds simple, and basically it is. However, there are people who find difficulties. One correspondent said his Bluetooth phone (see help panel) interfered with a wireless keyboard, which should be impossible, but given that the problem ceased when he moved the phone away, there is presumably something in it.
Others have experienced more severe practical problems. "Wireless networks are great if you live in a Californian house made of timber, but are terrible if your house is made of brick," says David Rose, managing director of software company Navigator Systems and proud owner of a home network. "With the transmitter in my study, I can just get to the other side of the wall, but not into any other room, or up or down stairs - though the garden is covered wonderfully via the study window!"
Software engineer Simon Allen also has a network in his home and finds similar problems. "In practice, I've found 802.11 doesn't give anywhere near the claimed range," he says. "It is, however, a perfectly workable solution, and being able to sit in the lounge browsing the internet on the laptop with no wires connected to anything is just plain nice."
Getting the system into the right environment isn't the only consideration; there's security too. There have been enough stories published about people driving past somewhere and intercepting confidential details for the worry to be quite real for a number of people.
Security experts offer solid advice: Jocelyn Honeybunn, business development director at professional services firm FailSafe, believes that wirelessly connected PDAs are a particular risk. "Corporate security policies should incorporate workable measures including the use of password protection, defined security levels for data accessed remotely and the ability to exclude PDAs immediately when they are reported lost or stolen," she says. Some manufacturers are adding extra security to the networks they sell: Ericsson Enterprise's WLAN has a card called the WLAN Guard in it, which uses state of the art security.
"Each user is individually authenticated with a unique password and ID," explains Frederic Boone, Ericsson Enterprise's director of marketing. "There are two steps: you log on to the wireless network and then to the regular network. Many of the criticised systems are those where everyone in a company uses the same log-on." It's important to note that much of the standard security on offer, based on WEP (wired equivalent privacy), is looking pretty dated: Jason Holloway, UK country manager for F-Secure, points to Cisco research that says Cisco engineers cracked standard WEP protection within 15 minutes.
In other words, shop around - and look at some of the areas in which wireless networking has done the job properly. The Victoria and Albert Museum is such an example. It installed a network from manufacturer Anixter, linking its storehouse at Blythe House with the museum, a two-mile hop across busy London streets. The budget was a major issue; staff needed to use laptops to get into the system and the total spend came out at £8,000. Installed in July 2000, it had to go in at peak time when closing the museum to the public simply wasn't an option. It took four days to put in and has changed working practices: staff at the storehouse no longer walk around with paper notebooks and walk back to one of the three PCs on the premises; they have laptops and enter information into the database in real time as they go.
Linking into offices that are a distance apart can be a problem for cabled networks. This is where products from companies such as 3Com and CableFree come into their own. 3Com, for example, is about to release a WiFi networking bridge that will run between buildings, roads and motorways - it would suit active oil rig or firefighting outpost, it says here.
If your need is for straightforward networking between buildings, mind you, you may not need full-blown WiFi; CableFree will happily sell you one of its rooftop gadgets which transmits to a similar gadget on another roof as long as there's line of sight between the two; and if you can't put them on the roof then in a window will do as long as it's not obstructed.
Panavision, the movie people, are among its customers. "It paid for itself within about six months," explains Panavision's IT manager John Rawlinson. Panavision had two buildings on a trading estate and looked at a number of means of linking the networks that existed independently on either site, but all were prohibitively expensive or precluded by the owners of the land between them. Getting the CableFree installation running in four hours for under £9,000 was a step forward.
It has gone wrong three times since 1998; on one occasion because of vandalism and on another because the telephone network went down - the system links the phone networks as well as the data networks so costs of re-routing phone calls between buildings have vanished as well.
Rawlinson stresses that the system requires very little maintenance, and even the upgrade so that it could handle voice as well as data took less than a week from when he put in the first call and started talking to his budgeting people. Basically, this stuff works on most purpose-built business premises. If everyone were setting up their networks for the first time, this is what they'd be using - give or take the odd interference problem, or even perceived interference problem, between devices, which don't appear severe, nobody would be daft enough to start taking floors up, fiddling with listed buildings and calling specialists in whenever there was an office move. Costs are coming down so that home workers, too, can benefit from the technology.
The main issue will be for people with existing networks; justifying the cost when a wireless network will not work as quickly as modern hard-wired systems is just about impossible. Nevertheless, you can expect to see increasing numbers of cord-free offices, or offices with a mix of cabled and wireless infrastructure in the coming years.
Different types of wireless networks
o Microwave: Microwave networks are common when linking between buildings, but are costly. They are, however, weatherproof.
o Infra-red: Very rarely used in fixed computer networks although very useful indeed for hooking up laptops to main systems temporarily, and for communicating between PDAs and anything with an infra-red port. The next version of Compaq iPaq will use its infra-red port not only for networking but so that it can stand in for TV and audio remote controls.
o 802.11/Wi-Fi: The current standard "professional" wireless network. Limited in its speed to 11Mbps (compared to fast Ethernet's 110Mbps), it does the job and offers a flexible network.
o Bluetooth: The current standard "personal" wireless network. It'll link your appliances together - PDAs, phones, printers and other gadgets - but its limited range precludes it from the permanent, rugged network arena. If it's all you need, don't pay for more.
The best wireless deals
Working out what the best products are is a "piece of string" question. Everyone's needs will be different. People wanting to investigate starting off in wireless networking might consider the following, though:
· ipaccess Basestation: GSM-based networking to add telephone functions to a wireless network, starting at £150 to £200 per user.
· CP-2W: From Compaq/HP and available from their dealers: DSL-ready connection for up to four computers. RRP £169 plus VAT.
· WiNet: Forthcoming starter pack from Packard Bell, includes access point and adapters for a couple of computers. Will be available from retail channels, starting at £339.
· Wireless Home Networking Kit: Aimed at home workers from SMC, costs under £150 from retailers.
