Next-Generation WLANs: Version 1.0: Page 3 of 3

Much of the industry is focused on the differences among wireless infrastructure designs. But there's nothing inherently better about thin wireless access points, which provide a limited set of functions, than about smart access points from Cisco, Enterasys and Proxim. For a short time, some suggested that thin access points could be made--and sold--for less than smart access points, but in today's commodity chip market, that's just not the case.

The key difference isn't in the access-point design but in the way the access points are coordinated to deliver an integrated set of wireless connectivity, mobility and security services across a multibuilding network infrastructure. This coordination isn't easy to achieve--a fact that's just dawning on both the start-ups and the established players. Not surprisingly, the ambitious product-delivery schedules established by some new system vendors have slipped.

If you plan to deploy a wireless LAN in the coming year, you can invest in smart access point technology that's mature but limited or in next-generation technology that's not yet perfected. If you opt for a newer, "state of the art" system, just be sure the vendor is willing to install a pilot system at your site so you can verify both its capabilities and its shortcomings. Buying blind is a mistake you don't want to make.