1.2 Benefits
TheENH200istheidealproductaroundwhichyoucanbuildyourWLAN.Thefollowinglist
summarizesafewkeyadvantagesthatWLANshaveoverwirednetworks:
Idealforhard‐to‐wireenvironments
There are many scenarios where cables cannot be used to connect networking devices.
Historic and older buildings, open
areas, and busystreets,for example, make wired LAN
installationsdifficult,expensive,orimpossible.
Temporaryworkgroups
WLANs make it easy to provide connectivity to temporary workgroups that will later be
removed. Examples include parks, athletic arenas, exhibition centers, disaster ‐recovery
shelters,temporaryoffices,and constructionsites.
Abilitytoaccessreal‐
timeinformation
WithaWLAN,workerswhorely on accessto real‐timeinformation,suchas doctorsand
nurses, point‐of‐sale employees, mobile workers, and warehouse personnel, can access
the data they need and increase productivity, without havingto look for a place to plug
intothenetwork.
Frequentlychanged
environments
WLANs are well suited for showrooms, meeting rooms, retail stores, and manufacturing
siteswhereworkplacesarerearrangedfrequently.
WirelessextensionstoEthernetnetworks
WLANsenablenetworkmanagersindynamicenvironmentstominimizeoverheadcaused
bymoves,extensionstonetworks,andotherchanges.
WiredLANbackup
Network managers can implement
WL ANs to provide backup for mission‐critical
applicationsrunningonwirednetworks.
Mobilitywithintraining/educationalfacilities
Trainingsitesatcorporationsandstudentsatuniversitie sareafewexampleswhere
wirelessconnectivitycanbeusedtofacilitateaccesstoinformation,information
exchanges,andlearning.