Wi-Fi is attracting attention among small and medium-sized enterprises as an in-house network that can realize a highly productive office environment. However, since it is a new network compared to the conventional network, it is said that many companies do not have employees in the general affairs department or information system department who are familiar with Wi-Fi. As a result, it seems that it is not uncommon to suffer from operational troubles after introduction. How can we introduce Wi-Fi with high-cost performance?
table of contents
- Wi-Fi mechanism and features that you want to know correctly about general affairs and information system
- 1. How Wi-Fi works
- 2. Wi-Fi communication standard
- 3. Wi-Fi security standard
- 4. Next-generation Wi-Fi communication and security standards
- Wi-Fi solves office environment issues
- In-house meetings can be held regardless of location, so information sharing can be expedited and work efficiency can be improved.
- The project can be promoted quickly
- Key points for introducing a high-cost Wi-Fi environment
- How to introduce Wi-Fi with low risk?
Wi-Fi mechanism and features that you want to know correctly about general affairs and information system
Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance (Wi-Fi industry group in the United States). It is also a name that authenticates interconnection between wireless LAN terminals that comply with the international standard “IEEE 802.11” for telecommunications.
When wireless LAN terminals were first commercialized, the interconnection between different terminals was not guaranteed, which was a factor that hindered the spread of wireless LAN. The Wi-Fi Alliance was formed as an industry group to solve this problem, and the Wi-Fi Alliance conducted interconnection tests between different terminals and issued the “Wi-Fi logo” to the terminals that passed the test. As a result, wireless LAN has spread rapidly, and Wi-Fi is nowadays used as a synonym for wireless LAN.
1. How Wi-Fi works
The simple Wi-Fi mechanism is “a system that connects Wi-Fi terminals such as PCs and smartphones connected to a wireless LAN to the Internet.” In addition, a Wi-Fi router is required to connect the Wi-Fi terminal to the Internet.
2. Wi-Fi communication standard
The Wi-Fi communication standard is IEEE 802.11 compliant, and there are currently 6 types of standards that can be used in 3 frequency bands.
| Frequency band | Communication standard | communication speed |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4GHz band | IEEE 802.11b (11b) | 11Mbps |
| IEEE 802.11g (11g) | 54Mbps | |
| 5GHz band | IEEE 802.11a (11a) | 54Mbps |
| IEEE 802.11ac (11ac) | 433Mbps | |
| 60GHz band | IEEE 802.11ad (11ad) | 4.6Gbps |
| 2.4GHz band / 5GHz band | IEEE 802.11n (11n) | 150Mbps |
The characteristics of each frequency band are as follows.
- 2.4GHz band
It has the characteristics of long communication distance, easy reception of radio wave interference, and resistance to obstacles.
- 5GHz band
It has the characteristics of short communication distance, resistance to radio wave interference, and vulnerability to obstacles.
- 60GHz band
It has the characteristics that the communication distance is very short, it is not easily affected by radio wave interference, and it is very vulnerable to obstacles.
3. Wi-Fi security standard
Wi-Fi security standards define “password authentication” that allows connection to Wi-Fi terminals and encrypted communication methods that prevent eavesdropping of communication. The main security standards for Wi-Fi are as follows.
- WEB
It is a simple standard that has been used since the early days of wireless LAN. Set the password with 5 to 13 characters / single-byte alphanumerical characters.
- SKIP
It is an advanced version of WEP. TKIP creates a key temporarily and authenticates with its integrity. Set the password with 8 to 63 characters / single-byte alphanumerics/symbols.
- AES
It is a more sophisticated version of TKIP, and the difficulty of eavesdropping is higher than that of WEP and TKIP. Set the password with 8 to 63 characters / single-byte alphanumerics/symbols.
- WPA / WPA2
It is a standard certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance and is considered to be the most difficult to eavesdrop on the current Wi-Fi standard. Set the password with 8 to 63 characters / single-byte alphanumerical / symbols.
4. Next-generation Wi-Fi communication and security standards
It is said that there are two dissatisfactions of users with the current Wi-Fi: “instability of communication when multiple simultaneous access (the line is not connected / slow speed)” and “security risk (easy to eavesdrop)”. Aiming to eliminate this, next-generation Wi-Fi, which is being standardized by the IEEE, will be put into practical use after the fall of 2019 with the communication standards “11ax” and “11ad” and the security standards “WPA3” and “Enhanced Open”. Is scheduled for. The outline of each standard is as follows.
- 11ax
Compatible with 2.4GHz band and 5GHz band, high-speed communication of about 9.6Gbps (about 1.4 times that of 11ac) is possible while maintaining connection compatibility with lower standards 11a, b, g, n, ac. The feature of 11ax is the effective speed. The communication speed is only 1.4 times that of 11ac, but the effective speed is more than 4 times that of 11ac. By adopting the “multi-user transmission method”, the utilization efficiency of the frequency band is improved and the effective speed is increased.
- 11ad
It is characterized by using a high-frequency band of 60GHz. The speed is more than twice that of 11n and 11ac. However, there is a limitation that it can only be used at short distances. It is not suitable for a wide range of applications such as “you can connect to the Internet anywhere in the house” like the conventional wireless LAN.
- WPA3
A standard was established as an extended version of WPA2, which is currently the mainstream. Improved the vulnerability to eavesdropping and password decryption, which has been regarded as a weak point of WPA2, while maintaining connection compatibility with WPA2. It is said to have improved the security of Wi-Fi.
- Enhanced Open
It is a standard established to solve the security problem of an “open Wi-Fi environment” that communicates without password authentication such as public wireless LAN. To prevent eavesdropping in an open Wi-Fi environment, the user must take measures to prevent eavesdropping. However, Enhanced Open maintains the convenience of an open Wi-Fi environment without password authentication, and secure communication is possible by encrypted communication.
Wi-Fi solves office environment issues
In the office, various information terminals such as PCs, tablets, and smartphones are used. Realizing a “Wi-Fi environment” in which these information terminals are connected via Wi-Fi will greatly improve work efficiency and productivity. For example, there are two common office environment problems that many small and medium-sized enterprises have:
- It takes time and effort to share information in places where a wired LAN is not installed.
- When promoting a project, it is not easy to move seats or change the office layout, so the work efficiency of the project is low.
Introducing a Wi-Fi environment is the solution to these challenges. The benefits can be summarized as follows.
In-house meetings can be held regardless of location, so information sharing can be expedited and work efficiency can be improved.
For example, even in a corner of an employee cafeteria where a wired LAN is not installed, data can be displayed on each other’s smartphones and meetings can be held while sharing information.
The project can be promoted quickly
Since it is possible to have a “free address” where you can work anywhere, you do not have to consider changing the seats or office layout of members when promoting the project, and you can speed up the start-up and promotion of the project.
Key points for introducing a high-cost Wi-Fi environment
It is said that choosing a “Wi-Fi router” is important when introducing a Wi-Fi environment. A Wi-Fi router is a device that connects Wi-Fi to the Internet. It is a core factor that determines the effective speed of Wi-Fi, measures against radio wave interference, and the quality of communication security, so careful selection is required.
Therefore, the point of choosing a Wi-Fi router is that as of March 2019, there are not many devices that support the 11ad standard in the 60GHz band, so the current mainstream 11ac standard-compatible device will be the candidate for selection.
The 11n standard compatible device compatible with the 5GHz band and 2.4GHz band has a wide range of coverage for Wi-Fi terminals, so it is highly flexible to introduce a Wi-Fi environment, and the actual selling price is low, so it is attractive, but the effective speed is the 11ad standard. It is significantly inferior to the correspondence.
How to introduce Wi-Fi with low risk?
Operability and expandability are other important factors in introducing a Wi-Fi environment. In an office where there are many information terminals used in a Wi-Fi environment or the floor is divided into several rooms, an AP (access point) that relays wireless radio waves from the Wi-Fi router to the terminals is used. You will need more than one. For this reason, it takes a lot of time and effort to upgrade the terminal version and deal with failures, and the operating cost also increases. To handle this situation, it is necessary to introduce a Wi-Fi environment with excellent operability and expandability.
So how can we smoothly introduce such Wi-Fi? Network service ” Internet Plus ” provided by SoftbankIt can be said that if you’re considering a new or revisited Wi-Fi environment, keep in mind that Internet Plus is your option.
If you ever want to know about similar things, check out the Facebook page Maga Techs
