802.11b Wireless LAN (Also known as Wi-Fi)

The first wireless LAN (WLAN) standard was created by the IEEE committee in 1997, and was called 802.11. However, 802.11 standard supported only up to 2 Mbps of bandwidth, and quickly became obsolete. Subsequently, IEEE created the 802.11a, and 802.11b standards. The following are the advantages of the IEEE 802.11b standard compared to 802.11a and Bluetooth wireless LAN:

• The 802.11b WLAN standard is widely supported by manufacturers, and very cost effective.

• Easy to set-up and maintain.

• Suits well for home segment due to lower costs and simple set-up.

The following are some of the disadvantages:

• Supports only up to 11Mbps bandwidth. Though the speed is sufficient for most applications, it limits the number of simultaneous users to a far less number compared to 802.11a.

• It operates in 2.4GHz frequency band, which is normally used by many appliances. Hence, it is more interference prone compared to 802.11a.

• Doesn't provide suitable scalability required in business environment.