Going wireless

Citation

Maxymuk, J. (2003), "Going wireless", The Bottom Line, Vol. 16 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2003.17016dag.001

Going wireless

Keywords: Laptops, Internet, Computer networks

Now that your library has the most robust T3 line connection to the Internet imaginable, now that all your staff, classroom and public pcs are directly connected to hard-wired ports on that hub, now that additional open ports are distributed throughout all public space on each floor of your library so that your user community can connect their own laptops to that Internet connection and work from virtually any seating in the building: "now you hear complaints - what no wireless network?"

There is no end to the evolving permutations that technology continues to throw at us. Some are essential; some are optional; and some turn out to be mistakes. As wireless technology gains an increasing foothold in both the public and private sectors, it has moved firmly in to the optional category. It will not replace the speed and relative reliability of a wired connection, but it has some distinct advantages that can be useful to libraries as a supplementary technology.

Putting it to use

The most obvious advantage is for library users with laptops. They can turn on their laptop and connect to the Internet or local network without having to plug in to anything. They do not have to look for an open port or figure out which one is hot and which one may have been disabled. They can move around freely if necessary without having to disconnect from the network and their work. They can complete their work without being tethered to any particular place.

While having a wireless network will make you popular with that segment of your users who carry laptops, another group also could benefit from the advantages of wireless: your staff. The technical services staff could more easily undertake that project to retrospectively catalogue the bound journals by simply taking a laptop with a barcode reader into the stacks rather than having to pull volumes, cart them back to a workstation, and then cart them back for reshelving. Librarians weeding in the stacks (do not laugh; it could happen) could bring a laptop into the stacks to check the online catalog to see if there are other copies of a title elsewhere in the library system and how often the item has circulated. Laptops would also make a full-blown inventory project much more reasonable to undertake so that the catalog might more accurately reflect what is actually on the shelf and not just what the library once possessed.

Of course, there are drawbacks as well. Speed will never equal that of a wired connection. In addition, wireless signals can be blocked, especially by large, thick books, so access in the middle of the stacks could be spotty. A wireless user might have to avoid dead spots. Traditionally, there have been security concerns about wireless transmission. These concerns have been largely addressed so that security and encryption on a wireless network can begin to approach that of a wired connection. Furthermore, wireless is still a developing technology so changes could lie ahead. Standards and equipment will probably evolve over time. With this change, your staff probably does not want to be put in the position to provide customer support for the variety of technological problems users might encounter. And, like everything else, there are financial costs as well; wireless is not a cheap solution.

How it works

There are several different types of wireless networking technologies available for home and institutional use. What they all have in common is that, like your cell phone, they rely on the transmission of radio signals to operate. The most common solution for institutions because it provides the greatest speed is Wi-Fi ("wireless fidelity") promulgated by The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA) (www.weca.net/). Wi-Fi usually utilizes IEEE 802.11b wireless specification as its standard and has been in use for several years. It can attain a speed of 11Mbps (megabits pre second) although 2.5 to 3.5Mbps ia a more realistic expectation and has an optimal range of up to 1,000ftt. It also is compatible with a existing devices. Other standards are emerging such as 802.11a which uses different radio frequencies and has greater speed but less range and 802.11g which is also faster but is far from being established.

In a wireless network there are usually three components: first, the user's laptop. It must have a wireless card and that card must be compatible with the 802.11b standard if that is what you are running. Such cards are fairly standard equipment on laptops, but if a user needed to purchase one, they run roughly $50 in today's market. Some libraries have purchased a few wireless cards to check out like a reserve item at the circulation desk to help patrons gain access, but you have to factor in customer support with that scenario.

The second component is the wireless access point. These units are the devices that transmit the "cloud" of radio frequencies that allow users to connect to the network. As noted above, these access point routers can send and receive signals up to 1,000ft using the 802.11b standard. However, the range is dependent on the layout of the building walls and other blockages can diminish that area. They must be skillfully positioned near the ceiling so that they best take advantage of the building's layout. In addition, they need to be installed close to an Internet port and a power supply so that they can connect to the wired network and to AC power. Some units can be set up to run the electrical power right through the Ethernet connection. Each router can run as low as $150, but you will probably need to install 15-20 or more of them depending on the size of your building so costs can escalate.

The third component technically could be considered optional, but actually is essential. It is the "blue box" that authenticates users based on username and password, assigns Internet protocol (IP) addresses, manages each connection, monitors connection speed and provides a balanced level of service for all connected to the network. It is sometimes referred to as a switch with authentication capabilities. As stated, technically the router units could directly connect the user to the network, but it would be a very poor idea to do so. These blue box units generally run $6,000 and up, but they will manage the wireless network for the whole building

So how this works in practice is a user flips on his laptop equipped with a wireless card and attempts to access the network. The closest router receives his signal and transfers the request to the blue box. The router transmits a prompt for his username and password. He responds with a valid user ID, and the blue box authenticates him, assigns him an IP address and he is connected. Pretty slick.

Additional considerations

The primary additional financial consideration is infrastructure. If your library does not have a plethora of open Internet ports distributed throughout the building, the running of new cable is very expensive. If those connections are not near the best spots for wireless router placement, you have the same problem. If you have more actual ports than you do hub space (i.e. not all your ports are "hot"), that is another expense. Even if you simply need more AC power sources closer to the router locations, the cost of increasing your electrical grid can be extensive.

Another consideration is what users will do with their bandwidth. In an free and open area, there is no telling what devilment users might be up to: chat rooms, pornography, or malicious hacking activity. One reason you authenticate users is that if you need to trace something damaging that was done from one of your IP numbers, then you can figure out who did it. A related possibility is if you have a classroom with wireless in your facility, teachers using the room better be good because the potential for distraction is truly mind-boggling. During the lecture, 14 students might be reading their e-mail or accessing chat rooms, 17 might be surfing the Web for music or sports news or stock quotes, six others could be playing an online interactive game amongst themselves, two might be using Word to take notes on the presentation, and one angry techie could be trying to hack the teacher's Web page.

Links

There are many sites on the Web to find out more about wireless. For more information on how the technology works, try howstuffworks.com (www.howstuffwoks.com/wireless-network.htm). For a good discussion of some of the questions involved, the Networked Services Policy Taskgroup of UKOLN produced an issue paper on Wireless Networks (www.ukoln.ac.uk/public/earl/issuepapes/wireless.html). In the March 2003 issue of Computers in Libraries Janet Balas provides a good overview on whether "Does wireless really mean no more wires?" (www.infotoday.com/cilmag/mar03/balas.shtml). A thorough examination of wireless security is presented in an FAQ by Christopher Klaus of Internet Security Systems (www.iss.net/wireless/WLAN_FAQ.php). Karin Wikoff has posted a pathfinder concerning "Should your library go wireless?" (www.geociteis.com/karinwikoff/IST511Wireless.htm). Finally, Bill Drew's extensive Wireless Librarian site (people.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/wireless/index.htm) even includes a listing of US and international libraries that have set up wireless networks.

Wireless networking is a steadily emerging technology that libraries have begun to utilize. It offers some real advantages as a supplement to the library's wired Internet infrastructure, and is worth considering for your institution.

Comments on this column are welcome and can be sent to maxymuk@crab.rutgers.edu, or visit my Web page (www.rci.rutgers.edu/~maxymuk/home/home.html ).

John MaxymukReference Librarian at the Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ, USA