Wi-Fi and Ethernet on same device as standards converge

By Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 5/1/2005 12:00:00 AM MDT

Suppliers of networking technology are showing a great deal of interest in wireless systems, and they're going the acquisition route in hopes of accelerating the convergence of wired and wireless networks.

Siemens has acquired Chantry Networks, a networking products and software provider; and Cisco Systemshas acquired wireless LAN switch vendor Airespace. Juniper Networks is rumored to be interested in acquiring Trapeze Networks, a developer of integrated wireless LAN mobility systems; while analysts also point to Aruba Wireless Networks as an acquisition target.

These corporate moves, among other indicators, point to convergence of the wired and the wireless. The network world is heading for "the disappearance of separate Wi-Fi [wireless fidelity] switches and access points in favor of Wi-Fi and Ethernet equipment being blended on the same device," predicts Philip Solis, senior analyst for wireless connectivity, ABI Research, Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Achieving truly interoperable wireless and wired network devices depends on availability of a suitable standard. The Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) standard from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is aimed at making lightweight access points, Wi-Fi switches, and controllers interoperable.

"The issue of how much intelligence should reside in the access point and how much should be in the centralized switch still has to be worked out," Solis says. Centralizing intelligence in the switch gives the user more flexibility in connecting more access points; it also gives more control, as all parts of the network—wired and wireless—will share the same logic and security features.

On the other hand, says Solis, moving intelligence, such as for security, out of the access point potentially makes the access point less secure "because authentication happens farther away."

Besides CAPWAP, other emerging standards include IEEE 802.11n, slated for 2006, which will boost throughput by fourfold over the current Wi-Fi standard to 100 megabits or faster and enable Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi). Another is the Wi-Fi-Cellular Convergence (WCC) standard for interoperability of cell phones and Wi-Fi data networks.

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