Wireless vs. Wired Internet in the Office

Having wireless internet access (more commonly known as Wi-Fi) in the work place has fast become a necessity over the past couple of years for many businesses. Regardless of what type of business, the need for Wi-Fi is there. Employees need it, customers need it, vendors need it, everyone needs Wi-Fi to stay “Connected”.

With the need for Wi-Fi in such demand, the question we hear most from business owners is, “Should we keep our wired internet or go completely wireless?”.

Here are 3 simple questions we ask our customers to help them make the right decision for their business needs and work environment.

Who are you providing Wi-Fi for? Employees, customers, or a combination of both?

If a business just wants to provide access for their employees or just for their customers but not both, a single SSID (Service Set ID) will work fine. If a business wants to provide both employees and customers access, they will want to consider separate SSIDs for security reasons.

Will you be sending confidential information via your Wi-Fi?

If a business deals with confidential information, using Wi-Fi is most likely not a viable option to transmit that information. Most regulations prohibit the transmission of confidential information via Wi-Fi due to security risks. While Wi-Fi has become more secure over the years, it is still far inferior to wired internet security.

Where do you want to have Wi-Fi coverage?

While this may not seem like a very important question, this helps determine if Wi-Fi can be used in specific areas. For example; if Wi-Fi is needed in a conference room and that conference room has glass walls, the Wi-Fi signal cannot penetrate the glass. Another example; if a business has a large warehouse, the Wi-Fi signal may not be able to penetrate certain types of materials and wouldn’t provide a strong signal to cover the desired area.

While there are some businesses out there that may be able to go completely wireless and don’t have the need for wired internet (we have found those to be few and far between) the majority of businesses will want a combination of the two. Don’t forget about the Voice Over Internet Phone (VOIP) systems that a lot of businesses are moving to. They require a wired internet connection to function. You can’t use Wi-Fi for those types of phone systems.

Wired internet will provide a more stable and secure connection while Wi-Fi (wireless) can add convenience and a farther range of access. Having a combination of the two will keep employees happy, customers coming back, and your business running smoothly.

If you have questions about Wireless Internet options in the work place, IT Supervision is happy to help you find the best fit for your business environment. Just fill out the form on this page and we’ll schedule an appointment with you.