A beautiful summer day was the obvious inspiration for an emerging technology that has made it over the "standards wars" hump of development. Geeks who wanted to go outside developed a breakthrough technology that is now cost effective for many.

Wireless LAN's (local area networks) consist mostly of small pocket areas where the sharing of information and flexibility is key. School campuses, corporate meeting areas and homes are the leaders in the use of wireless technology.

Applications for wireless technology are growing with the influx of 802.11a compliant adapters with increased range and speed over their earlier released 802.11b counterparts. However these cutting edge models are causing a drastic price drop in the older shorter range equipment making wireless the must have for any home using a broadband connection.

Boston systems has paired with AT&T broadband for the delivery of shared connections within the residence and small business.

Each application is unique and each solution is custom, but our key experience in network integration has allowed Boston Systems to examine the needs of a particular customer's environment and deliver a robust and cost effective solution.

A word about security, When introduced, wireless was pounded (and rightly so) for it's startling lack of security. Since it's development however, there have been drastic improvements in WEP or Wireless encryption protocol. 128 bit WEP is roughly the same level of encryption used if you have ever transacted with your bank on the web. The tradeoff is speed. Higher encryption = slower connections.

There are already rumors of pockets of NAN's (neighborhood area networks) where broadband connections are shared throughout the neighborhood using overlapping base stations and the neighbors are sharing the cost. Although questionably legal, you can see the creativity that this new technology brings out in people.

With lower costs, and increased flexibility, combined with higher security, it may be time to cut the cord.