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Mobile and wireless solutions are one of the fastest growing sectors of the technology market. This means is that there is a wide variety of options for you make a choice from. Your choice should be based on product specifications, capabilities, support, cost's and tailored to your requirements.

While not yet a commodity-type product, industry standards have more or less dictated wireless LAN performance and capabilities.

Generally speaking, basic wireless LAN product solutions consist of an access point which serves as the connector between the wired and wireless worlds and NICs which provide wireless capabilities on the laptop or handheld. However, some manufacturers have developed more advanced offerings including antennae, multi-port routers and security features.

IBM's High Rate Wireless Access Point 500 and High Rate Wireless LAN PC Card 128, which incorporate 128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption, provide basic wireless LAN capabilities. Nokia manufactures a couple of extended type II PC wireless cards, the C110 Wireless LAN Card and the C111 Wireless LAN Card with an antenna option.
Belkin, Compaq, Actiontec and NETGEAR each offer the basic wireless access point combined with a wider selection of NICs and multi-port routers.

Belkin has an access point, PCMCIA, PC and USB NICs and a 3-port router for small networks. Similarly, Compaq has your standard NICs and a single-port SMB access point as well as an enterprise access point. It incorporates dual slot PC card architecture which combines 10/100 Mbps Ethernet support and a multi-port SMB access point.

Actiontec has both 802.11a and 802.11b access points as well as PC, PCMCIA and USB adapters. Similarly, NETGEAR supports both the 802.11a and 802.11b protocols with both access points and a variety of NICs. NETGEAR also has the MR314 Cable/DSL Wireless Router with 4-port switch and access point which connects all of your PC's equipped with wireless PC cards, while an integrated 4-port switch connects your devices that need Ethernet wiring.

D-Link, Cisco and 3-Com each have much more extensive product lineups. D-Link has literally dozens of wireless products including NICs, access points, antennae, multi-port routers and other wireless components. D-Link is always adding to their product line with new releases such as the DWL-1500 wireless LAN bridge which connects two or more wireless LANs together. Also new to the market is the DI-713P broadband 802.11b wireless gateway. This multi function device combines a wireless access point, broadband gateway with 3-port switch and print server in one device to deliver unprecedented functionality.

The Cisco Aironet 350 Series of 802.11b-compliant wireless LAN products includes a family of high-speed access points, bridges and client adapters and incorporates a high level of security. The Aironet 1200 Series AP supports the simultaneous operation of dual radios, protecting existing customer investment in 802.11b networks while delivering a path to 802.11a. It incorporates a 200 MHz Power PC processor, expanded memory capacity and a 10/100 Ethernet interface as well as support for new software features as they become available.
3-Com has a variety of options for wireless connectivity. The top-of-the-line 11 Mbps Wireless LAN Access Point 8000 offers enterprise network security, complete centralised management and flexible and expansive connectivity and scalability; antenna options expand wireless coverage up to 305 meters. The 8000 can support up to 256 simultaneous users, 1,000 users running encryption and 1,000 passwords for network authentication The Access Point 6000 supports up to 65 simultaneous users at distances of 100m. The Access Point 2000 is 3-Com's most affordable and simple-to-install access point and also has a range of up to 100 meters.

Laptops complete the wireless/mobile picture. Acer has two ranges, the TravelMate and Aspire. The top of the line Acer TravelMate 633LC features a P4 1.7Ghz, 256MB RAM, 30GB HDD, DVD/CDRW, 56K modem and built in NIC as well as a free carry bag and mouse. Other TravelMate models have more modest specifications. The Aspire range is geared more for multi-media applications.

IBM has four different series of ThinkPad notebooks, but the most popular is the 'R' series. ThinkPad R Series notebooks are designed for frequently mobile users who want basic computing essentials, including a large display and modular bay, in a lightweight notebook. With options for Celeron, PIII or PIII, the R Series comes with RJ-45 and RJ-11 ports standard. You can also add up to three built-in communications capabilities: 802.11b wireless, Ethernet and 56K V.92.
Toshiba's notebooks also have built-in wireless capabilities…all the models except the Satellite have built-in wireless LAN connections as well as Bluetooth options. Toshiba has four model ranges, the Satellite, the Satellite Pro, the Tecra and the Portege. Top end is the Tecra 8200 with a PIII and all the bells and whistles. The Satellite and Satellite Pro range offer performance and value.

Compaq has a full range of laptop options with their Presario, Armada and Evo series. With numerous options and price points, Compaq laptops can be standalone machines or integral parts of the enterprise. The Evo range is especially suited for network computing. The HP Omnibook laptops will continue to be offered through 2002…after that their future is uncertain.