Should Your Library Go Wireless? |
Some say wireless is the wave of the future, and that the days of miles of Ethernet cabling snaking through the walls of your building are soon to be a thing of the past. Others feel that wireless will never be robust enough to replace cabling. Still others cautiously contend that the drawbacks of wireless outweigh its advantages in all but a very few special circumstances. How are you to decide if a wireless LAN is the way for your library to go?
| Follow links in the text of this pathfinder for definitions and articles describing concepts and issues in more detail. |
Whenever deciding to try any new technology, one must first ask the question: Why? What benefits does wireless networking offer that will meet your library's particular needs, as many libraries with wireless networks are doing? Are there services you could provide your patrons with using wireless technology you have been unable to meet with your wired network?
| Know for what purpose you want to use wireless networking so your project drives the technology, rather than letting the technology drive you. If you find yourselves thinking "Wireless is so cool -- what can we do with it?" you have your planning upside down. The technology should be a medium and a solution. |
The most obvious benefit of wireless is mobility. Do you have large numbers of users with laptops who have a need to access the network from anywhere in your building? Or would your library be better able to meet your users' information needs if you provided them with wireless laptops to charge out? For now, mobility means being able to wander from access-point-to-access-point within your library without losing connectivity, but in the future the industry is looking at GPRS roaming services, which means wireless users will be able to move from an area serviced by one wireless network to another area serviced by a different wireless network without interruption of service. Is your library ready to begin positioning itself to be part of this kind of future service?
Another plus of wireless is that it allows access in places that are difficult or even impossible to reach with datacable. Are there critical spaces in your building to which you can't provide network access because of physical constraints? Could wireless solve the problem?
Does your library like to place itself on the leading edge with technology? Is your institution willing to try new things experimentally, to push the envelope and to take risks in order to be a leader in technology, like the Wallace Library at Rochester Institute of Technology or Cornell University with their RedRover?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, your library is ready to consider wireless, but not before weighing these benefits against possible drawbacks.
Speed (or "throughput") is an issue hotly contended in discussions of wireless. Proponents insist they get adequate to good speeds, but none claim wireless can perform with the fast speeds or bandwidth that Ethernet cabling can provide. A really good wireless connection might be able to get up to 11 Mbps (megabits per second) under optimal conditions, while a wired LAN can get up to 100 Mbps. If your patrons are working with large image files or big bandwidth-eaters like streaming sound or video, wireless is probably not for your library.
Even more so than speed, compatibility issues due to lack of compliance to standards has been a major stumbling block for wireless networking in libraries and elsewhere. Firstly, there are multiple non-compatible standards available. WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standard 802.11b (only one of several different kinds of IEEE wireless standards) and Bluetooth are just a few. (PC magazine has a nice Wireless Standards Comparison chart).
WAP and Bluetooth are both designed for PDAs (Personal Data Assistants) and cell phones. WAP uses a reduced format for display in extremely limited small screen devices, and works better when configured to deliver only the most relevant information.
| Standards and interoperability are two of the most challenging issues facing wireless today. Much work is being done in this area, with developments happening regularly. Check back to wireless news sites such as WECA or Network World Fusion News. |
Secondly, an implementation of a standard that is compliant doesn't necessarily guarantee interoperability, since each implementation can be quite different, despite complying to a standard like the IEEE's 802.11b. If you install 3COM wireless hubs, you'll do better to make sure all your users have 3COM wireless network cards in their laptops. In theory, any other manufacturer's products with the Wi-Fi logo will work, but sometimes it takes some tweaking first. And popular Bluetooth-compatible devices won't work with your wireless network. As Rich Santelesa of PDA and Wireless World says in Wireless Wonder: "'They're both 802.11b, aren't they?' ... Sure are, just like a Toyota Corolla and a Porsche Boxer are both cars."
WECA (Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance) has begun an initiative called Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), which is striving for compatibility between hardware from different manufacturers. This certainly seems the right way to go, and WECA's interoperability testing sounds very hopeful for the future.
Wireless also poses potential security problems in a way wired LANs, which have to be physically compromised, do not. Radio waves, over which data is transmitted in a wireless network, can be intercepted. Since they transmit right though walls and floors, they can even be picked up outside your building. Extremely complicated plans, involving encryption keys and tying users to a single access point are the only semi-solutions currently available. More practical approaches, such as the security solution proposed by Cisco Systems, are still quite complicated, and even less standardized, relying as they do on a proposed future standard, 802.1X, for controlled port access. IEEE 802.11b / Wi-Fi supports a security algorithm known as WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), which relies on encryption and exchange of "keys," is impractical in most library or academic environments. Even fully implemented, there is much debate as to how secure WEP is.
Other issues that aren't mentioned as often include the interference-prone nature of wireless broadcasts because nearly all the standards use the same 2.4GHz radio frequency. A initiative to improve coexistence mechanisms has been put forward by the WPAN Task Group (WPAN TG2).
Another issue is that the mobility of wireless users complicates authentication and IP address allocation, particularly if you wish to use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).
Despite the limitations and problems with wireless, the technology has wonderful potential for freeing people from the physical constraints of wired networking. In time, though perhaps not soon, the difficulties will be worked out, especially with so many networking industry giants investing so much time and effort in wireless development. For the present, wireless projects work best for special circumstances and as a compliment and enhancement for wired networks, not to replace them. It will be for your library to decide if you wish to jump on the bandwagon early and deal with a lot of limitations and difficulties in trade for being ahead of the curve, or if you prefer to wait until the standards settle some and more of the problems are resolved.
Drew, Bill. Wireless Librarian Online. Available: http://people.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/wireless/. 24 July 2001.
Bill Drew's excellent Wireless Librarian is the best resource on the net for wireless in libraries. His section for Libraries with Wireless is growing. Some of the libraries provide useful information about how and why they decided to use wireless networking, though many do not.DeCandido, GraceAnne A. "Unplugged, and Play Some More." PLA Tech Note: Wireless (February 2001) 8 pp. Online. Available: http://www.pla.org/technotes/wireless2001.html 9 August 2001.
DeCandido provides a nice clear introduction to wireless networking specifically in libraries. Under the postive-outlook influence of Larry Glover of the Laman Public Library of North Little Rock, Arkansas, whom she interviewed for this article, she brushes aside several of the difficulties posed by wireless. In her short annotated bibliography, among other useful items, she provides a link to the story of Hedy Lamarr and her spread spectrum patent.
Schulman, Sandy. "Is Your Library Ready for Wireless?" Information Today. 16.8 (September 1999): p.48. OCLC FirstSearch. ABI/Inform Full Text. 01891092. 26 July 2001.
Schulman uses the terms "format" and "standard" interchangeably in this article, which is confusing, since they are not the same thing. But she does bring up issues of concern for the use of wireless in libraries, including the reduced format of OPAC records for display in small-screen devices such as PDAs, and how search and retrieval might be affected by the same.
One of the best-documented wireless projects is at Cornell University. They are just implementing the first phase of their new Red Rover wireless network. RedRover replaces a wireless pilot project, Nomad, which was available last year in several dorms and in most of the libraries, including the new wireless internet cafe in Olin graduate library. Cornell's Office of Information Technologies has made wonderful documentation of Wireless Networking at Cornell available. This paper includes a lengthy section on the issues faced in using wireless technology and the thinking behind the decisions Cornell made regarding these issues.
Cornell's goal in the project is to be at the forefront of technology and to "...offer our students reliable and advanced technology as soon as it's feasibly possible...." (Don Schweikert, Acting Associate Director of Network Engineering and Infrastructure, quoted in the Cornell Chronicle).
"Cornell Data Networking: Wired vs. Wireless." Ithaca, NY: Cornell Office of Information Techologies, 2001. Online. Available: http://www.cit.cornell.edu/oit/wireless.html. 7 August 2001.
"RedRover: Wireless Networking at Cornell." Ithaca, NY: Cornell Information Technologies, 2001. Online. Available: http://www.cit.cornell.edu/redrover/. 7 August 2001.
Inteman, Leslie. "CIT Brings New Wireless Internet Service to Campus." Cornell Chronicle 1 p. 28 June 2001. Online. Available: http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicles/6.28.01/CIT-RedRover.html. 7 August 2001.
Some other libraries doing interesting wireless projects include:
Rochester Institute of Technology, who offers the following reasoning for implementing wireless: "... [The] library has helped lead the way to drive technology on the campus. ... [The library has] a long history where technological advancement is concerned, and we like to maintain that. ... We felt we needed to push the envelope here...." (Pat Pitkin, Director of Libraries).
Pitkin, Pat. "Wireless in the Library: The RIT Experience: Overview of the Project." Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science (2001): 6 pp. Online. Bell + Howell. ProQuest. 23 July 2001.
Robertson, Michael. "Wireless Technology in the Library: The RIT Experience: Technical Considerations." Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science (2001): 6 pp. Bell + Howell. ProQuest. 23 July 2001.
These 2 articles describe how the RIT project was implemented, both in overview form and in technical terms, touching on issues outlined above, with a positive view overall.
Glover, James L. "Larry." "Look Ma, No Wires! or The 10 Steps of Wireless Networking." Computers in Libraries 21.3 (March 2001): 5 pp. Online. Available: www.infotoday.com/cilmag/mar01/glover.htm. 12 August 2001.
Glover tells the tale of implementing a wireless LAN in the William F. Laman Public Library of North Little Rock, Arkansas. Written with humor, optimism and good advice, but he glosses over difficulties.
Schneider, Karen G. "Look Ma, No Wires!" American Libraries (2000): 83-85. Information Access. Expanded Academic ASAP. 16 July 2001.
Schneider briefly describes the wireless experiences of several public libraries, including one creative and interesting project to implement wireless bookmobiles.
Ginzburg, Barbara. "Goin' Mobile: Using a Wireless Network in the Library." Computers in Libraries 21.3 (2001) 40-44. OCLC FirstSearch WilsonSelectPlus Full Text. BLIB01002934. 16 July 2001.
Ginzburg describes a project at the University of Kansas Law Library to use wireless connectivity to do an inventory of the thousands of checked-out library books in faculty offices. Library staff also found the mobility of wireless a big benefit for bibliographic instruction.
Garafalo, Denise A. "Wireless LANs: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)" Poughkeepsie, NY: Mid-Hudson Library System, 27 March 2001. Online. Available: http://midhudson.org/FAQ/tech_info/wireless_LAN_faq.htm. 28 July 2001.
Garafalo gives a brief explanation of wireless networks for non-techies, with just a few links to wireless equipment sellers and further online resources.
For those who are more visual, a simple disgram illustrates a wireless network, with links to other wireless information in brief.
Ives, David. "Wireless Technology and Networks." Southborough, MA: NELINET, Inc., n.d. Online. Available: www.nelinet.net/conf/ann_mtg/ann_mtg01/ives.htm. 28 July 2001.
Ives provides an excellent and succinct listing of the basics, some very technical, along with a very useful short list of print resources and one of the best bibliographies of online resources to be found. He includes many links to sites of commercial vendors of wireless equipment as well.
Phifer, Lisa. "Wireless LAN Primer." Darien CT: ISP-Planet, 5 February 2001. Online. Available: http://www.isp-planet.com/fixed_wireless/technology/2001/wlan_primer.html. 28 July 2001.
Phifer's wireless primer has 4 parts: Marketing opportunities, written strictly for commercial providers with an eye to making profits from wireless technologies; Spreading the Spectrum, which explains spectrum spread transmissions in detail, right down to protocol layers and other deeply technical details for those interested in network architecture; Securing Wireless Transmissions, in which she uses lots of acronyms to discuss a variety of wireless security options; and Competing Technologies, in which Phifer covers the different standards and discusses initiatives to help them coexist.
Williams, Robert L. "Wireless Community Networks: A Guide for Library Boards, Educators, and Community Leaders." Austin, TX: Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 26 April 1999. Online. Available: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/wireless/contents.html. 28 July 2001.
An in-depth guide to all kinds of information on wireless technology specifically for people who will be making decisions about wireless projects. Williams provides good basic information, but has not updated the web version in over 2 years.
"News and Articles." Mountain View, CA: Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, 2001. Online. Available: http://www.wi-fi.org/articles.asp. 7 August 2001.
This very up-to-date bibliography of news and articles on wireless technology is created on-the-fly from a database. The sampling viewed on August 7 was lengthy and quite varied. It looks like a good place to visit regularly if you want to to keep your finger on the pulse of what's being published about wireless.
Derfler, Frank J., Jr. and Les Freed. "Wireless LANs." PC Magazine (28 March 2000): 4 pp. ZDNet. ZDNet Reviews. Online. Available: http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2470130,00.html. 7 August 2001.
Written primarily for business users, this article is useful for its description of the advantages of the mobility given by wireless LANs in general.
Cox, John. "Effort Afoot to Provide Wireless LAN Roaming." Network World (28 May 2001): 7 pp. IT World.com Network. NetworkWorldFusion News. Online. Available: http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/0528wispr.html. 7 August 2001.
Mobility between different wireless services, after solving standards issues, is dicussed. In particular, Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (or WISPr) is described. This proposal hopes to solve the problems between users crossing the lines of competing standards.
Vance, Ashlee, and Marc Ferranti. "New roaming services key to
wireless."
Freed, Les. "Performance Tests: Wireless LANs". PC Magazine (28 March 2000): 4 pp. ZDNet. ZDNet Reviews. Online. Available: http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2470139,00.html. 7 August 2001.
A chart of speeds for various wireless products, including the throughput for a wired LAN for comparison.
Derfler, Frank J., Jr. "Crossed Signals: 802.11b, Bluetooth, and HomeRF." PC Magazine (28 March 2000): 4 pp. ZDNet. ZDNet Reviews. Online. Available: http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2470132,00.html. 7 August 2001.
Brief descriptions of three leading standards, with predictions for the future of interference between them that have already come true a year and a half later.
"Wireless Standards Compared." PC Magazine (28 March 2000): 4 pp. ZDNet. ZDNet Reviews. Online. Available: http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2475113,00.html 7 August 2001.
Chart comparing uses, types of terminals, configurations, frequencies and backers of three leading standards.
Santalesa, Rich. "Wireless Wonder: Why 802.11b Could Rule Corporate America." PDA and Wireless World. (2 April 2001): 2 pp. ZD Net. ZDNet AnchorDesk. Online. Available: http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2702591,00.html 28 July 2001.
Santalesa takes a fairly cautious view of making different 802.11b-compliant products work together out of the box. He offers a more realistic counter-balance to the overly optimistic pieces found on manufacturers' webpages and in the writings of enthusiasts.
Grossman, Wendy M. "Wireless Wonder: A Dark-Horse Standard Could Win the Broadband Race." Scientific American (August 2001): p.20.
Grossman describes the growing popularity of the 802.11b standard. She nails down the situation in one page when she concludes: "At the moment, 802.11b is still a geek thing requiring fiddling, configuring and tolerance for imperfections. But in 1990, so was the Internet.".
Mann, Bill. "Wi-Fi Wireless Standard Gaining Speed?" News and Commentary (21 May 2001): 3 pp. Fool.com The Motley Fool. Online: Available: http://www.fool.com/news/2001/isil010521.htm 7 August 2001.
In language stockholders can understand, Mann describes the current state of Wi-Fi in relation to other standards that use the same 2.4GHz frequency. Mention is also made of the European standard, GSM, which has sidestepped the whole proprietary mess we have here in the United States.
"What is WAP and WAP Forum?" WAP Forum. (2001): 2 pp. Online. Available: http://www.wapforum.org/what/index.htm. 7 August 2001.
Everything you want to know about the Wireless Application Protocol from the people who are backing it. This page includes links to the specificatins, other documents, information on the developers and more.
"Wired Equivalent Privacy." Sugg. by Bryan Bice. WhatIs?com IT-Specific Encyclopedia. 01 May 2001: 2 pp. TechTarget.com. WhatIs?com. Online. Available: http://searchNetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci549087,00.html. 12 August 2001.
WhatIs?com's online encyclopedia entry for Wired Equivalent Privacy is like a mini-pathfinder in itself. Links to the WECA paper on WEP and to the IEEE 802.11b specification itself, which includes WEP, are especially useful.
"Overview; Wireless LAN Security: The Growth of Wireless LANs." San Jose, CA: Cisco Systems, 11 April 2001. Online. Available: http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/cc/pd/witc/ao350ap/prodlit/a350w_ov.htm. 25 July 2001.
Cisco lays out their proposed approach to wireless security and what it should do. It's complicated, and sounds like a good idea, but, unfortunately, it relies on 802.1X, an as yet nonexistant extension to the 802.11b standard.
Borisov, Nikita, Ian Goldberg and David Wagner. "Security of WEP Algorithm." Berkeley, CA: Borisov, Goldberg and Wagner, 2001. Online. Available: http://www.isaac.cs.berkeley.edu/isaac/wep-faq.html. 12 August 2001.
This unnamed group from Berkeley outline the successful attacks they staged on on a WEP protected system as a test and otherwise critique WEP as a stand-alone method of security.
"IEEE 802.15 WPAN Task Group Seeks Input on Coexistence Mechanisms." News Release (4 October 2000): 2 pp. IEEE. News Releases. Online. Available: http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/80215coexmech.html. 10 August 2001.
News item describing the WPAN Coexistence Task Group's (TG2) call for submissions for coexistence models and mechanisms.
LibWireless: a discussion group on Yahoo! for "libraries and all types of wireless technologies."
802.11 Planet: Conference on the 802.11 Standard. October 2-3, 2001, Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA.
CTIA Wireless I.T. and Internet 2001: Conference on Wireless Technology. September 11-13, 2001, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA.
2001 Global Wireless and Internet Summit. Conference on Global Wireless Technology. June 5-6, 2001, The Japan Society, New York, NY.
Wireless 2001. Conference on Wireless Technology. June 13-14, The Puck Building, New York, NY.
Karin Wikoff IST511
Created: August 7, 2001. Last updated: August 14, 2001, 6:26 PM ET