DURING the last few years, there has been an increase in the demand for wireless connection to networks and the Internet. Indeed, we can view a lot of available Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) “hot spots” everywhere -- in some office buildings, coffee shops, restaurants, malls, hotels, and other public places. And with it, wireless radio is becoming more of a standard specification for notebook computers.
For an organization, being free from a wired connection can boost productivity by cutting the cord that binds associates to their desktop computers, allowing more mobility with the power to communicate, use enterprise software applications, access information and accomplish important work, on the go.
Wireless Fidelity 101
Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) is the underlying technology of wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. This 802.11 specification is a wireless standard that defines the over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base station or between two wireless clients.
The 802.11-enabled notebook computers and handheld devices talk to each other and to the rest of the network without wires through devices called "access points." These access points are connected to enterprise networks and the Internet through a cable or DSL line. Various radio frequencies are also available, identified as "a," "b," "g" and soon, “n”. For instance, 802.11b is the standard for wireless LANs operating in the 2.4 GHz spectrum with a maximum bit rate of 11 Mbps. This is the standard currently used in most Wi-Fi hot spots, while 802.11a operates in the 5 GHz frequency range with a maximum bit rate of 54 Mbps -- much faster than the "b" standard. Another standard is 802.11g which is commonly used in offices. Devices based on this standard operate on the 2.4 GHz band and deliver bit rates of up to 54 Mbps. All 802.11g devices are backward compatible with the 802.11b standard.
Voice over Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. It now extends to voice technology -- known as Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi or VoFi) -- as a key driver of the next phase in the wireless revolution. This emerging technology allows people to communicate wirelessly by voice over enterprise networks and the Internet. The major driving force behind VoWiFi is the proliferation of voice-enabled mobile handheld devices, EDAs (Enterprise Digital Assistants), digital handsets, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and notebook PCs. The demand is starting to increase for these devices that allow people to communicate and multi-task with a freedom, flexibility and productivity that wasn’t possible before with just using a mobile phone.
Besides Wi-Fi, another technology that makes VoWiFi possible is VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Over the last few years, VoIP has received major attention among companies. Initially, the major benefit was saving money on long distance calls. Now, enterprises realize that VoIP also increases productivity as part of an overall strategy of integrating voice, data and Internet access.
While VoIP is typically on a phone system or computer sitting at the desk, think of VoWiFi as a mobile VoIP. As organizations move to VOIP based phone systems for their desktop users, many solutions are available that enable portable wireless devices with audio input and output capability to act as VoIP handsets. These applications convert the devices, via a software application called “Soft Phone” to interact with VoIP vendor products. Sometimes, the problem is echo when communicating between devices through VoWiFI but there are some applications that can do echo cancellation to resolve this issue.
And, with the increasing number of wireless hot spots both inside and outside of a company's managed network, the infrastructure to support fully integrated Wi-Fi voice access using VoWiFi does makes sense. Mobile VOIP adds new and better ways of workforce collaboration. An investment in 802.11 and VoIP technologies today can prepare businesses to adapt VoWiFi in the not so distant future.
Wi-Fi and Cell Phone in one?
VoWiFi delivers a flexible system for providing mobile data and voice communications than other technologies that require the implementation and maintenance of separate devices for each. For example, in a warehouse environment, two-way push-to-talk radios may be used to provide voice communications among workers and warehouse supervisors and WLANs for wireless data collection in inventory and shipping/receiving applications. By using VoWiFi devices that combine voice and data, these businesses can eliminate the need for two-way radios and the additional costs on managing these devices.
For so many years, businesses and consumers have accepted cellular phone and portable computing technologies. It’s all about the power of mobility, which continues to drive more and more people towards faster adoption of wireless technology. The optimum solution can be a combination of Wi-Fi and cellular. A Wi-Fi/cellular roaming solution requires dual-mode handsets that support both VoWiFi and cellular. For example, when you’re inside your business building with Wi-Fi access, you can use your dual-mode cell phone as a VoWiFi enabled handheld device. And when you’re outside of the Wi-Fi range, it will act as your normal cell phone.
Clearly, enterprises seeking a competitive advantage and lower operational costs could evaluate the areas of their business that can benefit most from VoWiFi technology. Ultimately, the objective is to provide the solutions that can help organizations accelerate revenue growth, increase productivity, operational efficiencies and profitability.
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