Thoughts on public Wi-Fi networks caused by costs

When the user passes the publicWi-FiWhen hot spots surf the Internet, network congestion can be attributed to the following reasons: network installation and bandwidth supply costs, and the number of devices connected to the Web.

Bryan Wang, vice general manager of the network connection Department of Springboard Research Institute, believes that the challenge in designing public Wi-Fi hotspots is not so much a technical problem as a problem of network utilization and cost.

Although the Wi-Fi network congestion can be reduced by adding hotspots during peak hours, the utilization of network devices will be greatly reduced when the network access enters a low point.

Although more hot spots can be reduced by disabling the device, from a commercial point of view, enterprises still need to consider bandwidth and network maintenance costs to provide public hot services.

Cisco Systems Singapore Branch Department Manager J. ramesh Babu said that another cause of public Wi-Fi network congestion is the aging of devices, or the use of devices eliminated by other departments, which is common in current commercial environments. He said that using old client devices will reduce the performance of the entire network, especially when rich media data is used in large volumes.

He added that the challenges faced by designing and deploying public or outdoor Wi-Fi networks can be addressed through correct network configurations and tools, as well as appropriate deployment plans. For example, he suggested that venue operators use a wider range of devices when considering the deployment of Wi-Fi networks, such as dual-mode IP phones, laptops, and smart phones that support cellular and Wi-Fi.

In addition, he reminded operators that the coverage of wireless networks will be affected by the construction environment, such as walls, partitions and elevator rooms. In addition, wireless networks may be affected by cordless phones, Bluetooth, or other wireless devices.

WiFi service providers can use tools to solve this problem. They detect and automatically adjust the RF to enable the WiFi network to work normally in the corresponding environment.

Consumers desire Wi-Fi access

Babu said that as more and more enterprises implement mobile offices, access to Wi-Fi networks anytime and anywhere has become a "logical expectation" for employees, partners, and consumers ", even some companies want their assets to access the Internet at any time.

Craig Skinner, Senior Consultant of Ovum, agrees with this. He believes that the popularity of mobile devices, such as smartphones and handheld computers, will increase the demand for WiFi access.

He also said that if public Wi-Fi networks are used to do this, they will take heavy traffic from smartphones, tablets, and even laptops. After Wang reiterated his point of view, Skinner said that the problem still returned to the cost and coverage of the network.

In an email interview, he made it clear that it is unrealistic to make an outdoor Wi-Fi network maintained by a public fund have the same performance as the Wi-Fi network in the technology conference venue.

Most of the time, the free service provided by public Wi-Fi access is only used to attract consumers to consume or attract enterprises to hold activities in this place, he explained. However, in the final analysis, the deployment and operation costs of the network architecture must be paid.

Because consumers do not need to directly bear this part of the cost, the operators of the places do not have enough enthusiasm to invest more funds to establish high-quality network services, this is especially true in scenarios where network traffic peaks rarely occur.

In addition, Skinner also said that the antenna device of the access device is also one of the factors affecting the access quality. He explained that the antenna size and power will affect the coverage of the network and the connection stability of the network. Therefore, if a small device such as a mobile phone is always congested and difficult to access, it may be because of the antenna problem of the network device, rather than the manager intentionally disconnects these users from the Internet.

Wang of Springboard believes that even if the WiFi service can be used as widely as the consumer expects, WiFi is not the best mobility solution. "You cannot quickly switch between Wi-Fi hotspots because the Wi-Fi network coverage is too small compared with 3G or WiMax. If we use WiFi as a mobile broadband access solution, as a result, a large amount of switching data is generated during the user's device movement, which wastes network resources. Therefore, WiFi is not suitable for intercity mobile solutions ."