Wireless Can Halve Your Networking Costs

Traditional workplace networks rely heavily on Ethernet, but in environments dominated by laptops, tablets and phones the wireless component is arguably more important. Wi-Fi is more convenient for users, but one new report suggests it can also halve your overall business network setup costs by half.

Patch panel picture from Shutterstock

In its 2013 Network Barometer Report, integrator Dimension Data suggests that overall network costs will drop by 50 per cent over the next five years. As well as the general trend for technology costs to reduce over time, the shift from a current ratio of 80 per cent cabled networks and 20 percent wireless networks to a more Wi-Fi-centric approach will cut costs, the report predicts.

“When comparing a traditional wired network deployment supporting 100 users to a wireless network of the same size, the reduction in physical hardware – LAN switches, discrete wireless LAN controller and cabling – makes the wireless network up to 50% less expensive,” Dimension Data director of solutions Neil Campbell said in a statement announcing the report. “In addition to the capital savings, the operation and management of this user environment is also reduced.”

Have you seen costs fall in wireless environments? Share your experiences in the comments.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


11 responses to “Wireless Can Halve Your Networking Costs”