The Benefits of 802.11ac in Small Business
The future of wireless is in the hands of 802.11ac and with all this talk of upgrading it sees like larger enterprises will be the ones to benefit most from this newer technology. It’s hard to see why upgrading to 802.11ac would benefit a small business, after all 802.11ac is built for more traffic and operates on a 5GHz band; that’s not something that most small businesses will feel the need to jump to anytime soon, if at all.
The truth is, it may not be an urgent change, but upgrading to 802.11ac is a necessary one to consider if you want your small business to grow or be able to keep up with larger competitors in the future.
For information on the top 802.11ac solutions, check out our latest Buyer’s Guide:
- Easy, side-by-side comparison of the top 802.11ac wireless vendors
- Descriptions of each solution and their strengths
- Important questions to ask yourself and potential vendors when considering a solution
- Market overview of the current 802.11ac wireless space
We’re going mobile and there’s no denying that mobile devices puts strain on your wireless network and for small businesses, that network can’t take all of the extra devices and still run smoothly for everyone. It’s now normal for each employee to have several mobile devices to use on your wireless network. With tablets and smartphones alone, that’s an average of three devices per person that need fast access to your wireless network and for a small business, that number is astronomical.
Because 802.11ac has a much wider range, the more casual and open environment of the typical small business will be more productive, allowing your employees to roam around the office freely with their mobile devices without losing any speed or connectivity.
The only hang-up with 802.11ac for small businesses is the cost. It’s not a cheap upgrade by any means starting with the technology you use in your business. In order to be able to use 802.11ac in its full capacity, the devices being used need to be 802.11ac capable. However, this does not mean that your older devices will not work with the new wireless; 802.11ac us backwards compatible and will not require you to break down and buy your employees all new equipment.
The best approach to take in upgrading your small business to 802.11ac would be to plan on it within the next year or if you’re planning on getting a new wireless system, plan on 802.11ac. There is no point in reverting back to 802.11n or any other wireless technology of the past because you will have to upgrade anyway in order to keep up. Even if your technology hasn’t caught up yet it will eventually when you’re ready to replace it.
