Wireless Networking

Hey all,

What do you think about installing wireless networks? (B's and G's).

Up until 2 months ago, I refused to install wireless networks for customer
due to the inherent instability in the setup. Then, I decided to do a few
and they worked out great. Quick jobs (with WEP security). No calls back.

However, lately I have run into a few that are like jobs from hell. I am
finding two major issues that are difficult to deal with. For those that
have done quite a few of these ... you'll know what I'm talking about:

- Windows 98 & the bundled "utilities" for the wireless NIC's seem to be a
bad combination. I'm seeing all sorts of different problems with at least
two different vendors (Linksys and SMC). I'm getting to the point where the
only workable setups are exclusively WinXP or 2000 ... as XP has some native
support for wireless networking.

- Signal strength / loss of signal problems in certain buildings. This is a
real pain. On top of that, I'm reading that people resort to precarious
solutions like different antennae or repeaters to solve these problems.
These customers just aren't willing to spend for the time and materials it
would take to get that stuff working.

TIA for any feedback on your experience with this wireless stuff.

techshare