Cables can get in the way and trail round the office like miles of spaghetti, tripping up the unwary visitor.
But all that could change as cost-effective wireless network technology hits the street.
The idea is to site a wireless transmitter/receiver transceiver) beside your server/hub that can relay data to your work stations without a festoon of cables to make it work.
Your work stations are also fitted with transceivers and there are PC card versions for laptops.
Wireless networking brings a new and highly mobile solution for difficult-to-wire places, such as hospitals, listed buildings and public areas.
Wireless local area networks (WLANs) provide the perfect solution for home networking.
They remove the need to install an expensive, unsightly cabling infrastructure and home users can benefit from the flexibility and mobility of moving equipment easily from room to room.
The main benefit of a wireless network is this freedom to move equipment without needing to run cables.
In addition, the wireless network is ideal for any organisation that operates a "hot desk" system where employees simply grab the nearest available desk and start work.
It does not matter where the user chooses to sit to work because a laptop computer can be fitted with a wireless PC card.
Presentations are made easier as the presenter can set up his or her laptop and projector anywhere in the office without needing a network connection.
This can be a major time saver and can reduce stress levels at critical moments.
Making the decision to switch from a wire-based network to a wireless system needs careful consideration as technology is changing all the time.
The Netgear 802.11b setup offers a cost-effective option and may be suitable as a test bed for a larger-scale network upgrade.
The wireless system must do everything that an ordinary network does.
Not least, provide network printing. Printers are also connected to a WLAN through a wireless print server.
One manufacturer of wireless print servers is Hove-based SEH Technology UK, which is soon to launch its Wi-fi (wireless fidelity) print server.
Wi-fi is another name for 802.11b, a relatively new standard for high speed WLANs.
Wi-fi compliant devices, unlike Bluetooth, can achieve transmission rates comparable to Ethernet systems and support transmission distances of up to 150 metres from the access point.
With these rates, it can support a realistic networking environment, unlike close-proximity, mobile computing with low data-rates offered by Bluetooth.
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