Can anyone really remember a world before Wi-Fi? I watch old movies and remember how crazy those plots seemed when you couldn’t just connect to a public wireless network to get info. Internet cafes? Trips to the library? Why bother when the world is at your fingertips? Thanks to the pervasive nature of high-speed mobile devices, we have clients in our hands that can get on the network any time we want.
That’s not to say that there aren’t challenges. Monetized connectivity is everywhere. Even in the most connected areas, there are still places where the connectivity is controlled. And in certain locations, like hospitals or stadiums, the experience can be less-than-stellar. For many users today, the answer is simple. They just convert their mobile phone into a hotspot and provide connectivity for a laptop, tablet, or game console.
Lee Badman is a wireless architect that has to face these challenges on a regular basis. He knows the kinds of problems that hundreds or even thousands of users with access to bridged mobile radios can create in even the most properly designed networks. He also understands why users would want to fall back on these incredible pieces of technology to solve connectivity challenges. As he puts it in this article:
Or something like that… It ABSOLUTELY IS a free for all. That’s the culture right now. If I can’t get on the business network because I don’t know how to configure meself for 802.1X, I’m gonna WHIP IT OUT, Nugent-style, and get myself off to the Internet. The business Wi-Fi can suck it, and how dare you expect me to open a trouble ticket to get help with your 802.1X noise? THE MAGIC IS IN MY HANDS. Any collateral damage is NOT MY PROBLEM.
Find out more about his viewpoint and suggestions for how to fix these issues in his post here: Interfering Personal Hotspots- Beyond Simply a Technical Issue
