What Is Network Infrastructure?

How do wired and wireless networks differ?

As the names imply, wired and wireless networks differ in how the user’s end device connects to the overall network. In a wired network, data flows over cables. The cables connect to an interface card in an end device at one end and to an Ethernet port on the network switch or router at the other end.

In a wireless network, data flows over the air via radio waves. These signals travel from the end device to a wireless access point, which is connected to the network. This allows users to roam, untethered to wires or cables. That said, the wireless network still needs wired hardware components, like Ethernet switches, to support the wireless access points.

How is network infrastructure changing?

Many organizations are moving—or have moved—to a primarily wireless network infrastructure. This trend was underway even before the global health crisis, as businesses with a growing number of users found it easier to expand network access using wireless-enabled devices, instead of installing new cable connections.

The global health crisis set in motion another change in network infrastructure: the rise of the hybrid workplace. A combination of in-office and remote workers comprises the hybrid workforce. Workers can be located onsite or offsite, either all or part of the time. Wireless network infrastructure is essential to supporting the hybrid workplace environment so that workers can reliably and securely access the network anytime, anywhere, from any device.

The dramatic rise in the use and development of apps for collaboration and communication also demands a wider embrace of wireless network infrastructure. Wireless access to the internet and to key applications and resources helps all employees in any workplace—hybrid or traditional—stay productive.