It’s a question that all business owners must address sooner or later: to go wireless or not to go wireless? With today’s ever-changing and endlessly evolving technology, it seems that everything in the modern office is wireless, but it may not be the best thing for you personally to go wireless if you don’t need to.

 

Fortunately, most modern printers, scanners and fax machines will work with both wired and wireless systems, so the choice is entirely yours, but how do you know which is best? Well, to help you out, we’re here with our quick wired v wireless guide. 

 

How Does Your Office Work?

 

These days, one of the main things to consider when you’re setting up your office is your computer system, and in particular how your computers will connect with your printer, photocopier and fax (or multifunction devices). Of course, in the home environment, we’re used to laptops that connect up to one printer with one cable, but in an office setting you’re much more likely to be connecting to a wired or wireless network.

 

But what difference does it make whether you use a wired networked or a wireless printing setup, and how does this decision impact your business?

 

Wired Devices

 

It may sound like the old fashioned method, especially if you’re one of the technology obsessed youth of today, but there are still many benefits to using good old cables to link things together. For one thing, physical wires enable you to connect your printer and other devices directly to your computer or to a network in order to get the highest possible data transfer; great for the bigger jobs or if speed is a priority.

 

 

Secondly, it’s generally relatively easy to install these types of printers and, in most cases, your network computer will automatically detect and install the necessary drivers, making it the low-tech easy option for complete technophobes. Moreover, it’s likely that your printer will use Ethernet cabling rather than USB connections, meaning that it will connect directly to your router, thus making the entire process even simpler.

 

All of this means that the wired option is often the most straightforward and stress-free method of getting all your computers and devices to talk to each other. However, whilst it easily allows a number of users to connect over a network, the wired option does generally require a central ‘always-on’ server to keep the connection available, hence can be less economical in terms of cost and energy usage.

 

Wireless Devices

 

Wireless printers, scanners, faxes and MFDs still enable you to connect directly with your computer through a network but, whereas wired devices are connected via physical cables, wireless ones are connected over the internet via Wi-Fi.

 

In most modern office environments today, a networked wireless solution is usually going to be the most appropriate; although networked printers generally take more time to set up than the wired options, which are connected directly to a computer, this method of connection generally offers a great deal more flexibility in the modern workplace.

 

 

However, it’s important to remember the connection compatibility when thinking about your Wi-Fi printer connectivity; for example, 802.11b devices shouldn’t be connected to an 802.11g network, otherwise data transfer rates can be significantly slowed down. Hence, before deciding on whether or not to go wireless, it’s important to check your wireless network, just to make sure it’ll all work once completed.

 

Is Wired or Wireless Best for My Business?

 

Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, most of the devices we supply and fit here at North West Digital have the option to be connected via both cables and Wi-Fi, meaning that the choice is entirely yours which option you go for.

 

When choosing whether or not to make the move from wired to wireless, you not only need to consider the speed of your wireless connection but also how many people will be using the devices and how they will be using them. For example, if you have many staff moving around to different offices, then a wireless connection that they can connect to via their laptops or tablets may well be the best option, but if you just have a few staff who work on the same computer at the same desk day-in-day-out, then why bother switching?

 

 

What’s more, whilst there has certainly been a rise in the prevalence of Wi-Fi networks in the workplace for several years now, there is a corresponding concern about just how secure this method actually is. As with many other technologies, printing, copying, scanning and especially faxing over a Wi-Fi connection has been subject to several high profile security issues in recent years, and this type of connection is much more vulnerable to hacking and such like than its less glamorous counterpart. Fortunately, most of these issues have now been addressed and the technology industry is becoming much more adept at avoiding these events and improving security overall but, if you are at all concerned with security or work in a particularly sensitive industry, it may be nonetheless best to stick with a wired printing solution.

 

And after all, as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

 

Get In Touch   

 

If you’re considering whether you should choose a wired or a wireless setup for your business, or if you’d just like to know more about the different options available to you, then please get in touch with NWD today for a free, no obligation chat with one of our knowledgeable advisors.

 

You can contact North West Digital by emailing us at info@, phoning us on 0161 477 8950 or completing the contact form on the website for one of our team to get back to you ASAP.