The right network connectivity strategy is critical in today’s fast-paced and digitally connected world. Choosing between wired and wireless solutions has only become more complicated for enterprises in every industry sector. Each has its own merits and primary use cases.

In the past, deciding which technology to go with often depended on a given enterprise’s specific needs for speed and reliability versus the availability and cost of each option. In the earliest days of wireless connectivity, it was a more niche option compared to wired networks, but as wireless technology has advanced, adoption has grown significantly.

Today, the growing expansion of cellular 5G is shifting the balance even further towards wireless networks. Many of the merits of wired networks that are essential to enterprise connectivity can now be achieved with 5G cellular wireless networks. The power and flexibility of 5G open up the possibilities for a variety of enterprise deployments.

Wired network speed and reliability vs. wireless flexibility

Until recently, wired networks have been the go-to choice for enterprise connectivity. Using Ethernet or fiber optic cables to create a local area network (LAN), wired networks offer significant throughput and are extremely reliable, making them a good choice for more demanding enterprise requirements. Because directly accessing the network requires a physical connection, these networks are inherently more secure and can enhance this security further with cybersecurity technology like firewalls.

Wireless networks provide internet access using radio waves. Wireless routers and access points disperse signals to connect a diverse range of devices, from laptops to smartphones, without requiring adapters or Ethernet ports. This makes wireless extremely flexible, allowing it to support both fixed and mobile deployments in a range of environments.

In the past, wireless had drawbacks that made it less well-suited for demanding enterprise environments, specifically related to reliability and transmission speed. This is no longer the case. Cellular 5G has brought new capabilities to wireless networks, allowing them to meet or even surpass the capabilities of wired networks.

5G brings wireless on or past par with wired networks

Cellular routers that support 5G deliver superior bandwidth and throughput, support for ultra-low latency, and built-in cybersecurity. This has helped 5G wireless networks compete or even surpass the capabilities of wired connectivity in several ways crucial to enterprise deployment.

First, 5G significantly improves the performance of wireless networks, an area where technologies like fiber optic cable have dominated with reliability, throughput, bandwidth, and latency. Improvements in 5G cellular infrastructure, particularly enhanced network coverage and advanced signal processing technology, have greatly improved wireless throughput, reliability, and stability, even under challenging weather conditions.

5G wireless networks can transmit high-speed internet on the scale of gigabit per second (Gbps) or megabit per second (Mbps) connections, which is crucial for data-intensive activities like large file transfers or video conferencing. Most major internet service providers (ISPs) provide unlimited data plans at competitive prices, allowing 5G wireless to leverage its full potential.

Furthermore, 5G offers extremely high bandwidth and supports ultra-low latency, capabilities which have seen it used to support Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) deployments, which move massive amounts of data and require real-time communications.

The gap between wired and wireless has also narrowed considerably when it comes to cybersecurity. 5G cellular employs advanced encryption protocols that provide robust protection against unauthorized access. Technologies such as virtual private networks (VPNs) can further safeguard wireless data.

Advances in wireless technology have also helped resolve issues with network congestion. The expanded network infrastructure and advanced network management techniques and technologies of 5G, such as dynamic spectrum sharing and network slicing, ensure users maintain reliable connections even in high-demand environments.

Unlock lightning-fast 5G internet almost anywhere

5G wireless combines superior performance with flexibility and cost-efficiency

With 5G, enterprises can take full advantage of the superior flexibility and cost-efficiency of wireless networks without having to worry about performance or reliability.

The flexibility of wireless networks provides several valuable advantages. First is rapid deployment: Without the need to dig and lay extensive cabling, wireless solutions can be deployed much more rapidly and in many more locations. This also makes wireless networks better suited to support mobile connectivity, as without the need to be physically connected to the network, devices and cellular routers can be taken on the move and rapidly deployed as needed.

5G routers with dual-SIM capabilities can also switch between ISPs as needed, making redeployment even simpler and enabling wireless failover to enhance reliability. This rapid deployment capability makes wireless networks highly scalable, allowing enterprises to rapidly and easily deploy additional routers to expand their network as they grow or move.

Wireless networks also avoid the costs involved with trenching and laying in cable as well as the maintenance required to maintain this infrastructure, which can be cost-prohibitive in rural and remote areas. Plus, they offer reliability improvements with new techniques, such as wireless failover, which can be used to reduce or eliminate costly network downtime.

With 5G, wireless networks offer some advantages in reliability as well. Cables and fiber connections can be damaged by construction, natural disasters, or even bad weather. Today’s wireless networks can leverage multiple signals from multiple towers, greatly improving the redundancy of connections and ensuring that even if part of the network infrastructure is damaged, signal strength is maintained.

Inseego is an industry leader in wireless 5G connectivity

The evolution of 5G is clearly tilting the balance of network deployment strategies, allowing enterprises to leverage what were once the mainstay benefits of wired connections — performance and reliability — while taking advantage of the greater flexibility, cost-efficiency, and ease-of-use of wireless networks.

Inseego is an industry leader in 5G. We offer solutions from deployed hardware through to cloud-level management to support every aspect of your enterprise wireless network, from initial deployment to ongoing maintenance, in any environment.

Our FX2000 and FX3100 series cellular routers offer flexible and simplified network installation, whether you’re expanding a wired Ethernet network with a failover option or enhancing your wireless network capacity. In rural areas lacking traditional connectivity, our FW2000 outdoor CPE offers a durable and wide-ranging alternative, ensuring reliable connections even in harsh climate conditions.

Supported by advanced cloud-management software, our cellular portfolio ensures seamless management and optimal performance, making us a trusted choice for both wired and wireless network enhancements.