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Essay / The Need for Wi-Fi in Schools
A number of school administrations still maintain that wired connections are the best option for accessing the Internet. However, Wi-Fi has become established in schools, QUICKLY, thanks to the equally rapid development of technology. A whole new range of devices, like tablets and smartphones, no longer support physical network connections. Apple has even removed wired ports on its latest MacBook Pro laptop line. Imagine a school full of young students who are crazy about modern technology without Wi-Fi. Plus, when it comes to education alone, Wi-Fi has many advantages over wired networking. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Today's young generation of students have undoubtedly become addicted to their mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and laptops. Each student typically has 3-5 devices and won't leave home without one. They constantly carry their devices with them, which translates into their expectations for connectivity. Among these devices, the laptop is the only one that accepts the wired port. Other devices can use 3G connections, but 3G is often slow and quite expensive. School wireless is a must-have for these gadget addicts. No one seems to use wired network ports at school anymore! Just as landlines were replaced by cell phones in every home, people began choosing Wi-Fi over wired connections because of its convenience, and students are no exception given their love for mobile devices, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Many young people aren't even familiar with a patch cord and have had wireless Internet access for as long as they can remember. A wired connection including cabling, labor, port and setup can cost upwards of $300. Time must also be considered in order to add just one additional wired port due to the physical execution of the cable and switch configuration. Additionally, the new port will require technical support, which may further increase costs in the long term. However, even if schools manage to manage funds for such high infrastructure costs, they will likely be less able to provide enough ports for all students and staff. On the other hand, it is still difficult for schools to keep pace with the latest technologies. More often than not, we see many libraries or computer labs equipped with a limited number of old, wired computers, as opposed to the number of students needing Internet access. If schools have Wi-Fi, they can save a lot of money on technology costs by encouraging students to bring their own devices. Students bring their advanced mobile devices to schools anyway, so why not take advantage of this advantage. Investing in Wi-Fi is undoubtedly less expensive than in these advanced devices. Although it works well, the wired connection has many restrictions; the most notable is that users can only access from a specific physical location. Mobility is sacrificed for the benefit of Internet connection. Wi-Fi doesn't have this problem. Anyone can access the Internet from anywhere in the school with immediate response time. Teachers will therefore have the opportunity to plan.