Why has it become cost-effective for enterprise companies to integrate WLAN segments into their networks?

Why has it become cost-effective for enterprise companies to integrate WLAN segments into their networks?

• A. The cost of wireless technology has decreased and the quality has increased.
• B. Wireless subsidies have reduced total cost of ownership.
• C. Security protocols have improved dramatically but costs haven’t.
• D. Cabling costs have become negligible due to new standards.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that wireless technology has become cheaper to produce and dramatically more capable, so enterprises can deploy WLAN segments without paying steep costs or sacrificing performance. Over time, access points, controllers, and client devices have benefited from cheaper components and mass production, while wireless standards have delivered higher throughput, better range, and more reliable connections. That combination means the user experience of a wireless network today can rival or exceed what wired you once needed, making it easier to justify expanding or replacing wired segments.

As a result, capital expenses drop because you can scale with fewer wires, simpler cabling layouts, and centralized management that reduces admin time. Operational costs fall too, thanks to automated RF management, streamlined upgrades, and easier maintenance. The overall effect is a lower total cost of ownership for integrating WLAN into the enterprise network.

Subsidies might help in some scenarios, but they aren’t the broad driver of cost-effectiveness. Security improvements matter, but they don’t by themselves explain why costs have fallen. And while using wireless can reduce some cabling, it isn’t accurate to say cabling costs have become negligible due to new standards. The trend that makes integration cost-effective is the falling price and rising quality of wireless technology itself.