Why is quality of service (QoS) needed for voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi)?
William Terrill: Wireless bandwidth is shared by everyone, and whoever gets on the network first gets the bandwidth. Voice packets need low latency, low jitter and some bandwidth. If I have a bunch of different wireless users without QoS, and someone downloads a large file, that can completely overload the wireless system. If users don’t get their bandwidth, they have a poor quality call. How is QoS different on a wireless LAN than it is on a wired LAN? Terrill: On the wired side, you can [implement] a virtual LAN, effectively allowing you to get bandwidth as you need it. On a wireless LAN, you have to go back to the old Ethernet hub scenario where bandwidth is shared. Also, interference in the wired LAN is minimal, but on the wireless LAN, it can be a significant problem. Microwave ovens can interfere with 802.11b/g systems. Multiple access points using the same channel can cause interference. This can be a problem for businesses in a high-rise office building if another business on a
