Miscellaneous > Using Wireless Networks

RetailEdge will work well with a wireless network. However, you should be aware of three disadvantages to using a wireless network.

1.	Speed. Wireless network connections will typically be half to one third as fast as a wired network. Although this should not be a problem for RetailEdge unless you are performing task that will be transmitting large amounts of data (e.g., updating from receiving).

Reliability. Wireless network signal strength will diminish depending on what is placed between the network nodes. In a retail environment objects and people moving in between the nodes can potentially impact the wireless signal. If you are going to use wireless we would recommend mounting the access point in a position that will minimize this impact (e.g., ceiling or high wall mount).

Security. Wireless networks are less secure than a wired network. If you are going to setup a wireless network you should turn on encryption and also limit connections to certain MAC addresses. At a minimum you should have the wireless security mode set to WPA Pre-Shared Key and WPA Algorithms: TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol).