Wireless connectivity: pros, cons

In most cases, self-service devices don't serve their purpose unless they can communicate with a "mother ship" — a business database in the back office or on the other side of the country. As a result, one of the crucial steps in deployment planning is the running of Ethernet or phone wires.

But certain applications benefit from going wireless — for reasons ranging from store layout to poor landline infrastructure in a given part of the world.

"Customers are clamoring for it," said Sal Cinquegrani, executive director of corporate communications for New Edge Networks. "We have customers who want to put in wireless solutions for a variety of different applications, including using them as a back-up for their wired networks."

There are two primary factors that dictate whether wireless is a good candidate for a given self-service device: location and application.

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Hooking up

For retail environment planners, kiosks equipped with wireless modems solve a major problem: where to place the machine. With wired connectivity, there is a tug-of-war between the desire to run wires to the best location and the ease of placing the machine in what could turn out to be a poor location, simply because it is near an outlet. Cellular-equipped kiosks can be placed anywhere the modem can get a signal, allowing for smarter planning.

Craig Keefner, channel manager for KIOSK Information Systems, said wireless also eliminates the process of trying to get approval from the IT department to use the company's Ethernet connection.

Geographical location also plays a role, particularly outside the United States. Adam Aronson, president of Arc Design, said his company is working on a rollout "in the thousands" that will use cellular modems. His client, protected by a confidentiality agreement until March, is located in Asia.

"They just don't have a very reliable wired Internet infrastructure, which from a U.S. view is kind of odd," he said. "These conditions are fairly common in the rest of Asia, where the landlines are older and less reliable than the cellular networks. Add to this the very large number of individual deployment locations over which the client has no control, and the added expense of pulling Ethernet cabling, and it makes sense to use a cellular modem."

Aronson's project is a perfect example of how one size never fits all: If this same project were being deployed in the United States, wired broadband might be a better choice.

Not for every application

The machine's application is also a key factor in choosing connectivity. And while many self-service devices move a fairly small amount of data across the pipe — with most media and code assets stored locally — machines that rely on the mother ship for large amounts of data and content will simply have to have broadband.

"A typical card transaction uses probably around 8 kilobytes of data," said Cinquegrani. "You don't need a big old fat pipe with a lot of high-speed and paying a premium for it for a kiosk that has that functionality."

Affordable high-speed wireless is on the way, and that will likely change everything. Prices have dropped over the past year, with Verizon lowering its monthly rate from $79.95 to $59.95. But as Keefner notes, it is still first-generation, and requires a bit of handholding and situational engineering. Plus, coverage is still limited to major metropolitan areas.

Quick setup, happy clients

Wireless connectivity can also greatly speed up deployment, and make life easier for the merchant.

"It's a compelling story for a deployer to say to a merchant, ‘I can deliver the unit tomorrow, ready to start serving your customers,'" said Kent Phillips, senior vice president and general manager of the POS division of Transaction Network Services. "Further, having the deployer provide the communications services alleviates the need for the merchant to get involved when there are service issues. The merchant doesn't have to get involved with calling the telco to troubleshoot phone line problems, nor bear the expense associated with it."

It's also great for "proof of concept" and initial deployments, Keefner said, making it easy to test a device without any large-scale wiring or expense.