Wireless LANs in the office.

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Wireless LANs in the office.

• Stewart Sharpe.

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Key Benefits.

• Wireless LANs within an office allow users to
  roam freely around the office.
  
• No issues of proximity to a network port for
  connectivity to the network.
  
• They also allow network access in areas where it
  would be otherwise impossible or infeasible to
  lay cable.

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Key Benefits.

• Wireless LANs are totally transparent to the
  user. The user experience of a wireless network
  is the exact same as a wired network.
  
• Standards based wireless LANs allow
  interoperability of different vendors equipment.
  
• Use of the ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical)
  band means that no license is required for
  wireless networking.

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Key Benefits.

• Anything that can be run over a wired network can
  be run over a wireless network e.g. voice over
  IP.
  
• RF and IR versions available. This is beneficial
  where RF transmission is not desirable.
  
• Automatic load balancing between access points
  ensuring optimum available speed at all times.

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Typical Uses.

• When there are a large number of mobile or
  portable users.
  
• Large open plan offices.
• Frequently changing office layouts e.g. project
  teams.
  
• Warehouse applications.
• Listed buildings.
• Meeting rooms.
• Roaming users.

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Typical Uses.

• Leased office spaces.
• IT staff troubleshooting PCs in situ.
• Hotels offering guests internet connectivity.
• Hospitals offering wireless network access to,
  for example, patient records via laptops or PDAs
  at the bedside.
  

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Co-existence with wired networks.

• Wireless LANs can be viewed as an alternative to
  wired networks.
  
• However, they can also be used to overlay an
  existing wired network offering both the speed
  of a wired network and the convenience of
  wireless as required.

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Issues that can affect communication speed.

• Distance from the nearest access point.
• Internal walls.
• Obstacles.
• Metal objects like filing cabinets.
• Microwave ovens.
• Number of wireless users.
• Number of access points.

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Why get a site survey?

• Apparently unrelated issues can affect operation.
  Filing cabinets, thick walls and microwave ovens
  are examples of issues whose affect cannot be
  anticipated.
• The exact optimal location of access points will
  be required to determine precise equipment spec.
  

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Why get a site survey?

• Items such as choice of antennae and required
  number of access points measured against number
  of users, vary hugely between deployment areas.
  
• Ensure that the wireless LAN will work exactly as
  anticipated.
  
• Ensure that roaming will work as expected.

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Why get a site survey?

• Ensure that access point coverage extends to all
  required areas and does not extend into areas
  where coverage is explicitly not required, e.g.
  car parks.
• Accurately forecast resulting service and
  equipment requirements for quotation purposes.
  

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• We are a medium sized company who have just moved
  premises.
  
• We have office space to accommodate 25 desks
  based staff in a large office area.
  
• The space is divided between admin., sales
  support and project design.
  
• We have a large room which is used for
  presentations, meetings, training and general
  purpose.

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• We have sales force of ten who use office
  facilities sporadically.
  
• Our sales team liase with project design
  regarding prospective and ongoing projects.
  
• They must liase with sales support on an ongoing
  basis.

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• They must attend product training sessions and
  presentations weekly.
  
• They must attend a weekly sales meeting in the
  office, presenting weekly call summaries and
  forecasts.
  
• Our sales force do do not have dedicated office
  facilities at their disposal.

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• Progress reports on all ongoing contracts must be
  kept constantly up-to-date by sales staff.
  
• This information must be kept on the server to be
  accessible at all times.

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• Proposed solution.
• Overlay a WLAN network over existing wired
  network throughout existing office space.
  
• Install WLAN access points in general purpose
  room.

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.
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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• 2 access points in sales/admin. office
• Allows network access in areas where facilities
  are always fully utilised.
  
• User can move, with uninterrupted access, between
  departments.

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.
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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• 1 access point in general purpose room.
• 15 client adaptors to give access for all sales
  staff and 4 managers.
  

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• Acts as a temporary office space with file and
  e-mail access for roaming users.
  
• Accommodates all sales staff and managers for
  meetings.

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Scenario 2. Field sales force.

• Multiple network access is provided without
  aesthetic implications for boardroom use.
  
• Allows integration of presentation facilities
  e.g. projectors.

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Scenario 2. Equipment required.

• Sales/admin office.
• 2 access points
• General purpose/meeting room.
• 1 access point.
• 15 client adapters
• Site survey
• Installation

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Summary of benefits.

• Allows movement throughout building with
  uninterrupted network access.
  
• Allows huge flexibility in areas of constantly
  changing network access demands.
  
• DHCP coupled with WLAN offers easy addition of
  users without skilled IT supervision.

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Summary of benefits.

• Automatic load balancing ensures optimum
  available speed at all times.
  
• Multiple access points provide redundancy.
• Take your network with you when relocating.