Going Wi-Fi: A Practical Guide to Planning and Building an 802.11 Network

Enlarging the WLAN's Scope

Assume that the pilot project was a success and the stakeholders were impressed with the business case and ROI. The next step is to enlarge the scope of the pilot WLAN. But don't try to deploy a full-scale WLAN in one fell swoop. Instead, broaden the existing WLAN by expanding it selectively to serve the needs of the next level of mobile-users.

It will be easy-just repeat the process outlined for the pilot project. Take time to reassess the questions and decisions you made for the pilot in light of scaling the WLAN to increase its scope. Also be sure to consider the cost and ROI of equipping additional users with mobile computing devices.

Security

Despite all of the hullabaloo to the contrary, a wireless network can be secured effectively when the right steps are taken, and proper attention and diligence are exercised. The key is not to rely on just one form of WLAN security-apply multiple layers of security and institute a monitoring program along with authentication and encryption. If you follow the advice set out in Chapter 17, you should have a wireless networking environment that is at least as secure as your wired Ethernet network.