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

During the decision-making process, you will consider many vendors' products. And while the final product selection might not be of vital importance to a small WLAN in a small company, it will be of utmost importance for all WLAN projects (large or small) in a large organization. When you purchase the access point, wireless network card and other hardware, you not only buy the device, you also acquire add-on utilities, such as software that can be used during the site survey, for network management, and even for a WLAN's on-going maintenance. These add-on utilities are key to the overall success of a WLAN project. But since these utilities are typically provided at no additional cost, their strengths, features and usefulness can vary greatly from vendor to vendor. Also don't underestimate the value of pre/post sales support. The specialized expertise and skillsets that a vendor's organization can provide during the deployment and post-deployment stages are invaluable.

Thus, when deploying a WLAN, look to partner with a vendor that can support the entire wireless infrastructure, including 24/7 help desk support, remote administration capabilities, and RF diagnostics. Use only vendors who continually focus on a compelling industrial design at competitive prices. The vendors chosen also should offer business integration and flexible solutions, and a broad product/service mix, as well as flexible contract terms.

Only consider vendors who offer suggested systems and approaches that promote a rapid ROI. Ask the vendors to issue Statements of Work (SOW). Finally, if needed, ask vendors if they can assist in preparing a needs analysis and feasibility study; many vendors servicing the enterprise market will readily provide such services.

When choosing your technology vendor, keep the following items and issues in mind:

• Approach the vendor selection process recognizing its strategic importance in the planning of your wireless system.

• Consider all of the important characteristics that will determine the WLAN's success, including robustness, manageability, scalability, value, and vendor capabilities.

• Think carefully about the speeds and applications you will need now and into the future. High-speed systems are best in limited spaces where wide bandwidth applications are a priority; lower-speed systems provide better coverage and immunity. Select your networking gear to complement each other and to optimize their individual strengths.

• Take into account upgrade planning, which should be approached with accurate knowledge of differences in coverage range; simplistic schemes that talk about one-for-one access point upgrade or replacement will not yield the desired results. Higher speeds may require more access points.

• Insist on standards compliance from everyone-network designer, vendors and during implementation.

• Consider the capabilities, capacity and availability of your vendor to work with you throughout the life of your wireless system-from the initial planning, network analysis, design and site survey through integration and installation of the system to ongoing service and support.

Once you've settled on a short list of vendors, ask those vendors to provide you with an analysis of the technical advantages of their products (heightened security, performance), and the business benefits (scalability, lower cost of management), and have them prove how their products deliver these advantages. Use those analyses to compare each vendor's offering. Next, issue requests for proposals and perform the proper due diligence. For instance:

• Assess the vendor's economic health-an important consideration because the IT department will want to know the vendor will be around, if needed.

• Determine the number of installs the vendor has completed. How many of those were in your organization's industry?

• Ask the vendor to provide at least five customer references.

• Follow up on those customer references and ask how well the vendor backs its services and products, i.e. does the vendor have a track record of being present, not only before, but also after the sale?

• Find out if the vendor has a product support group. To determine how responsive that group is to a customer's needs, ask for customer references.

• Ask the vendor if the system's information is stored on a database, so the IT department doesn't have to bring the product support person up to speed every time it has a question or service request.

• Find out how has the product evolved over the years. Is the vendor recommending a relatively new product without a track record, or one that is approaching end-of-life?

A good vendor will be knowledgeable about the organization's industry and business models, as well as hardware and software integration.

Consider your WLAN's specific needs. In certain deployments vendor specific utilities and specifications may not be applicable. For example, when deploying a WLAN in a public area such as an airport, or a HotSpot, vendor-specific utility may not work for all end-users because every user will not be accessing the WLAN via the same product. Consequently, generic wireless characteristics need to be retrievable and monitored.

Be careful that you do not to create a "closed system," thereby locking the WLAN into a vendor-specific solution. While such a "closed system" might not be a problem in a corporate environment, it can be particularly problematic in public areas such as HotSpots, where various radios will be present.

If the WLAN project is large or planned around a complex WLAN deployment, consider using only products from an established vendor. Large, reputable vendors are better able to fulfill the project commitments through the utilization of its staff experts and in-depth resources than are smaller vendors with limited staff and experience. Also, since the entire IT industry faces attrition and vendor consolidation, a good percentage of IT suppliers in business today will disappear from the competitive landscape in the coming years. Thus, contracting with an established vendor offers the best chance for stability.

Finally, bear in mind that for the most part, products that have obtained the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification will, at least, guarantee a basic level of interoperability.