Installation Magic

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There's hardly a network architect or IT staffer who hasn't thought, at some point that "networking would be great-if it wasn't for the wires." Thus, perhaps the most obvious advantage of Wi-Fi is that it doesn't require extensive cabling and patching.

Are you moving your organization to a new building? Do you need to set up a new office and add it to your existing network? Are you adding a new department in the same building or simply inserting a few machines into your network? Wi-Fi solutions can substantially simplify all of those tasks.

Even when you add a wireless LAN as an extension to an existing wired LAN, the access point for the WLAN can be placed where the cable for the LAN is located; there is no need for additional cabling. You only need to increase the number of access points to accommodate any growth spurts the company might experience.

Installation of a WLAN does not involve complicated undertakings such as constructing raised floors, cable channels, or coverings on the floor or walls designed to conceal cables.

Ease of installation of wireless LANs also reduces costs, the only major requirements are to connect the access point to a wired network connection and then install the WLAN software on the mobile computing devices, if needed. Time and labor can be saved because adding a new user into a WLAN takes just a few minutes-and after the initial installation, IP addresses need not be changed if users move to new locations.

Wireless LANs should be the preferred method for network installation in challenging locations, such as the following:

• Difficult locations. Wireless technology allows businesses to use locations where it is difficult or impossible to lay cabling. For instance, when trying to lay cable in an area that is impacted by a freeway, some locales have right-of-way restrictions that must be dug around. Another example is two buildings on opposite sides of a street-with Wi-Fi there can be LAN access within minutes, avoiding the time and expense of laying cable under the road.

• Architecturally challenging buildings. How do you retrofit an older building with today's networking infrastructure? If the building is built of stone and bricks with thick interior walls, or is otherwise architecturally unique, your options to run network cabling may be limited. In addition, many old buildings don't have a "false" ceiling, meaning there is no easy access to spaces above the visible ceilings to install cabling. In such architecturally "difficult" buildings, you may need thousands of feet of cable and many hours of painstaking (and expensive) labor to connect a LAN. Above all, retrofitting older buildings with networking capabilities using Wi-Fi technologies lowers the overall cost of ownership and facilitates faster, simpler and more flexible installation. With Wi-Fi, except for connecting access points, physical wires no longer need to be run through walls or between floors.

• Hazardous Materials. Where there are hazardous materials (such as asbestos particles) that might disturb the environment when cable is installed.

Consider wireless LANs when upgrading campus networks. Access point devices have advanced technologically allowing long distance, scalable connections with the wired campus infrastructure, so that end-users (e.g. students and faculty) can roam the campus at will and yet maintain their network connection.

Furthermore, Wi-Fi offers installation flexibility in both the networking of dedicated computer labs and mobile computer labs where the primary component is a computer "drop" allowing network attachment via a wireless access point mounted on a mobile cart. In an educational environment, such carts also provide a secure refuge for notebook computers when they're not in use, keeping them charged and ready to roll out for the next class. Moreover, some wireless carts even feature additional ports for peripheral connections, such as printers, projectors and scanners, making it a true computer lab on wheels. Such carts include the "Simply Mobile" carts from Toshiba, MobileSchool from DataVision-Prologix, and the Wireless Information Networks (WIN) MobileLAN ONE wireless system, a motorized, wireless notebook cart with built-in power strips, a wireless access point and antenna system, an internal cooling fan, and an industrial-grade locking system.

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