Conclusion

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802.11-based technology has redefined what it means to be connected. It stretches the limits of networking by providing an infrastructure that is as dynamic as it needs to be. But wireless networking is in its infancy. The IEEE set of standards is only a few years old. With standard and interoperable WLAN products, wireless networking can reach scales unimaginable with a wired infrastructure.

In a WLAN world, end-users can roam not just within a building or a campus, but within a whole city or country, all the while maintaining a high-speed link to extranets, intranets, and the Internet itself. But the planning, design, implementation, and support of a WLAN require in-depth understanding of the special challenges of WLAN technology. The ability to identify and effectively address those challenges can mean the difference between a successful WLAN and one that fails to deliver the expected benefits and return on investment.

Still, as long as there is a good plan and proper project management, purchasing wireless resources and then deploying them can be done without too many headaches. The key is to have a plan, perform a credible site survey and use the results to guide the deployment. Begin with a small deployment, test everything, not once, but twice, then roll out the full wireless networking facilities-in phases-testing everything along the way, just as you would with any large networking infrastructure change.

Here are a few words of advice. Initiate a small pilot program to test usage, costs, and benefits of a wireless system. Invest in a qualified site survey (don't be pennywise and pound foolish). Do plenty of pre-testing in the actual production environment. Finally, be careful about mixing brands; some products may not be fully interoperable with other vendor's products due to add-on features such as those that enhance security and/or Quality of Service.

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