WLAN

802.11n rolls out for real

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

After months of talk, it's finally here--the first large-scale 802.11n deployment. At Morrisville State College in New York, a network with 720 802.11n access points from Meru Networks has been rolled out, and the college (not to mention the rest of the 802.11n-wanting world) is waiting to see if 802.11n lives up to the promises. Now that 802.11n is finally moving toward final form, it will be interesting to see if the spec works as well as expected. No formal benchmarks have been run on the Morrisville network yet, but keep checking--numbers will certainly be available soon.

For more on the ground-breaking 802.11n deployment:
- Read the real-world report at NetworkWorld

Why does Google want spectrum?

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Remember Google? They're the search-engine giant that seems to have become enamored with the idea of becoming a wireless company. Why would they want to do such a thing? Is spending an estimated $17 billion (that's right, with a capital "B") to build out a nationwide wireless network really part of their business plan? Google's not saying, but there are some reasonable guesses, and all of them revolve around an open platform for Google's software on wireless devices. The market estimates for wireless devices over the next few years range from "huge" to "you must be kidding" and Google clearly wants as many of those devices as possible to be running their applications. Will the coming spectrum auction accomplish their goals? Stay tuned to find out.

For more on Google's possible reasons for wanting wireless spectrum:
- Read the news analysis at eWeek

WiFi or cellular data?

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

If you're an enterprise IT director, one of the most important questions that you face is how will your employees' mobile devices connect to your enterprise applications? When away from the office, will they take advantage of WiFi connections, will they use a high-speed cellular data network, or will you issue devices that do both? As products for the fixed-mobile data convergence market increase in number, carriers and vendors will find it necessary to add functions and features to attract customers. Look for fleet-management, increased security, and custom application support to be among the features added to attract your business to one network or another.

For more on the WiFi or cell question:
- Read the hands' on analysis at WirelessWeek

Handling tricky net deployments

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

Sometimes, you know, it's just hard to make a wireless network happen in a particular location. Interference from nearby networks, structural barriers to radio energy, high-risk security concerns--all of these can make for a very difficult installation. You can try improving your WLAN deployment practices, but there are times when new technology is the answer. It's critical to pick the right WLAN partner, and for a growing number of customers the right partner is Ruckus. Ruckus' beam-forming technology can make secure, high-performance deployment possible in environments that border on the impossible.

For more on a Ruckus wireless deployment:
- Read the case study at NetworkWorld

Are we ready for WiMAX?

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Intel is pushing hard, and the rest of the hardware vendors aren't far behind. 2008 is, they say, going to be the year of WiMAX. I've seen a lot of these "Year of..." stories come and go and I'm not fully convinced that 2008 is going to be the year of anything. For just a moment, though, let's think about what happens if it is the year of WiMAX. That means that your company is likely to begin deploying WiMAX around the enterprise, and deploying WiMAX has some real consequences for your network. For example, if your company is like most, you're running 100 Mbit Ethernet to most desktops. WiMAX is roughly three times that bandwidth--is your backbone ready for the increased demand? You might also want to think about the applications that you'll be moving from cabled subnets onto your wireless network--is your infrastructure ready for the move? If it were me, I'd start acting like I believed all the hype about WiMAX, and would begin to make sure that my infrastructure is ready. There's little harm since most adaptation can come during the normal hardware life cycle. Start now, though, and you'll avoid the rush that's sure to come when your executives start reading about WiMAX and asking, "Are we ready?" -Curtis

The death of traditional security

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:59:57 -0400

A wireless network really is different from the traditional cabled network. It's so different that analysts from Forrester are saying that traditional security is no longer up to the job of protecting your network. What will the future bring? The analysts have two terms that they say will define networks (and security) in the future. The first is "deperimeterization", a fancy way of acknowledging that mobile users and remote hotspots have made the traditional concept of a network perimeter meaningless. Next is "desktop virtualization," which means that your users won't run their desktop apps on the mobile device--they'll simply use it as a window into an enterprise desktop hosted on servers inside the corporate network. The result should be a network that doesn't require users to be security experts to keep corporate data safe.

For more on traditional security's death:
- read the analysts' views at eWeek.com

802.11n lives up to promises

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:59:57 -0400

How do you feel about WiFi? Handy, fast enough (most of the time), but could be better? If that describes your take on wireless Ethernet, then a new test says that 802.11n could be the technology you've been looking for. The IT staff at Morrisville State College in New York decided to try Meru Networks equipment, and they found something interesting: 802.11n works pretty much as advertised, with user throughput ranging from 100-300 Mbps. The staff at Morrisville saw 802.11n performance that was at least five times greater than 802.11g, with some performance over nine times greater than 802.11g. Sounds like it's time to start planning for final 802.11n.

For more on high-performance 802.11n:
- read the test report at NetworkWorld.com

For more on the advantages and drawbacks of 802.11n:
- check out this webinar

Sky-high WiFi from American Airlines

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:59:57 -0400

The FCC has said "yes" to in-flight WiFi and now American Airlines is ready to start testing mobile broadband in the air. The trial, on transcontinental 767 airplanes, will allow travelers to surf the web and work through email while jetting across oceans for a price, which, while not set, is described as being "just a little more" than the neighborhood Starbucks. One application that won't work is VoIP--the provider will block any IP-based attempts to get around the cell-phone ban. Whether that's a bummer or a blessing is up to you.

For more on the coming high-altitude WiFi:
- see this press release
- read the report at CIO-Today

Viva Vegas wireless

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:01:37 -0400

If you want to bet on municipal wireless, where do you go? Vegas, baby! At least, that's the hope of city leaders who have signed a contract to put Las Vegas on the path to wireless networking for citizens and city employees from access points located on traffic signals and street sign poles and housings. The idea of a wireless network that covers a city, bridging the "digital divide" and lowering connectivity costs for municipal infrastructure devices and employees, is attractive to many governments. It's not all smooth sailing, though, as cities like Philadelphia and some locations in Florida can attest. There are lessons to be learned, and resources to be used in the installations that work--and more systems are on the way.

For more on Las Vegas networking:
- Read the account at CIO-Today

Tips for better WLANs

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:01:37 -0400

Once upon a time, just getting a wireless network connection was enough. Now, users want performance to go along with their connectivity. What steps do you need to take to make sure your users stay happy?

1. Install more access points than you need--more transmitters can mean better performance.

2. Don't put access points too far off the ground--they can have trouble locking onto a ground-based client.

3. Avoid crowded spectrum--use 802.11a or the 5 GHz portion of 802.11n to stay away from the jammed 2.4 GHz spectrum.

4. Think centralized--a managed wireless switch architecture can boost performance, security, and manageability for your wireless network.

For more on making your WLAN better:
- Read the tips at Network World