n Determine What Applications Will Run: Deploying wireless LAN is not just about mobility. An enterprise will need to address a number of issues and do a proper homework before substituting a wired LAN or complementing it with a wireless LAN. It is fine that it would increase employee mobility and that the organization has a very dynamic network that needs frequent moves and adds or that the office building does not allow frequent changes in the wiring. But before you take a decision based on these facts, something more basic would need an enterprise’s attention. Will wireless LAN suit its requirements? The answer to this question would depend on the type of applications that an organization runs or would like to run on the LAN. This is important because of limitations on bandwidth in wireless LAN networks.

n The Bandwidth Users Will Need: Practically 802.11B does not support more than 5.5 Mbps bandwidth. Moreover, in a multi-user environment, a single user cannot expect to get even this 5.5 Mbps as the bandwidth is shared with other users.

Besides, as the user keeps moving away from a wireless LAN access hub, the bandwidth output keeps on decreasing.

Naturally, all this rules out high-bandwidth applications. Wireless LAN throughput is sufficient for applications like electronic mail exchange, access to shared peripherals like printers, Internet access, and access to multi-user databases and applications.

The limitations on bandwidth also means that wireless LAN, despite its other visible advantages, cannot be expected to replace the traditional wired LAN.

Identify Hard-to-wire Spaces: Wireless LAN is best suited for organizations where the number of users is less and where mobility is more important than throughput. In other words, wireless LAN with its current performance levels, is primarily meant for laptop carrying senior management functionaries who do not run any bandwidth hungry application or indulge in development work but need to be mobile. Besides, wireless LAN can be and is being used to provide connectivity in hard to wire places, for example, corridors, lobbies, conference rooms. Wireless LAN can also be used to provide connectivity in temporary premises, makeshift offices, site offices etc. Offices which have lots of laptop carrying visitors too can look for wireless LAN deployment.

Number of Access Points Needed: An important consideration should be the interior design structure of the site where wireless LAN is going to be set up.

Most wireless LAN systems use RF. And the distance over which RF waves can travel is not the function of the product alone. It also depends on the propagation path of RF. Even though RF waves are capable of penetrating most indoor walls and other physical obstacles, their range of coverage surely depends on the indoor architecture of the building. In open spaces each wireless LAN access hub can cover up to 300 feet, while in places with physical barriers-like walls, a hub could be effective in the range of 130 feet only. This would naturally mean that access points are placed strategically as such to overcome all physical barriers inside the building. Otherwise users would not be able to enjoy the advantage of mobility or roam around freely in a building with their connected laptops. "The enterprise should get the site survey conducted for verifying the coverage and estimating the number of wireless LAN access points required at the premise. This would depend on the topology of the location and the amount of throughput required.

EXPERTS PANEL Amit Kumar, national marketing manager, Tata Telecom Lt Col H S Bedi, managing director, Tulip IT Services

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