Better, Faster WiFi In 7 Steps

Wireless has always been about getting users connected, and that hasn’t changed as we look at the WiFi networks coming our way over the next few years. But the underlying story is becoming huge on a scale none of us wireless architects could have imagined when we were installing 802.11b networks.  

Back then, design mattered but was certainly easier in retrospect. As 802.11ac Wave 2 casts its shadow over the wireless landscape, we’re at a place where the WLAN means far more than it ever did before. Business WiFi networks are only gaining in importance as enterprises continue to embrace -- and rely on --  the advantages that WLANs provide. At the same time, more robust wireless networking comes with increased complexity and a raft of concerns to consider to get it built, and to keep it running at maximum performance.

Networks are first and foremost about connecting devices and using applications. As more device types and applications find their ways into the wireless space, the quality of network design becomes paramount. The trend towards more and smaller high-bandwidth cells to accommodate increased device counts is fast becoming a religion in the enterprise. As 802.11ac Wave 1 gives way to Wave 2, and existing 11n environments transition to the highest performance possible with the latest standard, it’s worth noting that successful WiFi design doesn’t just simply happen when lots of APs and throngs of client devices are involved.

The WiFi environment has to be built well for everything that it will be obviously used for, and to allow for the unpredictable trickle of new client types and AP evolution as the WLAN stakes continue to rise. Cut corners or make poor choices along the way, and that top-end 802.11ac Wave 2 network you’re planning on building will certainly disappoint as you layer more services on a faulty foundation. 

Image: violetkaipa/iStockphoto