Site Survey Important for Wireless Systems
Thursday
September 30th, 2004
Wireless networking is alluring on so many
levels. It can boost productivity by
offering remote access, and support
flexible connectivity at a fraction of the
cost of traditional wired networks. And
allows surfing the internet from an room
in your house or business. However care
should be taken when considering or
installing Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN’s).
Otherwise, one could fall victim to some
of the most common mistakes made with
WLANs.
During the planning stages of a wireless
installation, many people underestimate
the importance of a site survey. Site
surveys involve using software to measure
the radio frequency signals at various
points throughout buildings to determine
the best locations to place access points
while noting possible sources of
interference to the signal, such as other
WLAN’s, cordless phones, and microwave
ovens.
Another consideration is security. No
wireless device or network can ever be
completely secure; however, there are
precautions that add to the overall
safety of using WLAN’s:
-
· Change
factory settings in the routers. Hackers
know the common default passwords and
other information that makes intrusion
easy if they're not changed.
-
· Enable
the router's session timeout feature so
that if no data passes through it after
a set period of time, it shuts down.
Set routers to the lowest feasible power,
so they keep the network devices connected
without opening the door wider than
necessary. When deciding to whether to
install a WLAN, consider using the
services of qualified networking
professionals. At PC on Call, our
engineers have the experience and training
to quickly and effectively deploy WLAN’s
that range from a single laptop with one
access point to complete cellular networks
that allows for roaming from building to
building in a large campus. Surf over to
the store,
http://shop.pconcall.com,
for deals on wireless networking bundles
that include on hour of service. |
