Designing and Deploying 802.11 Wireless Networks

Second Edition

A Practical Guide to Implementing 802.11n and 802.11ac Wireless Networks For Enterprise-Based Applications

Plan, deploy, and operate high-performance 802.11ac and 802.11n wireless networks

The new 802.11ac standard enables WLANs to deliver significantly higher performance. Network equipment manufacturers have refocused on 802.11ac- and 802.11n-compliant solutions, rapidly moving older versions of 802.11 toward "legacy" status. Now, there's a complete guide to planning, designing, installing, testing, and supporting 802.11ac and 802.11n wireless networks in any environment, for virtually any application.

Jim Geier offers practical methods, tips, and recommendations that draw on his decades of experience deploying wireless solutions and shaping wireless standards. He carefully introduces 802.11ac's fundamentally different design, site survey, implementation, and network configuration techniques, helping you maximize performance and avoid pitfalls.

Geier organizes each phase of WLAN deployment into clearly defined steps, making the entire planning and deployment process easy to understand and execute. He illuminates key concepts and methods through realistic case studies based on current Cisco products, while offering tips and techniques you can use with any vendor's equipment. To build your skills with key tasks, you'll find several hands-on exercises relying on free or inexpensive tools.

Whether you're deploying an entirely new wireless network or migrating from older equipment, this guide contains all the expert knowledge you'll need to succeed.

Jim Geier has 30 years of experience planning, designing, analyzing and implementing communications, wireless, and mobile systems. Geier is founder and Principal Consultant of Wireless-Nets, Ltd., providing wireless analysis and design services to product manufacturers. He is also president, CEO, and co-founder of Health Grade Networks, providing wireless network solutions to hospitals, airports, and manufacturing facilities. His books include the first edition of Designing and Deploying 802.11n Wireless Networks (Cisco Press); as well as Implementing 802.1X Security Solutions and Wireless Networking Handbook. Geier has been active in the IEEE 802.11 Working Group and Wi-Fi Alliance; has chaired the IEEE Computer Society (Dayton Section) and various conferences; and served as expert witness in patent litigation related to wireless and cellular technologies.

• Review key 802.11 concepts, applications, markets, and technologies
• Compare ad hoc, mesh, and infrastructure WLANs and their components
• Consider the impact of radio signal interference, security vulnerabilities, multipath propagation, roaming, and battery limitations
• Thoroughly understand today's 802.11 standards in the context of actual network deployment and support
• Plan your deployment: scoping, staffing, schedules, budgets, risks, feasibility analysis, and requirements
• Architect access networks and distribution system for maximum reliability, manageability, and performance
• Make the right tradeoffs and decisions to optimize range, performance, and roaming
• Secure WLANs via encryption, authentication, rogue AP detection, RF shielding, and policies
• Master design and site survey tools and methods for planning 802.11ac networks and migrations
• Efficiently install and test any 802.11ac or 802.11n wireless network
• Establish specialized support for wireless networks, including help desk operations
• Systematically troubleshoot connectivity, performance, and roaming issues
• Design efficient mesh networks and city-wide deployments