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Norwood Park Home is older than even its most senior resident: It's 110 years old, in fact. Yet the Chicago nursing and retirement facility pulses with new activity and vigor. Today the facility's social workers, administrators, and medical staff spend more time with the 200 residents than they could just a few years ago, thanks to a wireless LAN that gives them the ability to move throughout the facility.

Wireless laptops and wireless IP phones keep staff connected throughout the four-building campus. "We have people up and out of their offices, which was the goal," says Michael Toohey, administrator at Norwood Park Home.

Wireless technology also simplifies IT tasks such as moving or adding computers, notes Frank Scanga, executive vice president of Axispoint, Inc., a New York—based Cisco SMB Select Partner. These and other benefits reach the bottom line. "Businesses of any size can save money by going wireless," Mathias says. "They will see a positive return on investment [ROI]."

Here are seven basic steps to follow when implementing a wireless network.

1. Define business needs. Understand what you're trying to accomplish before getting into technology specifics, Toohey advises. His goals at Norwood Park Home were to give employees network access away from their offices, improve the telephone system, and integrate the staff's and residents' phone systems. ( Norwood Park 's wireless LAN project coincided with a move to IP telephony.)

2. Survey facilities and users. Building materials such as concrete, brick, and steel may block wireless signals, so resellers assess a building for radio frequency propagation and potential obstacles. Survey users to identify the applications they use; some require the bandwidth and performance of a wired network.

3. Evaluate network infrastructure. Can your switches and routers handle wireless access point traffic? Do they provide Power over Ethernet (PoE), or do you need electrical outlets at all wireless access points? How will you implement and manage network security?

4. Position access points. Consider coverage and capacity when placing access points, especially if the wireless LAN will carry high-bandwidth, time-sensitive applications such as video or voice. Establish ongoing monitoring to detect rogue access points.

5. Configure baseline settings. Turn on the access points and establish baseline settings for elements including radio channel, user authentication, and security. Change the default Service Set Identifier (SSID) to improve security. (Many consumer-grade access points turn off security by default.) Implement strong encryption, preferably the wireless LAN security standard IEEE 802.11i, also known as Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 or WPA2.

6. Test as you go. Add users gradually, using wireless network management software to monitor for problems: "If an access point exceeds 60% capacity, we install another one," Mathias says.

7. Document everything. To help with troubleshooting later, note which access points connect to which switches. Document how switches connect to the network backbone.

Deployment can take several days or months. For example, Axispoint can deploy a wireless network in a 10,000-square-foot Manhattan floor in a week, according to Scanga. But planning Norwood Park 's wireless LAN, with multiple buildings and varied construction materials, required 18 months; installation and implementation took another 5 months.

Budget depends on the size of the deployment, notes Scanga. Access points with the security, speed, and management features that businesses need cost approximately $700 to $1,000 apiece. One access point may cover up to 2,500 square feet, but less if the wireless LAN must carry voice or video.

Calculating ROI for wireless LANs can be a useful exercise, although some businesses forgo it. "I rarely see a formal ROI done for wireless LANs," says Robert Keblusek, senior vice president of business development for Sentinel Technologies , a Cisco Gold Certified Partner in Downers Grove, Illinois . "It seems that [ROI] is often assumed," he says.

Parting Wisdom

Each of our experts offered additional tips:

• Mathias recommends selecting products that integrate with network management tools. "The real differentiator [between products] is network management," he says.
• From Toohey's perspective, "The number-one key to success is having the right partner." He defines that as a reseller who communicates well, meets deadlines, and has a good relationship with the equipment vendor.
• A good partner comes in particularly handy if you want to expand your wireless LAN later. "If you think your company is never going to use [the wireless LAN] for anything more than just basic connectivity, you need to re-question your strategy," says Keblusek.

In short, treat your wireless LAN as you would any other important business investment. "Understand its power, and understand your requirements so you can design it correctly," Scanga recommends.

About the Author

iQ magazine contributor and wireless geek Fred Sandsmark has a wireless interface for his PDA just for the fun of it.

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iQ Magazine, Second Quarter 2006