Making WLANs Work Reliably and Cost-Effectively in a Multimedia World
A Guide for Small/Medium Business and Public Hot Zone Operators
Executive Summary
Administration of small-to-medium business wireless LAN (WLANs) or independent hot spots at hotels, stores, transportation centers, and other public venues are often frustrated by consumer product limitations, but have no time or budget for enterprise-class solutions. These companies need an affordable, easy-to-use alternative that is still robust and scalable enough to extend the reach of their wireless LANs, support existing and next generation services and provide reliable and predictable Wi-Fi performance.
This paper examines the opportunities and challenges associated with operating a small-to-medium business WLAN or public hot spot. It explains the benefits of a self-configuring platform that can deliver Wi-Fi more reliably, to increasingly diverse devices and applications, covering larger areas and higher user densities, while minimizing total cost of ownership. Finally, this paper introduces the Ruckus ZoneFlex wireless LAN system and its attempt to fill the gap between current low AP and high-end WLAN platforms.
In the beginning
Wi-Fi has become the access method of choice for users at the office, at home, and on the road. According to Wi-Fi research from Instat, nearly 200 million Wi-Fi chipsets were sold in 2006 alone, reflecting the technology’s expanding usefulness for a wide variety of applications and devices. Last year, over 95 percent of laptops sold incorporated Wi-Fi, as did many new PDAs, smart phones, and voice over IP (VoIP) handsets. By the end of 2008, Wi-Fi is expected to be an inherent capability in all LAN purchases.
Gartner Group estimates that 64 percent of businesses have already deployed Wi-Fi, from isolated trials to campus-wide rollouts. Surveys show that Wi-Fi is no longer a niche technology, used largely for Internet access in conference rooms. Two out of three companies with WLANs use Wi-Fi as an Ethernet replacement in cubicles and offices, while one quarter use Wi-Fi to support core business applications like inventory management and manufacturing automation.
In addition, many workers now access the Internet and business applications through public Wi-Fi hot spots at hotels, airports, and many other venues frequented by travellers. Roaming access provider iPass reports that the number of enterprise user Wi-Fi sessions jumped 54 percent during 1H06. ABI Research predicts that Wi-Fi hot spots will grow from 143,700 in 2006 to 179,500 this year, driven largely by expansion within the retail and hospitality sectors.
As Wi-Fi becomes pervasive, user expectations rise fast. To not only survive but thrive, today’s casual data WLANs must mature into reliable “hot zones” – larger, higher-capacity WLANs that deliver predictable service to increasingly diverse and demanding users. For small-to-medium businesses and hot spot operators, short on time and budget, the trick is to accomplish this mission-critical transformation with minimal cost and complexity.
