Wireless networks have become a necessity for most business and even school environments. The two aforementioned are probably the two instances where a lot of traffic occurs but then wireless networks are also deployed in government buildings and facilities and of course, home environments too. Most of these even require wireless network deployment that covers a large area, except of course for the home environments.

There are quite a number of considerations that come up prior to the setting up of a wireless network. These include but are not limited to the particular industry in which the organisation operates, the use to which the network will be put. Another very important factor for consideration is the security of the wireless network. Some important components that need to be in place include the following:

 

i.          Balancing load to handle high capacity: Networks hitherto comprised of various desktop computers and then with the advent and popularity of portable computers, the wireless environment evolved. Today, there is an explosion of wireless devices ranging from phones to various tablets. Any organisation planning a wireless network deployment must take the availability of all these devices into account as well as the attendant possibility of high-capacity demands. In order to effectively handle this, a network needs to have load-balancing capabilities that enables it to intelligently migrate users from one overloaded access point to another when necessary.

ii.         Central access point management: The demands of contemporary wireless networks necessitate the establishment of multiple access points to cope its complexity. This usually means that the access points may run into thousands in number or less depending on the size of the network. Obviously, this number again poses a new set of challenges in terms of management; updates as well as configuration. In order to effectively and efficiently manage these issues, there must be a central management point. This will ensure that issues like configuration and updates are resolved at the same time.

iii.        Ability to scale: While planning a wireless network deployment, it is imperative that the capacity to grow and accommodate more users and devices must be considered. The alternative to building that capacity into the network from inception is the construction and deployment of a new one, a rather expensive and unnecessary venture. Costs and time can be saved by simply incorporating coverage and capacity expansion in the initial planning.

iv.        Wireless visibility: It is necessary to ensure that all the users on the network are visible at all material times. The type of device with which the user is accessing the network and the coverage available to the user in that location are important issues that will ensure that the IT and support personnel are kept apprised of any issues and can effectively resolve as they arise.

v.         Access Control: The ability of a user or device to take certain action within a network is dependent on the role given to that user/device. This authentication process would need to be a part of the active directory to ensure smooth operations.