A centrally managed network is a more expensive option than buying low cost standalone access points and so there must be several good reasons to spend the extra money. What are those reasons?

• Security - Centrally managed APs do not need to store security parameters on the AP in a form which can be accessed by hackers. This overcomes a major security flaw in standalone APs.
• Time saving - Configuration changes can easily be applied to multiple APs or the entire system simultaneously.
• Automatic management options - the central management can perform management tasks such as adjustment of transmit power levels and RF channel assignments to reduce interference and enable coverage in the event of an AP failure.
• Consistency - ensures consistent configuration which can be lost if APs have to be managed individually.
• Speed of access - a digital dashboard provides instant access to a variety of client and network information.
• Monitoring potential attacks - detects and prevents the operation of rogue APs, increasing the system security. It is essential to prevent Denial of Service attacks.
• Diagnosis of client problems - dramatically reduces the time taken to isolate where the client is located, which AP is being used and where the problem lies.
• Speed and reliability of firmware upgrades - reduces the complexity and the management time needed to carry out firmware upgrade. Also ensures that all equipment is upgraded.
• Mobility - To support session persistent roaming, a central module is required to maintain the client connection. This facility is vital to delivering highly desirable solutions such a Voice.
• User management - If control is required over user access and the bandwidth they have available to then, parameters such as rate limiting require a central control module.
• Advanced features - As use of a network grows and more sophisticated features are used such as multiple SSID's, VLANs, integration with Active Directory or Radius servers and more, it is only possible to deliver and support these features with a centrally managed solution.

The Ruckus Wireless product range includes 2 central management modules, the ZoneDirector 1000 which supports up to 50 access points and the ZoneDirector 3000 which supports up to 500 access points. For more information select the text above, or click on the relevant picture.

If you have any questions regarding Wi-Fi WLAN technology please feel free to contact us on 01270-588228. If your question is of general interest, we may include it in our faqs.

There are effectively 7 new elements in 802.11n which makes it faster and more reliable than its predecessor 802.11g. While there is no avoiding the technical names, what they do is often logically simple. We will outline 6 improvements below. We will ignore Variable Guard Intervals which does not really have a non-technical definition.

• Spatial multiplexing - Think in terms of making a large delivery. Spatial multiplexing is like sending it in several vans, each carrying part of the load. This would deliver your goods a lot faster that having one van running backwards and forwards.
• Channel bonding - 802.11n can combine 2 channels to form what is effectively a dual-carriageway compared to a single lane road. It can then carry twice as much traffic or in this case, data.
• Frame aggregation - If we carry on with our courier analogy, if we use bigger boxes, we should be able to pack more goods into a single box. This is what aggregating frames does, it simply carried more data while avoiding the increase in overheads
• Space-time block coding - By being able to send and receive multiple copies of information over different routes, then combine them to create the best result, we can remove the need to resend information which doesn't reach its destination.
• Block acknowledgements - Again, using our courier example, 802.11g acknowledges the receipt of every delivery. 802.11n sends confirmation for multiple deliveries in one message, freeing time for data to be transmitted.
• Beamforming - Image you are trying to read a book at night. A standard light bulb will spread light round a room regardless of where you are sitting. Image a light that could focus a beam exactly where you need it, even if you move. By concentrating the light into a beam, you would have a much brighter, more reliable light. Beamforming does this with WiFi.

The Ruckus Wireless product range not only delivers the advantages of 802.11n better than any other product, but even delivers key elements of beamforming under 802.11g for more details see the Beamforming White Paper and for those of you who want to see more technical background, try the 802.11n white paper

If you have any questions regarding Wi-Fi WLAN technology please feel free to contact us on 01270-588228. If your question is of general interest, we may include it in our faqs.

It has taken a long time to get here, but finally, the IEEE 802.11n specification was ratified on September 11th 2009. The current specification called IEEE 802.11n-2009 has taken 7 years to agree and in the meantime, it has been sold for nearly 4 years in a draft form and has built a commanding lead in the Wireless Data Infrastructure technology market.

• Do we have to do anything to benefit? - If you have already bought what was refered to as Draft 802.11n products, you will be pleased to hear that there is no need to update any equipment. If you were waiting for the spec to become official, then you can safely purchase either exisitng Draft N products, or fully ratified products without fear, they will all operate together.
   
  In short, you can just continue to use your Wireless N products or pick new ones off the shelf!
• Are there any benefits in the ratified products? - The final standard does bring new benefits, such as the continued harmonised development of dual and multi-stream technologies, which will lead soon to speeds of up to 600 Mbps (4 stream) and even Gigabit.
   
  Now that the specification is available as a common wireless standard, we predict greater adoption in the general consumer electronic industry; for example Microsoft Xbox360 announced an 11n wireless adapter on September 11th.
• Would you expect prices to fall? - there is what appears to be a never ending trend in the IT industry that year after year, we deliver more power for the same or less money. 802.11n will continue this trend.
• Should I wait for the next development? - following our answer above, 802.11n will now develop to deliver higher performance and as volumes increase, prices will come down. However, if you wait for the next big thing in IT, you will never buy because there is always something better on the horizon.

Ruckus Wireless has been developing market leading 802.11n products as long as any of its' rivals and with the Smart antenna technology which delivers performance well in advance of competitors, it is possible to truly maximise one of the key pillars of 802.11 performance. is bandied about by many competitors but as Tom's Hardware summarised in a recent review "Ruckus clearly shows that all 802.11n up to the present has merely been a preface. This is the next level and so far there's only one company standing on it." - Tom's Hardware August 2009.

If you have any questions regarding Wi-Fi WLAN technology please feel free to contact us on 01270-588228. If your question is of general interest, we may include it in our faqs.

If you have a significant investment in legacy equipment such as laptops, moving to 802.11n could be a very expensive option if they all have to be replaced.

• 802.11b - The answer is yes, but, because this technology is slow and obsolete, it will limit the performance of your 802.11n network. It is not necessarily true that an 802.11b client will slow the whole network to 802.11b speeds, but the extra airtime taken by these clients will defintly be significant. If possible, replace them but if you can't, they should still work.
• 802.11g - 802.11g clients will certainly work with new access points, they will be slower than new 802.11n clients and they will slow your network, but are not as significant as 802.11b clients.
   
  You will find that 802.11g clients will work more reliably and faster with 802.11n access points making the investment in new infrastructure well worth while during the changeover period.
• 802.11a - The answer should be yes, particularly if you buy quality access points, but check two issues. Firstly, make sure you buy Access Points which support the 5GHz spectrum, there are many devices which are designed to support 802.11n at 2.4GHz only, they will NOT support your 802.11a clients.
   
  Secondly, we recommend that you run tests with the proposed access points before buying, we have seen several pieces of equipment which do not support clients we would expect them to.

The Ruckus Wireless product range includes both single and dual radio access points The ZoneFlex 7942 single radio access point supports clients at 2.4GHz. The Zoneflex 7962 dual radio access point supports clients at both 2.4 and 5GHz. For more information select the text above, or click on the relevant picture.

If you have any questions regarding Wi-Fi WLAN technology please feel free to contact us on 01270-588228. If your question is of general interest, we may include it in our faqs.