Having a reliable and efficient business wireless network is essential for smooth operations. According to a study conducted by Gartner, network downtime can cost an average of $5,600 per minute. This highlights the importance of prioritizing the maintenance of a successful network for your IT team.
By understanding and applying Wi-Fi design best practices, you can achieve a dependable network that enhances performance, reduces expenses, and maximizes efficiency.
In this article you will learn the fundamentals of Wi-Fi planning and why you need to have a professionally designed network if you want to remain competitive and achieve your goals.
Table of contents
What is Wireless Network Design?
Wireless network design, also known as Wi-Fi planning or WLAN design, is the process of creating a Wi-Fi deployment plan that considers your business needs, including the number of devices requiring Wi-Fi and the areas where coverage is needed to determine the optimal placement and configuration of access points to meet your demands.
The Importance of Wi-Fi Design
The Cost of Downtime
Having unreliable Wi-Fi equals costly downtime and reduced productivity. According to Uptime Institute, more than 2/3 of outages cost over $100,000.00! As your dependency on your network increases, avoiding downtime is even more important.
The Perks of Professional Wi-Fi Design
Having a professional who oversees the design, installation, and supervision of your WLAN will ensure that your organization reaches peak levels of performance from day one. When Wi-Fi design is done right, your productivity and reliability are instantly improved.
Wi-Fi Dependency and The Importance of Wi-Fi in Your Organization
Wi-Fi has become a critical tool for every organization worldwide. It does not matter the industry, a wireless network is beneficial for most organizations regardless of location, industry, or size.
Could you imagine what would happen if your nearest healthcare provider had a Wi-Fi outage, or if their network failed at the most critical moments? What would happen if you worked in a remote area, and could not use your internet to call emergency services? Wireless coverage is crucial to ensure the smooth functioning of all kinds of businesses daily.
Wi-Fi Design Ensures Preparedness
Downtime is noticed once it happens. Don’t wait until you lose money, a client, or even more due to an unexpected network failure. WI-FI planning not only ensures that your systems always perform at their highest capacity, but also makes sure that you are ready to face any inconveniences that may arise.
Wi-Fi Design, Outdoor vs. Indoor
Nowadays, your clients and employees expect a Wi-Fi connection, regardless of whether they are outdoors or indoors. Outdoor Wi-Fi design is not the same as indoor coverage, especially when it's done on large venues, campuses, parks, or stadiums.
To ensure that your outdoor connection works as well as your indoor connection, your provider needs to carefully determine where to install your access points and MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-out-put antennas) to ensure that you have a connection in all the corners of your premises.
9 Key Elements of Good Wi-Fi Planning
Conducting a Site Survey
Implementing a site survey will allow you to identify your primary and secondary coverage areas to ensure that your site has Wi-Fi access in all areas. The primary coverage area will ensure that you have a sufficient signal for devices to connect.
Secondary coverage areas allow you to have the right amount of overlap to provide redundancy to your business and critical Wi-Fi needs.
Capacity Planning
A site with 100 users has different requirements than a site with 10. Capacity planning consists of measuring the amount of traffic that your network needs to support, and the amount of bandwidth needed to ensure a smooth functioning for all users.
A Wi-Fi design that does not take into consideration capacity planning will be unreliable, slow, and more expensive over time thanks to the adjustments that will need to be made to support more users.
Keep Your Priorities Straight
Not all devices are as important as others. A good Wi-Fi design considers which devices are crucial for your organization's well-being and ensures that those devices are top priority.
RF Requirements
Your physical environment plays a vital role in your network's performance. Things like wall materials, the height of your roof, neighboring networks, and even obstacles in your environment can hinder your frequency and hinder your performance.
Did you know that brick walls could hinder your network performance? Your installer must keep in mind the size, shape, and types of materials that are in your premises and design a plan that takes into consideration all the variables that can affect your signal to ensure that your wireless network design fits your specific needs.
RF Activity
Electromagnetism created by other devices can negatively impact the performance of your signal. To ensure that your signal is always strong and reliable your provider must ensure that:
Proper Spacing Between Devices
That your and your neighbor's access points are properly spaced between one another.
Keep In Mind Wi-Fi Interference Created by Other Devices
Ensure that there is no interference created by other devices such as microwaves, Bluetooth devices, cameras, radars, and so on. Radars limit the amount of 5gHz channels that you can use, so your provider must take special care in detecting and combating radar signals.
Use the Appropriate Channel Width to Avoid Interference
If your channel is high, your throughput will be high as well, resulting in channel contention issues. To avoid this, always use the widest channel available.
Keep Cybersecurity in Mind
Having the best Wi-Fi design in town is worthless if you are vulnerable to cyber-attacks and any other threats. To ensure that your network is safe, your wireless network must be encrypted, and have role-based access control, a firewall, traffic protection, and advanced threat protection.
BTI, The WI-FI Designer Near Me
Here at BTI we have more than 30+ years of experience designing, implementing, and supporting small businesses and enterprise-level organizations with all their network design needs. Our expertise in both communications and IT allows us to design a thoughtful plan that keeps all your connectivity needs in mind without neglecting security.
If you are thinking of deploying a Wi-Fi network or looking to enhance the one you have, we are the right choice!
Contact us today or schedule your free business assessment and have a professional take care of all your Wi-Fi Planning needs!
Comments