Future of Structured Wireless Networks - A Perspective on Mesh, The

Enterprise Networks & Servers, Aug 2004 by Jordan, Bob

In order to remain competitive with Europe's top technological educational institutions, a multidisciplinary engineering school in France sought recently to expand network availability within its computer science building.

Revolutionizing the computer science department, a structured wireless mesh network was installed to solve the wiring challenges many institutions face when implementing a new network. By eliminating the need for wires to access points, network coverage was extended beyond its former boundaries to include lecture halls, meeting rooms, the amphitheater, and even laboratories giving students, staff and visitors complete mobility. Wireless mesh was the enabler.

Mesh networking is a collection of wireless access points mounted in grid like topology to create a LAN. These access points, or nodes, communicate through radio frequencies, bypassing cabling to distribute intelligence. Unlike traditional LANs, which route through a central switch point, mesh networks are self-managed. This feature enables them to route around failures or congestion.

The Structured Wireless Revolution

Where structured wiring once revolutionized local area networks and information technology strategies, now, wireless LANs - specifically mesh networks - are creating another revolution. Call it "structured wireless."

Some IT planning consultants view wireless LANs as simply a feature of the wired network, or as a logical extension of the wires. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Instead of simply extending the IT strategy to include wireless, the smart planner takes advantage of structured wireless as an opportunity to exploit fundamental differences in the technologies with a resulting payoff to the business.

First, there is the potential for wire replacement with its savings in capital and operating expenses. Second, structured wireless removes restrictions on employee mobility, placing people at the site of data and fundamentally improving business processes.

The thoughtful IT planner must also devise risk mitigation strategies. For example, mobility comes at a price - the physical port no longer defines the user. This creates the need for fundamentally different access and security policies. Well-designed structured wireless systems include the required tools to mitigate risks and eliminate worries.

Reducing Expenses

The nature of mesh networks provides clear benefits. Wireless links eliminate the cost of Ethernet cabling to every access point, self-organizing and healing features lower the cost of administration and operation, and a mesh's inherent ability to scale with new users makes adds, moves and changes far less costly.

The potential for wire replacement is dramatic. A medium-sized building with 150 users and approximately 50,000 square feet requires nearly five miles of cabling to wire every user. Traditional wireless LAN equipment, be it standalone access points or switched gear, requires about one-half mile of cabling. A mesh network needs only three feet - a dramatic change in the cost to deploy a network.

And when it comes to daily operations - moves, adds and changes - a wireless mesh can cost up to 98 percent less than its wired counterpart.

Clearly in-building wires will not disappear, as they provide speed advantages for large file transfers or demanding applications such as computer aided design tools. But an IT strategy must allow for wireless integration and for capturing cost savings wherever possible.

For example, a structured wireless network can cross the road, without a trench or permit, to connect multiple in-building systems. And it enables wireless nodes to be placed anywhere users require broadband access but wires cannot reach such as in the middle of a factory floor, car dealership lot or outdoor transportation yard.

Improving the Technology

Traditional wireless networks are a collection of access points that depend on the wired network plus gateways, appliances or so-called wireless switches. Even so, many companies report significant benefits ranging from anecdotal productivity improvements to carefully measured improvements in accuracy and asset turnover. Structured wireless networks deliver these same benefits but without the wait for installers, conduit, cabling, or switches. And they extend the benefits farther than wire or traditional wireless can reach in the business.

The no-wires aspect of a wireless mesh eliminates the restrictions of specific desks or offices. Instead, structured wireless gives network access to users in conference rooms, shop floors, inventory yards, and related campus buildings. With a remote edge node and a wireless backhaul, business continuity can be maintained even when buildings are evacuated.

In short, the notion of "network" can be redefined around the business need, work operations, the data, and the employees without regard for wired port locations. This expands the reach of benefits, for example enabling data entry at the point of origin, elimination of errors from handwriting, and immediate cross-correlation of data to avoid adverse affects or to match orders and inventory.