Over the next few years, as wireless becomes the default network technology for most enterprises, Wi-Fi networks will be expected to deliver the same quality of service as traditional wired networks have for the past decade, according to Farpoint Group principal Craig Mathias. To deliver this quality of service, network managers need to understand and address the challenge of RF interference.
"The air is the new wire," says Mathias, "but it is a much more difficult medium to manage and control." Farpoint Group believes that there are three key components to effective interference management: continually monitoring for interference, identifying the source of interference that threatens the integrity of the WLAN, and taking steps to mitigate the threat.
In the White Paper, "The Invisible Threat: Interference and Wireless LANs," Mathias says that wireless network deployment will continue its dramatic growth for the foreseeable future. He estimated that just 10 percent of all enterprises have installed wireless LANs for general office use, but within a few years, essentially all mobile users will connect to a wireless LAN in the typical office environment, even replacing, in many cases, wired desktop phones. Interference with Wi-Fi networks is thus "a major concern," according to Mathias. Interference threatens to degrade and even disrupt core enterprise applications, email, and telephony within an organization.
Another report published by Farpoint Group, "Evaluating Interference in Wireless LANs, Recommended Practices", offers a comprehensive set of recommendations for evaluating the impact of interference in the office, including the determination of a workload to evaluate, establishing baseline traffic/interference measurements, obtaining benchmark results, and evaluating the impact of impairments. Mathias recommends the use of wireless network tools from vendors such as Cognio, AirMagnet, Fluke Networks, and WildPackets, noting that Wi-Fi-specific tools are much more effective than traditional, expensive, and hard-to-use spectrum analyzers.
"We are pleased to see such an expert as Craig Mathias bring attention and clarity to a critical issue like wireless interference and network performance," said Alan Cohen, senior director, Mobility Solutions at Cisco Systems. "Because RF matters, Cisco is dedicated to developing solutions that optimize RF capabilities in a Unified Wireless Network."
The initial two documents will shortly be followed by additional reports detailing the results of empirical testing of interference on general Wi-Fi traffic, voice, and video. Farpoint Group will also issue a document discussing the impact of interference from and to metro-scale Wi-Fi meshes now being installed on a global basis.
"Mathias offers solid advice about setting WLANs goals and policy in his reports, Anyone who has spent time maintaining Wi-Fi networks knows radio interference can be very disruptive to quality of service needed for applications and needs to be addressed at the start," said John Muleta, former bureau chief, Wireless Telecommunications FCC. "Interference from non-Wi-Fi devices within the corporate environment and the impact it has on network utility has been a major concern about Wi-Fi."
Farpoint's papers are available online at:
www.airmagnet.com/products/whitepaper.php
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/products_category_customer_ case_studies.html
www.cognio.com/wifi/interference.html
www.flukenetworks.com/wireless
www.wildpackets.com/interference
