Testing for Interference is the Key to Making WiFi Networks Work out of the Box

Motion Computing, a worldwide leader in slate tablet PCs, is using Cognio's Spectrum Expert to help design wireless networks. The company's tablet PCs are used while walking and standing in hallways, stairwells and elevators (versus in meeting rooms or offices only), so the customer's wireless network design is important to the wireless tablets' performance. For that reason, Motion's network design arm plans the wireless infrastructure for many Motion customers. According to Dave Mackie, head of wireless professional services for Motion Computing, Spectrum Expert has helped contribute to Motion's successful wireless network designs.

Few applications require the unfailing reliability of their communications like a hospital. Hospital employees use their wireless tablets to send, receive and access important patient data in an atmosphere where many machines and devices operate at frequencies that may interfere with the tablets' wireless performance.

Mackie uses Spectrum Expert primarily as a site analysis tool. He uses the results to determine what type of environment will work best and suit the specific needs of each customer. With Spectrum Expert, Motion can design a network with the assurance that it will work optimally, right out of the box.

"At Motion Computing, we are confident the networks we design will work the first time a customer accesses them," said Mackie. "With Spectrum Expert, we are able to do the job better and faster, providing a higher degree of accuracy."

Spectrum Expert is a cardbus add-on for laptop computers that allows IT professionals to detect, monitor, identify and analyze interference on wireless networks. Spectrum Expert actually names the device causing interference, so the designer needn't guess what the interference is stemming from. It's simple to understand, even for those without an RF engineering background. The compact Cognio solution is a huge advance over traditional spectrum analyzers that could cost well over $25,000 and weigh as much as 60 pounds.

Mackie and his team also identify causes of interference in existing networks. His team might find that fixing the existing problem requires the customer to move to a different spectrum to get the most of their network. Spectrum Expert is a means of illustrating the "how" and "why" to customers who are reluctant to make the sometimes expensive changes.

Mackie feels it is extremely important that customers adopt an "RF strategy" for the future, not just "get wireless." Spectrum Expert helps him encourage customers to think about the entire life of their networks. With the tool, customers can see what problems exist now, and understand why taking steps to resolve them will protect the futures of their networks.

"High bandwidth and reliable connections are standard features of today's wireless networks," states Mackie. "This means RF connectivity is not enough; networks are evolving to the point where quality is critical. Today's enterprises must have a plan for the future."