This blog is the final post in a four-part series that will walk you through the “whats” and “hows” of making successful Wi-Fi network deployment decisions.
By Rich Watson
Using a Request for Proposal (RFP) process is an excellent way to articulate your WLAN operational requirements and cost targets in a document that can be used by any competitive Wi-Fi vendor to respond in a consistent manner. Many RFP template examples can be found on the Internet but the key to any RFP success story is making sure the requirements and desired options are clearly articulated.
There are a number of items to think about that should be included in any Wi-Fi RFP when soliciting a strong vendor proposal in today’s market.
Architecture
Look for “controllers” that are critical to the solution operation. Such elements might create a single-point-of-failure presence in the network and impact future costs related to network scaling. Controllers can also impact general performance and cause repeated re-authentications for clients on each AP roam. WLAN growth might also require replacing a controller with a more expensive controller and may also add CAPEX burden related to solution license fees.
Technical Specifications
First and foremost, any solution must support all of the necessary IEEE 802.11 standards that support the capabilities required by your organization. Not all solutions on the market support the total breadth of 802.11 standards. Secondarily, how do such solutions support mixed client environments? For example, support for 802.11b/g devices will remain a requirement for several years in addition to providing support for newer 802.11ac devices.
The most competitive solutions will provide tools and guidance in performing site surveys to insure coverage in what is required by your organization. Such tools will also be important anytime a network configuration change is required in the future. Are these updated with new software releases?
Concerning network reliability, a good solution will address the issues of component failure: (1) access point, (2) controller, and (3) for “hosted” solutions, the WAN link. Is the solution “self-healing” if any one of these elements becomes non-functional?
Other important features that should be considered are:
- Quality-of-Service (QoS) – How this is managed has great impact on busy WLAN systems.
- Security– Make sure the security options provided are the highest possible – even beyond what the 802.11 standard may dictate.
- Client on-boarding– Increasingly important is how to providing client network access without causing major impact on IT resources.
- Authentication options – An optimal system should support multiple authentication modes including LDAP, Active Directory and/or RADIUS as sources of such information.
- Technical expertise – The design of better solutions will minimize this requirement through simplicity of design and excellent tutorial material.
System Management
Management of the WLAN is critical, and understanding how that function is implemented in any solution is important to making a good selection. A response in an RFP should detail costs and deployment options of the management elements; a centralized design provides the most flexibility for the lowest costs regardless of the size of the network. Additionally, supporting a web interface allows the point of management to be positioned best for each business. Is there a cloud-based management service provided?
From the management console, can network analytics be reviewed, will alerts be generated when different problems occur, and does the solution provide the right troubleshooting tools?
How these questions are answered will aid you in making the best WLAN buying decision.
Richard Watson has worked as a senior product marketing manager and product manager with 18+ years’ experience in the Wi-Fi market. He has worked for major networking and wireless companies including Meru, 3Com, Motorola, and Symbol Technologies where he contributed to development and release of numerous wireless solutions. He authored a book on FMC, has contributed to trade journals writing on leading edge topics on wireless VoIP and participated on panels at industry shows.
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All blogs in this series:
Wireless LAN Buyer's Guide Part 1: Things to consider
Wireless LAN Buyer's Guide Part 2: Which architecture is best?
Wireless LAN Buyer's Guide Part 3: Five things a WLAN must do