Philippe,
I'm a big proponent of the centralized WLAN architecture for a number of
reasons including ease of management, deployment, and unified wireless user
experience (roaming, etc). We've been fully deployed in our residential areas
for just over a year, so I can address most of your concerns :-)
-Destruction/disappearance of APs
We've had a total of 4 APs out of around 500 that have been damaged in the last
year. None have gone missing. The damage we see is probably caused by tossing
a football down the hall and breaking off the antennas. The rooms/halls/etc
are charged back for the cost of replacing the APs if lost or damaged.
-Interferences by cordeless phones
Most of our students are using cell phones, not cordless phones. But you will
see some interference if the phone operates in the RF band you are using (we
use 802.11b/g - 2.4 GHz). We don't prohibit cordless phones, but counsel the
students to choose a different band (900 MHz or 5.8 GHz) if they are going to
buy one. Things like microwave ovens will also affect the WiFi signal - not
much you can do about that, either.
-Interference from rogue APs (innocent or voluntary)
We have a policy prohibiting connecting unauthorized switches, routers, or APs
to the Emory network. We know there are some rogues APs in the dorms - our
Aruba system can pinpoint them. They are relatively few in number and don't
interfere too badly. We haven't become the Rogue AP Police yet - except for
specific interference issues, but reserve the right to do so (and probably will
in the future as resources allow).
-Do you do use vendors that provide a Wi-Fi defense (Airtight, Airmagnet,
Built-in Meru disassociation)
We COULD turn on rogue "destruction", but there are some serious legal,
ethical, and technical issues with doing so. We may do this in the future, but
probably not until we work out the mentioned issues.
-If you have a wired port for every student, is wireless becoming a
replacement or is it a complement
We do supply a network port/pillow. Wireless, while originally viewed as a
compliment, is definitely becoming a replacement in some instances. We don't,
however, have any plans of going strictly wireless in the dorms in the future.
We are fully deployed in the residential areas now, and will continue to fully
deploy wireless in all of the new dorms coming on line (something like 9 in the
next few years). While the wired ports are there, the students prefer wireless.
-...and all these ugly ones that we have not thought about
Suggestions: Go with a good centralized solution. It will make your life so
much easier for WLAN management and improve the quality of your users wireless
experience.
What are good tips besides "don't do it"
I'd recommend deploying a manageable WLAN solution for your dorms. At Emory,
the ResNet wireless usage is around 3/4ths of our total wireless usage on
campus.
>>-> Stan Brooks - CWNA/CWSP
Emory University
Network Communications Division
404.727.0226
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
AIM: WLANstan Yahoo!: WLANstan MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original Message-----
From: Philippe Hanset [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 2:40 PM
To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] What about WLAN in the Dorms?
So, we have had a 100% coverage of WLAN on campus since 2001, dealing with all
kinds of problems, and sharing our adventures with this list.
We also have a 100% WLAN network in our
dormatories based on Linksys, Netgear,...
and completely funded by students: read 100% rogue.
This cheap architecture doesn't seem to cut it anymore, we are going to provide
a centrally managed WLAN in the dorms.
Here is a list of positive things that we thought about, if you wouldn't mind
sharing your experience with us, we will be eternally greatful:
-Destruction/disappearance of APs
-Interferences by cordeless phones
-Interference from rogue APs (innocent or voluntary) -Do you do use vendors
that provide a Wi-Fi defense (Airtight, Airmagnet, Built-in Meru
disassociation) -If you have a wired port for every student, is wireless
becoming a replacement or is it a complement -...and all these ugly ones that
we have not thought about
What are good tips besides "don't do it"
Thank you in advance
Philippe
----------------------------------
Philippe Hanset
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Office of Information Technology
Network Services
108 James D Hoskins Library
1400 Cumberland Ave
Knoxville, TN 37996
Tel: 1-865-9746555
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