With the Internet becoming an almost inevitable necessity in today’s workplace, Wi-Fi has become equally essential considering the increasing use of wireless devices. Be it mobile phone, laptop or phone’s IP cameras and IP telephony systems, a stable wireless network is important to ensure a stable Internet connection for a better working experience. With these facts in mind, choosing your office Wi-Fi carefully is vital.
Points to consider when choosing your office Wi-Fi
Look at the office layout before designing
The office layout plan is the first thing to consider when designing your wireless network. This is because most wireless access points have some distance limitations. If the area is too large, you need to calculate how far your access point of choice can transmit just to make sure everyone who needs to connect can receive the signal.
Look at the type of walls used within the area
The other factor to consider will be the types of walls within the office area. Wi-Fi doesn’t transmit through solid walls and this can restrict your signal to shorter distances than your chosen access point can actually cover. Offices that have solid-walled partitions can be quite a challenge. If the partitions are made with glass, it is often easier because the signal can easily leak through the glass walls.
Consider the expected users and their accessibility rights
The need for a guest Wi-Fi connection is another vital element to consider. Most, if not all, software managed access points have a provision to include the standard SSID, as well as an additional guest SSID, both of which run from the same software. Guest SSIDs will always be useful as they give the network administrator an option to separate the guest users from the main cooperating network. This ensures that the risk of unauthorized access to key shared resources, such as printers and databases, is prohibited for such users.
What are the main advantages of using software controlled access points?
You can configure more than 1 SSID
There are numerous advantages to using these types of access points. These will range from the fact that you can have more than one SSID configured on the same network to the fact that they will offer seamless handover as you move around the office from one access point to the next. Since all access points typically read from software, your devices don’t have to log out and search for a new SSID while moving around the office space.
Manage your connected devices from one point (DHCP server management)
You also have the opportunity to avoid having so many DHCP servers within the same network. Standalone access points can sometimes be difficult to manage, especially if they start to lease addresses on your network. Troubleshooting within a software-managed wireless network is also easier considering that the software will often select all available devices. Under normal circumstances, the software can even give you a quick health analysis, giving you a quick advantage when looking for a fault within the network.
Top Concerns When Dealing With Software Managed Access Points
Perhaps one of the most common concerns when it comes to software managed access points includes the fact that they are not cheap and secondly; They are not simple plug and play out of the box like most common access points that work on their own. However, it is worth noting that despite the cost of the devices and your need for more qualified technical expertise for configuration and management, they are a better option as they will ensure that your network is stable and better managed.