Wireless network architecture Essay

Wireless technology is a highly effective replacement for the wired network, and has a number of advantages over wired networks, such as mobility, simplicity of installation and deployment (compared to Ethernet networks), reduced maintenance costs, scalability and the possibility to include mobile and portable devices to the network (Muller, 2003). Thus, it is possible to recommend choosing fixed wireless architecture for the Canadian office network.
Implementation of a fixed wireless architecture
Overall, the network will be based on the Wi-Fi wireless technology, which uses radio signals at 2.4 GHz for data transmission. There are two major types of popular Wi-Fi standards, 802.11g and 802.11n. The former standard allows to transmit data at maximal speed of 54 Mbit/s, and its approximate outdoor range is 140 m; 802.11n standard provides outdoor reach up to 250 m, and allows data transmission at speeds up to 300 MBit/s (Muller, 2003). Although 802.11n devices are more expensive, but their productivity is significantly higher. Moreover, almost all mobile and laptop devices supporting Wi-Fi standard can work with 802.11n. This is why it is recommended to choose 802.11n as the primary standard for the fixed wireless network architecture.
The network will include such devices as access points, bridges and clients (Dean, 2009). Access points are the combination of a receiver and a transceiver, and allow clients to access wireless LAN. Access points are usually connected to wireless routers, and are managed by the wireless LAN controllers. These controllers manage user authentication, security, channels and adjustments to radio frequency power (Dean, 2009). For remote office locations, these controllers can be united into a wireless mobility group and included into the mobility domain, in order to add flexibility to the network. A typical access point can manage up to 30 wireless connections; wireless routers can commonly have up to 253 connections (Padjen & Fuller, 2002).
Implementation of a remote wireless bridge
Data transmission to the remote office locations can be performed using such wireless devices as wireless repeaters, gateways, routers and bridges. In order to establish remote connection with another network, a remote wireless bridge can be used. This device can connect different segments of the network, even those which are using different physical technologies, e.g. wired and wireless LAN. These devices are good for long distance transmission because they can transmit data using higher power, and their directional antennas are focusing the transmission in a single direction (Dean, 2009). Also, remote wireless bridges have special software which selects the clearest channel and avoids the interference and noise in the transmission signal. Thus, for maintaining a connection with remote locations for Canadian office, it is recommended to install wireless remote bridge.
These devices can be used to establish long-distance wireless links, both point to point and point to multipoint. These bridges differ according to the technology they are using, their maximal data transmission rates and distances. It is recommended to select a multifunctional wireless bridge with the highest wireless standard available, such as AWK-3131 Series, which is an industrial IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n wireless access point/bridge/client (Padjen & Fuller, 2002). CISCO Aironet 340 Series bridges can be used if multiple office locations should be connected to the wireless network (Padjen & Fuller, 2002). These bridges use DSSS or FSSS technology (Dean, 2009), and can be used for establishing high-speed connections between different remote networks. The base unit in this architecture can support up to 128 connections, and wireless bridge can manage up to 1024 connections (Dean, 2009) or stations in the network. Overall, remote wireless bridges are a cost-effective and efficient solution for connecting two remote segments of a network together.