Tip of the Week: A Beginner?s Guide to Wireless Networking

1.  Know What Your Needs Are, and What to Expect of Your Devices

Before you even acquire the Wi-Fi access points that will make up your networks, a little clerical work will be helpful. To accurately identify your needs, you need to crunch a few numbers. How many people will need to access the Internet, with which devices? Which of your systems will rely on an Internet connection, and how many of those cannot be hardwired? What will people be doing while they?re on the Internet? Having an idea of these points will tell you what your business will require, and then you can make an informed decision regarding your wireless network configuration and the equipment you will need.

2.  Be Strategic About Your Access Point Placement

You also want to think about where your wireless access points should be placed, because it isn?t necessarily always in the most central location. Instead, it is often dependent on where the most demand is coming from. You also need to consider if your access points will serve you best mounted on the wall or ceiling, or if they will be most effective while placed on a desktop. Make sure that you account for obstacles that may cause signal interference, like HVAC vents, wires, and other devices.

As you make these deliberations, it will be very helpful to identify where your signal is strongest and weakest with your access points in different configurations. That way, you can place them in the optimal position for connectivity. There are various mobile applications available that will allow you to analyze your available Wi-Fi signal, so be sure to take advantage of one.

3.  Don?t Forget About External Factors

Unfortunately, the strength of your Wi-Fi signal doesn?t succeed or fail based solely on whether there?s an obstruction in the way. There are plenty of other potential reasons that your network performance is detrimentally impacted. Access points can interfere with one another, especially if they are operating on the same wireless channel. If you?re sharing space with other businesses, this could especially be the case.

Don?t leave your business at the mercy of its wireless Internet signal. White Mountain IT Services has years of networking experience to draw upon as we address these challenges and needs. TO learn more about what we can do for you, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.