Touchstone Task 3 – Planning a Wireless Infrastructure
Review the scenario and client expectations about Greenfield Properties. Make sure you also review the additional client expectations related to this Touchstone Preparation.
Based on the information provided by the client, answer the following questions in 2-4 sentences each. Be sure to explain your answers in detail.
| How many devices will connect to this network wirelessly? Determine the current number of wireless devices currently, and then add 50% for future growth. |
| The number of devices that can connect to this network wirelessly is 126. This can be calculated through this: 2^7, which gives 128. However, the number of devices can be established by subtracting 2 from 128. For future growth, the number of devices that the network can support would increase to 189 devices. |
| What network infrastructure components are needed to support the wireless hosts? (Ref: Wireless Networking Components, Site Survey and Installation Configurations) |
| Two major infrastructure components are required to support wireless hosts: the wireless access point and the wireless network interface card. The wireless access point is essential because it connects all hosts and enhances communication among them. The wireless access point comprises at least one antenna (or may have two or more for better reception) and an Ethernet port to connect them to the wired network (Cadini et al., 2008, p. 158). Secondly, the wireless network interface card (NIC) is also important in supporting wireless hosts because it provides the computer with a dedicated and full-time connection to the network. It necessitates communication between the physical layer and the data link layer. |
| On the diagram of the office layout (below), place a circle where you would place each WAP. The distance between WAPs should be from 30 to 70 feet. The office is 200’ wide by 300’ long. (Here is one circle placed on the diagram, as an example.)
Use as many as needed to ensure good Wi-Fi coverage everywhere in the building. Overlap the circles slightly to minimize the uncovered spots. Note: This diagram is just a rough draft to help determine how many WAPs you need; when it comes time to deploy the WAPs, you would use a site survey application to fine-tune WAP placement and channel capacity. Color and label the circle to indicate what channel they should be set to. For example, you might color all the APs that should be set to channel 11 green, and type an 11 in the center of each one. (Ref: Site Survey and Installation Configurations) |
| Will you assign the same SSID to each WAP? Why or why not? (Ref: Site Survey and Installation Configurations) |
| Yes, I will assign the same SSID to every WAP operating at Greenfield Properties. This is important because it will ensure that the users can easily roam from one wireless network to another based on the strength of the signal available (Cadini et al., 2008, p. 159). For instance, if a wireless network has a weak signal, then the user can easily switch to one with the strongest signal thus ensuring that connectivity problems are resolved within the shortest time possible. |
| Will you use a wireless LAN controller to manage the access points? Why or why not? (Ref: Installing WLAN Networks) |
| Yes, I will use a wireless LAN controller in proper management of the access points. The wireless LAN controller is important because it decides the access point to be utilized by the computer (Cadini et al., 2008, p. 162). The absence of a wireless LAN controller results in computers and phones staying on the same AP even when the user moves from one location to another within the organization. |
| Which Wi-Fi security encryption standard will you enable on the access points? Why did you choose that one? (Ref: Wireless Security) |
| I would enable the Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) in order to protect access points from infiltration by third parties. I chose RADIUS because it is composed of a number of security benefits, including but not limited to centralized access, authorization, and accounting supervision related to how the computers are connected to the services of the network. |
References
Cadini, F., Zio, E., & Petrescu, C. A. (2008, October). Using centrality measures to rank the importance of the components of a complex network infrastructure. In International Workshop on Critical Information Infrastructures Security (pp. 155-167). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
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