WLAN network design – what to watch out for?
WLAN offers many possibilities and has many advantages. It should be remembered that, like any technology, it also has disadvantages. Some of them can be eliminated – but you need to know what to pay attention to.
Walls, doors, and windows can be obstacles when building a WLAN project. They cause a decrease in signal quality, as well as significant attenuation. As a result, downloading and uploading data may be extended. In more serious cases, it can even prevent the connection from failing altogether. This happens in some places in the room – despite the proximity of the access point.
WLAN design – how to choose?
It is worth consciously choosing a solution in terms of connecting to the network. Additionally, test the network and analyze the results in terms of busy channels set on the controller. In this way, you can detect the need to change them (the reason may be their mutual overlap). Because while with a few networks the quality may not be that bad, when they are increased, the matter can become very complicated. See more How to choose a WLAN network?
It is also worth taking the issue of security seriously. Good practices in network construction include: additional user verifications (for example, by e-mail or text messages) and the use of the latest encryption methods Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 and the latest WPA3 standard.
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WLAN network - application:
In the open
WLAN works over an area of several hundred meters to several kilometers of meters. The range depends on the power of the devices used antennas and visibility between devices. See How do I select devices for my WLAN?
Inside
Interference with power grids can occur when various electronic devices accumulate. Interference is also caused by other networks, e.g. separate WLAN networks built by the nearest neighbors. Such network congestion can cause difficulties as a result of their mutual interaction.
In a warehouse
In such places, an additional difficulty is the accumulation of various types of machines that themselves create electromagnetic fields. The difficulty of this environment is evidenced by the fact that it is often characterized by high dynamics. Various “obstacles” to WLAN, for example a rotating/seasonal warehouse.