User's Manual

Installation and User Guide: Airgo Access Point 9
2
Planning Your Installation
This chapter provides guidelines on planning a wireless network. It includes example network
configurations and explains how to plan for coverage, capacity, security, and network management.
The chapter includes the following topics:
• Introduction
• Assessing Coverage and Capacity Requirements
• Assessing Security Needs and Architecture
• Planning Network Features
• Sample Deployment Scenarios
Introduction
Careful planning of a new wireless network can greatly enhance your ability to install, maintain,
manage, and expand the network. There are several dimensions to installation planning:
• Coverage and capacity requirements — Identify the number and types of access points to
install and determine optimal placement.
• Security needs — Choose a security architecture and features.
• Network management — Choose a method to manage the network and monitor its health.
• Network features — Determine VLAN assignment, user groups, services, and privileges.
If planned properly, a wireless network can be easily expanded and adjusted to changing conditions
and requirements while preserving effective security and enabling network-wide management
support.
Example Wireless Network Installation
Figure 3 shows the elements of a typical Airgo wireless network. Airgo Access Points provide
wireless connectivity to client stations (laptop or desktop computers) and connect in turn to the
existing wired network infrastructure and beyond to the Internet. Network size and complexity may
also dictate the need for an external RADIUS server for user authentication, as well as installation
of Airgo Networks NMS Pro for enterprise network management.