3 Tips for Managing Wireless Networks

The convenience of wireless networks can’t be underestimated. In today’s environment, mobile computing is an expectation. So when users run into connectivity and bandwidth issues, you can be sure that complaints are soon to follow. Here are three tips for managing wireless networks to help you avoid some potential headaches.

1. Improve wireless connectivity to the access point
If users frequently lose their wireless signal it’s going to be a frustrating situation. When wireless coverage drops, check for an increase in environmental disruptions. Look for Bluetooth headsets, video cameras and microwaves. These personal wireless devices can cause interference and often are the culprits.

If users still cannot connect reliably (or they were never able to connect at all), you may have a coverage problem, which frequently can be fairly easy to resolve. Use a laptop and the wireless strength meter to map coverage holes in your wireless system. Some free tools such as Netstumbler provide detailed graphs of signal strength and noise level. In addition, periodically perform a laptop survey to find rogue wireless routers to limit their use and ensure optimal network performance. Simply use the same laptop and wireless utility to scan for wireless networks for various points within your buildings.

2. Tracking the availability of the wireless access point
This is the intersection between wired and wireless network management. At a minimum, periodically ping all wireless access points to check their up and down status, making sure they are working and can interconnect to the wired network. Some network management tools like dopplerVUE let you do this on a regular schedule. For SNMP enabled wireless devices such as the Cisco 1200 series, you will also be able to monitor the CPU load and other metrics to know when the device is overloaded, slowing down or dropping all traffic on the access point.

3. Assure sufficient bandwidth to the access point
Once you know users have a decent connection, managing bandwidth may become an issue. Many wireless systems can handle 20 or more users. Monitoring each user on an ad hoc network is likely to be of limited value. Since all users are funneling through the same fixed wire connection, monitoring bandwidth where your access point connects to the network will provide a good summary of the traffic volume. This will help you understand when to upgrade a system and alert you before users call to complain about connectivity issues.

Tip for dopplerVUE users:
For a better understanding of when your network is busy, include wireless access points in your managed network inventory. dopplerVUE will monitor them for their up and down status and core system performance such as CPU load. Use the bandwidth usage finder to watch the real time traffic flow, comparing performance to the automatic benchmarks calculated by dopplerVUE. You will always know the availability status of your wireless access points and how much traffic is generated on each.