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Wireless Performance Prediction (WPP) - Addressing End-User Issues

Learn about the common issues faced by end-users with 802.11 WLANs and how Wireless Performance Prediction (WPP) can help address these issues. Find out the challenges related to coverage, capacity, equipment reliability, interoperation, interference, and security. Discover the need for standardized metrics and tests to predict the installed performance of WLAN equipment and accommodate all types of end-user equipment.

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Wireless Performance Prediction (WPP) - Addressing End-User Issues

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  1. Wireless Performance Prediction(WPP)-Addressing End-User Issues Tom Alexander tom@veriwave.com VeriWave, Inc. Tom Alexander, VeriWave

  2. Outline • Common end-user issues with 802.11 WLANs • What WPP can do to address these issues Tom Alexander, VeriWave

  3. Common End-User Issues • Early-adopter experience with WLANs usually positive • Lots of anecdotal problems – but users generally happy • However, corporate users have been conditioned by over a decade of wired LANs • Relative to wired LANs, wireless LANs today: • Variable and unpredictable coverage • Indeterminate capacity and coverage • Interoperation problems • Susceptibility to outside interference • Widespread corporate adoption will make these issues more visible • Current environment of folklore (e.g., people who can “see RF”) won’t go very far Tom Alexander, VeriWave

  4. Unpredictable Coverage and Capacity • WLAN coverage significantly affected by environment • Often changes over time • Walk-around site surveys normally done to address this • Expensive, but new equipment/technology starting to address • Directive antennas make this issue worse • Deterministic capacity is a bigger problem • Common question: "How much bandwidth should I be getting?” • Also: • How many clients can be assigned to a given BSS? • Exactly what improvement can be obtained with 802.11g? 802.11a? • Nobody seems to know … • No standard metrics or test methods for capacity • 802.11b WLANs do NOT provide 11 Mb/s of throughput! • Variation of throughput with client loading unknown Tom Alexander, VeriWave

  5. Unreliable / Non-conformant Equipment • Equipment reliability issues in WLANs • APs locking up, client driver issues, etc. • AP reliability issues quite difficult to handle • Inconvenient locations - safety and access problems • 802.11 standards conformance is also an issue • Adherence to standards is rather spotty • Issues for future protocols (e.g., EDCA) • No standards for WLAN equipment reliability and conformance • Need to develop test methods and benchmarks Tom Alexander, VeriWave

  6. Interoperation, Interference, Security • These are some of the biggest problems • Interoperation is a significant end-user problem • Sometimes equipment from same vendor doesn't interoperate • Standards conformance issues • Interference issues are widespread • Installers carry spectrum analyzers into end-user sites • Frequently interference occurs from other 802.11 equipment • e.g., due to improper power settings • Problem will get worse over time as ISM bands fill up • Security is a well-known problem • Lots of publicity, hence many solutions coming on line • End-user apathy probably biggest concern • Need significant enhancement of metrics for interoperation and interference resistance Tom Alexander, VeriWave

  7. Conclusions • Need to define repeatable metrics and tests for: • Conformance • Performance and capacity • Interoperability • Resistance to interference • Security • Need to ensure that metrics and methods are correlated to end-user experience • Users need to be able to rely on metrics and benchmarks to predict the installed performance of WLAN equipment • Need to ensure that metrics & methods accommodate all types of end-user WLAN equipment • The standard and the industry is continuously evolving Tom Alexander, VeriWave

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