Opening doors with wireless networking

SMBs with smaller wireless deployments are more likely to move to N at a greater rate because it comes back to that issue of easier and inexpensive manageability, says Parker.

Until recently, enterprise players like Aruba, Cisco and Alcatel have produced wireless controllers for managing multiple access points.

But now D-Link and Netgear (in October) are competing with their own devices which are generally employed once a site uses more than five access points. These controllers centralise management and security, monitor user access and track wireless devices. 

"There's a lot of benefits from an IT manager's point of view," says Parker. "We too will be putting a greater focus into pushing N into SMBs."

Netgear has already been selling what it calls "business class" access points, targeting SMBs who only need a couple. These devices carry from two to eight antennas and frequent the 5GHz spectrum where there are more channels to play with.

The older 2.4Ghz frequency can only manage three non-overlapping channels compared to the 24 channels available in 5Ghz. Each frequency carries more channels, but each channel block must be three channels wide to avoid interference.

Interference was a common problem with 2.4Ghz wireless routers in apartment blocks which could have many overlapping networks. Vendors set older access points by default to channels 1,6 or 11, whereas newer devices will automatically shift to the least occupied part of the spectrum.

Parker recommends the MEMO package to resellers looking to install one or two access points in an SMB. If deploying five or more access points, look at a controller based solution for doing upgrades and maintenance, says Parker.

Famularo points out that wireless networks are not replacing wired networks in small businesses, but are added as complementary to the incumbent network. He says businesses still have "a level of paranoia" associated with security, and in some cases performance is not consistent or high enough.

Mobility is one driver for wireless, says Famularo. Companies adding or reducing staff don't need to bother with the cabling, and presentations in the board room don't require a cable to access the network drives or the internet. "That stuff is important," says Famularo.

Mobility tends to be more relevant than providing access to smart phones, says Famularo. While Blackberrys and iPhones can use a wireless network to avoid injurious charges on 3G networks, SMBs aren't likely to outlay money for this staff convenience.

Simpson agrees that although there is generally headroom in N networks, voice is not yet a driver for their installation. Although most smartphones have wifi built in which have the ability to bypass tolls, this function has been difficult to configure, he says. Also many handsets are not good at swapping from wifi to cellular, adds Simpson.

D-Link has its sights on higher targets than small businesses, however. The vendor has pushed into SME networking and is now pulling in six-figure projects, says Famularo.

"We used to win very small deals a long time ago, only because we never had enough legs on the ground to do it. But now we are winning multi-million deals with our products. It's a big achievement for us."

The vendor is taking away business from high-end players like Cisco and 3Com. D-Link's products are "very competitively priced and we have a better level of support", says Famularo.

D-Link has expanded its staff to include technical support, sales and marketing in different vertical markets, and pre-sales engineers, who Famularo calls the company's biggest asset in the channel.

The vendor is having great success in education, local government, health and transportation, and is on state government contracts for networking NSW, says Famularo.

D-Link's wireless networking includes point to multipoint bridges, wireless switches and directional antennas with ranges up to 20 kilometres.

One of its more popular products include the DWS-3024 wireless switch, which is a 24-port, layer 2 device with power over Ethernet. The switch controls up to 48 access points, which can be remotely configured and bandwidth limits set individually.

Another is a multi-service business gateway that has sold well in the hospitality market. The DSA-3600 integrates wired and wireless networks and can give access to guest accounts with set privileges. A customer in a coffee shop can use a key to access the wireless network and the internet, for example.

D-Link plays a very hands-on role with its channel partners to make sure that the customer is using the right combination of products.

The vendor checks the bill of materials to ensure network coverage and performance meets expectations. It also provides quotes on network design.

"We've done that in the past and it's been very successful," says Famularo. "It is a competitive market, but those that closely align with the vendor that's providing them with all the backend support is going to do well."

Resellers interested in selling wireless networking to larger sites need to be able to carry out site surveys to sell the technology effectively, says Famularo.

"If it's a small office or a single floor it's much less work. But if it's multiple floors or multiple buildings, then you have to deliver a detailed map on what the signal coverage would be, what the interference would be."

Some sources of interference are visible, such as walls, concrete, windows and electrical equipment. Other sources require sensitive equipment to measure and can emanate from high tension power lines, satellite dishes, microwaves or other wireless networks.

An area over-saturated with wireless networks may mean selecting an appropriate channel that doesn't interfere by using a combination of 2.4 and 5GHz signals.