If you’re looking to purchase and deploy a wireless infrastructure, then this guide is for you! No need to check out a “for dummies” book at the library or give the Geek squadron a call. Based on a recent vBlog series, by Dan Goodman, we have put together a guide for wireless access points. Let’s get you started on the right foot... and architecture. Within this guide, you will learn:

1. The difference between each type of wireless access point architecture and its management process

2. The pros and cons to take into consideration before purchasing any hardware or licenses

3. The questions to ask before choosing a wireless access point (about your company needs)

4. The questions to ask while choosing a wireless access point (about your product needs)

Setting up the right wireless access points (APs or WAPs) for your business can make the difference between a normal Tuesday and the day when everyone was pounding on your door complaining that “the Google” wasn’t working. Don’t have that kind of Tuesday. Just learn from this guide and deploy the right wireless access points for your company.

Section I: Cloud-Based Architecture Best use cases: Any organization that prefers the simplicity of managing from the cloud. Additionally, small companies with little to no IT support, companies with hundreds of locations, retail locations, small non-profits, restaurants, etc. Enterprise wireless implementations have only two choices. Managing through the cloud, or managing from a controller. If you would rather focus on the other things, and want to have the fastest, easiest wireless implementation possible, cloud-based access points like those offered by Cisco Meraki are your best bet. Are you at a small to medium company that can’t devote IT staff to managing the wireless environment? Do you have hundreds or thousands of locations dispersed across the country with little hands-on IT support? Does Cisco Meraki sound like a fun product to use? If you answered yes to any of these questions, a cloud-based architecture may be for you!

What are cloud-based wireless access points? Cloud-based wireless access points connect to a virtual controller that lives on a public cloud on the internet. Instead of an on-site controller, these WAPs get all of their information, settings, and configurations from the controller in the cloud. We like to think of cloud-based wireless access points as sort of a hybrid between the autonomous and lightweight APs. They still need a controller to function, but the controller isn’t on-site to be managed. How are they managed? These WAPs are managed remotely from a single point of managementsuch as the Meraki Dashboard. These are tremendously intuitive web interfaces and let you deploy complex configurations with a few clicks. Bonus tip: There are two critical buzzwords when it comes to shopping for cloud-based WAPs: cloud-controlled and cloud-managed. Some products will be “cloud-controlled”, meaning that the controller is housed in the cloud. This means that all functionality and features comes from a controller that doesn’t need to be managed by you. Someone else is managing it for you (for $$) through the cloud/internet. That being said, if there are extra security measures that you need to perform, they decide to do massive updates, or your Internet goes down, you are SOL.

Cloud-managed products take the monitoring and managing into the cloud, but you still need a controller onsite. This way everything still functions if the

almighty Internet decides to go down, but you can’t manage the WAPs without Internet connectivity. Are cloud-based wireless APs for me? Pros Cons

- All WAPs can be managed

from the cloud dashboard remotely

- Can coordinate your APs and adjust radio settings

- Little investment in hardware beyond the APs

- Fast, zero-touch deployment - No hardware upgrades - Filthy easy

- Have modest licensing

requirements that must be maintained. Count on about $50/yr/ap

- If you currently have on-premise controllers, transition is a pluck-and-chuck operation

- Dependencies on the cloud - You’ll have to correct people’s

pronunciation of Meraki. Depending on who you are, this might be a “pro” and not a “con”

Section II: Autonomous On-Premise Architecture Best use cases: Your home, coffee shops, etc. If you need more than 4 APs, you won’t want this one. Would you like Internet access while you watch tutorials at home or at your local café? Then, you may want to consider setting up an autonomous wireless access point.

What are autonomous wireless access points? Autonomous wireless access points work as a standalone unit that are individually configured. These are considered controller-less because all of settings and configurations are changed from the device itself. For areas that need access Wi-Fi but don’t need a large infrastructure or management, the autonomous WAPs are a good choice.

These WAPs don’t require much staffing to set-up butbecome catastrophically unmanageable the more APs you throw into the mix. How are they managed? Autonomous wireless access points are configured on an individual basis from the device itself. They do not require other APs or controllers to operate.

Are autonomous wireless access points for me? Pros Cons

- Fast deployment for a few

WAPs - Fully contained and fully

functional out-of-the-box - Easy procurement: Go to

Amazon - No on-going subscriptions - No training required - No extra dependencies like a

failing WLAN controller

- You’ll probably lose your mind

if you have more than 3 APs to manage

- You’ll definitely lose your mind if you have more than 20 APs to manage

- No coordination with radio settings

Section III: Lightweight Architecture Best use cases: Large enterprise-level deployments, complex settings and/or security requirements Do you work at a large organization or a growing organization with complex wireless needs? Do you have multiple locations that you service? A lightweight wireless access point architecture may be for you!

What are lightweight Wireless Access Points in a split-MAC architecture? Many lightweight wireless access Points can be customized and managed from a single controller. The biggest difference between lightweight wireless access points and autonomous access points is that lightweight WAPs must have a WLAN controller (WLC) to operate. The controller becomes a dependency, so you’ll need to plan for redundant controllers (i.e. primary, secondary and tertiary).

The management of the APs, changing security settings, and reporting can all be done from the controller itself. However, real-time data like connecting to Wi-Fi, is maintained by the APs individually. These WAPs can offer more customizable options for deployment and design of the system. If your company already has an on-premise infrastructure, it makes financial sense to continue with the on-site. The upfront investment can be costly in devices and staffing overhead to switch. Nevertheless, there are real challenges in this model, so you should expect an investment in training. Just getting the basics setup properly isn’t at all intuitive. How are they managed? They are managed by a centralized controller. All reporting, management and configuration comes from the controller.

Are lightweight wireless access points? Pros Cons

- Well-suited and documented

for enterprise-level deployments

- More APs can be managed by a controller instead of a dedicated staff member

- More customization options and features compared to cloud-solutions

- Higher upfront cost - Needs hardware upgrades

over time - Additional training required - Internally managed

dependencies. - If your controllers go down,

you have no Wi-Fi.

Section IV: Know the Answers to These Questions Before Choosing a Wireless Access Point Talk this over in your team to determine what your business needs are for WAPs

1. How many users will my system have now and in the next year? 2. What type of applications will these APs be supporting? 3. How many locations will the APs and my team be servicing? 4. Do I want my team to manage/control each AP in-person or remotely? 5. How many APs does my team have the bandwidth to manage? 6. What is our budget for hardware, staffing and licenses? 7. How soon will we need full deployment of Wireless APs? 8. Where in the office would we be mounting, displaying and/or hooking

up hardware?

Section V: Know the Answers to These Questions While Choosing Wireless Access Points: Talk this over with a product provider to determine what product will be best for your business

1. What distance does this product cover and at one point does the speed decrease?

2. What PoE standards does your infrastructure support? Newer APs might demand more than older Cat 2900 and 3700 models.

3. What PoE standards are required by your APs? 4. If purchasing an AP that can be managed from a dashboard, how easy

and intuitive is that dashboard to use? Also, what Internet browsers, settings, or device types do you need to access the network remotely?

5. What features do you need for your current configuration and which ones are nice to have’s? Examples: Concurrent dual band, load-balancing, advanced security settings, beamforming, mesh networking support, remote access, easy installation, etc.

6. What is the cost for each device and/or license? 7. How often are product updates performed? Will this affect usability of

the product? 8. What options for mounting and power sources does each device have?

Now that You’re a WAP Expert… One half of the equation is handled now that you know how to choose a WAP for your business. Now, how to deploy and manage it. Join one of our upcoming Cisco CCNA Wireless: WIFUND courses to make sure you are prepared for all the troubleshooting, managing, and glory that a properly functioning WAP implementation provides.

JOIN THIS CISCO COURSE

Sources:

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2017-reviews-ronald-dennis 4. https://www.toptenthebest.com/electronics/top-10-best-computer-

networking-wireless-access-points/ 5. http://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/802.11ac-access-points,2-

722.html 6. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless/aironet-1200-

series/70278-lap-faq.html 7. http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/feature/On-premises-vs-

cloud-managed-WLAN-Which-is-right-for-you 8. https://meraki.cisco.com/products/wireless 9. https://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/Cloud-Controlled-

Wireless-VS-Cloud-Managed-Wifi