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Data Collected Though
Research
Maintenance
Students can be a valuable resource in
maintaining the network along with the Technical staff. Many students
will be willing to help support the Wireless local access Network. If
the Wi-Fi technology is included in school, students could use solve
problems with the network. The Wireless fidelity technology can be used
as a learning experience, valuable to careers.
Security
The current RRCC network’s security
operates by use of a domain. Any student laptop connecting to the local
area network will be unable to connect to the domain. Only specific
logins are allowed to access what is the secure domain used for the
faculty and faculty purposes. This domain is why all of the computers
in student labs have the same Microsoft Windows log-on.
Students will be on the local area
network (LAN) in which they are unable to see any local computers. The
proposed addition of Wireless Local Access Network capabilities does not
prevent the use of the network for both students and faculty.
Placement
Placement is important when making a
Wireless Local Access Network. It is best to place access points in
wide-open areas to maximize signal range. Electromagnetic waves make a
signal that bounces off objects. If there are too many objects in the
way of the waves, the signal may be worsened. Minimal bounce is
achieved through placement in open areas.
Faculty office areas will be the
hardest areas to cover, because they are walled. More open areas such
common areas will be points of high signals. People will notice that the
areas uncovered by the existing Local Access Network will be well
covered by Wi-Fi.
With proper placement, students will
be able to move throughout the school and maintain a connection to the
Internet. In other words, a student will be able to “roam.” Laptops
will connect to the next available Access Point if the connection is
disturbed. As students move throughout the school from one class to
another, their connection will be good as the student moves around.
Figure 2 (linked below) is a possible
idea to the placement of access points in order to create a large
connection. This may not be the correct idea , but a Wireless Local
Access Network would need similar placement .
Figure
2: Possible Placement Access points for Wi-Fi
<Click
Here>
Hardware
Our research included 3 hardware picks
for Wi-Fi. The models Orinoco, 3Com, and Cisco are what we found to be
the best hardware for Wi-Fi at RRCC. All three are able to handle the
needs of the student body and faculty and will support further growth
into the future.
All of the Antennae hardware will be
able to support the network to achieve the desired objective of wireless
access to students and faculty on campus. In our opinion, the making of
a Wi-Fi connection relies on the hardware structure. The Antennae
hardware is different in price and options.
Cisco 350 Series
Access Points and Antennas
This line of Cisco Wireless Local
Access Network is the first of its kind to be an “Enterprise Class”,
meaning it is made for large businesses. Cisco is an industry leader in
the making of new networking technologies. The 350 series is the latest
contribution to the Wireless Local Access Network industry.
The 350 series hardware could create
an impressive public hot spot as well as serve the faculty with a secure
and private Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN). The 350 series presents
amazing reception with its ultra-powerful antennas and performance.
Replacing hardware can be expensive.
The Cisco 350 series is made with internal hardware that will not be
replaced, because it is upgradeable.
The Cisco series also allows the
technical faculty to use the hardware for a teaching tool for use with
the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) program. This teaching tool
will help carry RRCC networking school into the world of wireless.
The Cisco series can be used outdoors
with a model made to resist high or low temperatures. Outdoor Wi-Fi
would be a pleasant for summer semester students or for the warm spring
or late August school year beginnings.
Orinoco 2500
The Orinoco AP-2500 is made special
for Wi-Fi hotspots. The Access point is stylish and presents the
quality of Orinoco. The AP-2500 “enables Internet access without
compromising the integrity of the corporate LAN.”
The AP-2500 has been called a
‘Hot-Spot’ in a box. It has low maintenance, so it is easy to take care
of. The AP-2500 can handle 500 people online at the same time, while
providing easy roaming.
3Com Ap-8000
3Com’s access point, the 8000 series,
is an attractive solution to creating a Wi-Fi network. It can handle up
to 256 people online at the same time as well as provide long range.
This hardware is a simple solution to create Wi-Fi. The amazing range
on the AP-8000 could translate into less access points. As a result, it
will cost less to install the 8000 series hardware.
The AP-8000 can provide the needed
capacity and could be easily replaced when damaged. Although the
AP-8000 is not designed for the purpose of creating a “Hot-Spot,” the
8000 series is a competitor with the Orinoco AP-2500.
Access Points in this for Red Rocks
Community College can be judged in multiple ways. Many ideas are
arguable when deciding upon which hardware is best for students and
faculty. Descriptions of the three hardware choices tell much about the
their use to the student body.
Go to: Conclusions
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