 I want to have laptop computers be able to roam around our department.
Can we
get wireless networks installed?
May 15, 2003
Additional information can also be found using our
Wireless Index area.
March 2, 2000 Last Update January,
2005
The answer is yes! Wireless networking is slower, more
expensive, and more complicated than our wired, 100Mb switched networks that we
prefer to deploy. However, we understand that there are special cases
where people want to be able to roam around an office area with laptops or
perhaps wired services aren't available for one reason or another.
How do wireless networks work?
In general, Networking will install a wired connection from the campus
network to a "wireless bridge". This bridge does just what the
name implies in that it bridges the wired network with the wireless one.
Each bridge has an antenna that is used to communicate with "wireless
network interface cards" or "wireless cards" for short.
These cards will be able to communicate with the bridge within a varying radius
of the bridge. How fast and how far away from the bridge the wireless card
will operate is dependent upon many factors including the physical construction
of the building, antenna placement, and outside interferences.
The wireless cards compete with the other wireless cards for the bandwidth
back to the wireless bridge. If too many cards are present, the system
degrades significantly and poor service is delivered to the laptop. To
avoid this problem, we plan on each wireless bridge being able to support around
24 wireless cards. If there are more cards than 24, another bridge must be
installed. Using the new "G" standard, more users can be supported.
A wireless service area is roughly a 100 foot radius of the bridge. If
larger service areas are required, then more bridges are installed.
Wireless cards will automatically connect to the bridge which gives it the
strongest signal and has the least contention.
What equipment and standards are used?
The equipment currently on contract for wireless networks is the Cisco
product which operates at the 802.11b and 802.11g standards. The stations will
operate at a maximum of 11Mb and 54Mb respectively in close proximity to the bridge. Speed drops
with signal quality the further away from a bridge the machine is moved. Theoretically,
all 802.11b and 802.11g wireless network interface cards should function with our system, but
this is technically highly dependent on the manufacturer's hardware and software
drivers.
What does it cost?
Wireless connections are billed similar to wired connections, but with a few notable
differences. We bill by the user's wireless card, not
the wired jack. There is a one time installation fee for to establish a
new service area, but no installation fees for the user's wireless card itself. The number
of cards (computers that can access the wireless node) desired and the size,
shape, and physical composition of the area will dictate how many nodes are
required. The cost summaries are as follows:
- $200 one time installation fee per wireless node required.
- $5 per wireless card
- Service areas can be expended without ordering any wireless cards.
- Cards may be ordered without expanding service areas.
- Wireless cards or adaptors are now commonly built-in on laptops,
tablets, and even some PDAs. If your hardware does not have
built-in wireless support, you will have to purchase a wireless PCMCIA
or other external card to gain service.
How do I order service?
A work order must be submitted to Telecommunication Services before wireless
service areas can be expanded. No work can be performed without one.
The order must contain the desired physical area to be covered, the expected
maximum number of simultaneously active users that area, and the expected
standards these people would be using. All of this is required to
determine the number and location of the wireless access points. Please
contact Mark Harsen or
Phil
Wittkorn for assistance in placing orders.
Once the project is thus defined on a work order to Telecommunications
Services, including an authorized budget number, work the design work will
begin. When the design is finished, we contact the person who placed the
order for final approval before the physical installation starts. That
way, if budget constraints exist and the project required more access points
that anticipated (and therefore costs more) the work order can be modified to
scale back the service area to save money.
Can "outsiders" with wireless cards connect?
Not by default. Our wireless network performs hardware validation and
non-registered machines cannot access the wireless network even if used by an
authorized user. We are considering a "guest" offering, but technical
considerations still exist.
How do I add cards, replace defective cards, or remove cards from service?
To allow any wireless card to operate, you must submit a work order to
Telecommunication Services with the card's unique identification number on it. A
charge of $5 per month per card will be assessed against the budget you
indicate. Telecommunication Services enters this information into a live
database and your machine is instantly authorized to access the network.
The client machine, of course, must be properly configured.
If replacing a defective card or deleting one card from the system and
replacing it with another for any reason, submit a work order to
Telecommunication Services and indicate which card is to be deleted and which
card is to be added. They will verify that the card being deleted belongs
to the requester and the make the changes. There are no
charges for this change of service.
To delete a card from service, submit a work order to Telecommunication
Services and indicate which card is to be removed from service. The
monthly bill will be reduced by $5 per month for the specific budget number.
Can I roam to other wireless pockets around campus?
Yes! If you register a wireless device or card for use in your area, it
will automatically operate anywhere there is Missouri State University wireless service on all
campuses. See Wireless
Coverage for more information.
I have a grant that won't pay installation or ongoing costs. Can I still
get wireless services?
Absolutely, but with some caveats. The funding model does not change at
all in the fact that installation costs are $200 per wireless bridge and that
wireless cards cost $5 per card. However, we will allow people
with such funding restrictions to pay for installation and ongoing costs with
appropriate equipment instead of money. Telecommunication Services
purchases equipment to service your needs using the grant. This usually
means the Telecommunication Services is reimbursed via a budget transfer from
the grant's account. Your departmental budget is credited with this
purchase amount. As long as a positive balance remains, no charges are
levied against your budget number. Once the account hits zero or below,
your budget starts being charged for services. Please contact
Telecommunication Services to work out such details if you are interested in
this funding model.
Can I just buy the equipment, hook it up myself, and connect it to the campus
network? Then I would only need one connection at $5 or $10 per month!
Definitely not. The current operating and funding models have been
approved by the administration and adopted without exception. Networking must
have control of all network infrastructure devices to keep the network a viable entity.
If the door were opened for people to install their own wireless networks, then
we'd have wired networks next, coax networks, and etc. to the point that the
network would not operate due to design violations. There would be no
funds to pay for common equipment required by everyone and the network as we
know it would severely degrade and sections collapse.
We no longer have any legacy, "pre existing" networks on campus,
but when we did, we allowed some of them to bridge into the campus network, but
each one paid $5 per month per station. In some cases, we purchased
network electronics from the end user and gave them credit toward monthly
services just as we will do for people with grant restrictions. Under no circumstances,
however, do we allow new networks of any kind to be installed by the end users
with the expectation that we will bridge it into the campus network for the cost
of only one connection. In the unlikely event that such a network existed,
we would review the technical issues to make a determination, but in all cases
the users would incur a $5 per month per station.
Keep in mind that there is a large amount of equipment "behind the walls"
that allow your network connections, wired or not, to connect with the rest of
the campus networks and ultimately the world through the Internet. The
station connection charges pay roughly only 35% of the costs for our
networks. The other 65% subsidy comes from general operating budgets and
other sources.
Who do I talk to for more information?
While many people can assist with wireless needs, suggested contacts are:
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