The market for 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) continues to grow at a rapid pace. Business organizations value the simplicity and scalability of WLANs as well as the relative ease of integrating wireless access with existing network resources. WLANs support user demand for seamless connectivity, flexibility and mobility. This chapter provides an overview of wireless networks and the 802.11 WLAN standards, followed by a presentation of troubleshooting wireless network problems with the types of analysis required to resolve them.

Introduction

802.11 is no longer a “nice-to-have.” It is a critical element in all enterprise networks, whether by design, by extension or by default. Office workers expect to have a wireless option as part of the overall network design. Mobile users extend their reach by using wireless networks wherever they are available, including in public places, in a prospect's conference room, or at home. Even when the policy states “No Wireless,” wireless networking is alive and well as a built-in default on most laptops today. 802.11 enables tremendous mobility, and is becoming the foundation for other technologies, like campuswide wireless voice.

Maintaining the security, reliability and overall performance of a wireless LAN requires the same kind of ability to look “under the hood” as the maintenance of a wired network - and more. Wireless networking presents some unique challenges for the network administrator and requires some new approaches to familiar problems.