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Details on the products that were evaluated
IT realized that wireless technology could be useful in several places around the campus. For instance, a short-range wireless link might be able to provide point-to-point wireless access to some locations that the school's PennNet network doesn't reach. Wireless also might be able to connect areas where traditional structured wiring is not suitable. For example, the open interior of the school's Furness Library incorporates old stone and metalwork. Currently, fiber runs from the building's basement to the first floor, but adding wall plates and desktop connections would require drilling unsightly holes through stone, brick and iron, Kassabian says. Moreover, Penn sets up a temporary ID processing center in a gym every year for new students. A wireless LAN might be ideal for short-term networks in such cases. Evaluating the options Kassabian worked with Eric Snyder, senior systems programmer; Kristina Victoreen, senior network engineer; Andy Diller, systems programmer; and Bill Magill, senior systems programmer, to evaluate wireless systems. The team bought 802.11- and 802.11b-compliant equipment from several vendors, including access points and PC cards from 3Com, Apple, Cabletron, Cisco and Lucent. It also tested Farallon Computing's 2M bit/sec Skyline Wireless PC Card but ruled out the product because it was expensive and didn't support the new 802.11b 11M bit/sec operation, Kassabian says. However, Farallon is scheduled to release an 11M bit/sec version of the Skyline Wireless PC Card this month. Last September, the group began evaluating several aspects of wireless equipment. With the access points, the primary focus was on setup and configuration. However, the school also sought solid management and monitoring features and the ability to manage access to the devices. With the client-side tools, which encompass PC cards and the full set of associated software, the network staff's criteria included support for multiple operating systems, signal monitoring, and easy setup and operation. The department also looked for feedback from the user interface, which lets IT know at what frequency and over what channel the user has connected, and good site-survey tools. Site-survey tools help engineers test the efficiency and effectiveness of access points in various locations. Once an access point is in place, an engineer can plan wireless coverage by running the site-survey tool on a laptop and viewing interference as well as the access point's signal strength and quality. IT set up the access points in its lab, then tried to get each vendor's wireless LAN card to associate at 11M bit/sec with access points from all other vendors in order to see what happened when it crossed vendor lines. After achieving interoperability in every case, Penn's network pros tested the hardware's network management capabilities. Team members documented the products' strengths and weaknesses, along with any surprising results. What's more, staffers examined, but did not specifically test, each device's wired equivalent privacy (WEP) capabilities, which protect against eavesdropping and unauthorized network access. All but 3Com's AirConnect access points had reasonable WEP support, though 3Com is scheduled to add WEP support this month. After comparing the test results, the school's IT department recently decided to deploy the Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless Access Points and Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless PC Cards for production use. Penn rolled out four access points and 35 cards in February and is awaiting the delivery of four more access points and 30 cards. If all goes well, Kassabian hopes to deploy wireless gear in seven to 10 more locations by June. Cisco got the nod because of its flexible management options, access security, and ability to set alarms and log error thresholds. What's more, the system provides a good view of signal strength and quality. But there's one drawback: Cisco doesn't support Apple PowerBooks. For those, Kassabian says the Lucent PC card is the only real option. Still, the card isn't ideal for the Macintosh environment and often requires rebooting. The university doesn't plan to use the Lucent access points. IT wasn't impressed with the Lucent product, primarily because it lacks a console port and because the management tools only run on Windows operating systems. While Windows is popular, many other operating systems are used on campus. Penn worked with value-added reseller Armstrong Microsystems of Kittanning, Pa., to implement the Cisco wireless gear. Brent Hester, general manager of Armstrong Microsystems, says that of the products Penn tested, the Cisco access points and cards seem to provide the most versatility. "They are probably the most easily managed products for an enterprise wireless network," he says. Hester says the Cisco wireless gear will let Penn provide mobile access to PennNet from anywhere on campus. Room for improvement Yet Kassabian notes that even his top choice could use some enhancements. "The weakest feature of the management interface is the graphics," he says. "Even in the Web interface, the graph uses ASCII symbols and the axes are sometimes severely misaligned. These graphs are not very readable, so most people will want to use some other network-management tool in order to view statistics for anything beyond a quick look." In addition, IT would welcome Macintosh support in Cisco's PC cards. While Cisco had a slight edge over most of the other products in terms of access control and traffic statistics, Kassabian says 3Com's AirConnect was a close second. "We like 3Com's access point and site-survey tools very much, but we think the product needs a bit more maturity in the WEP and client OS support areas," he says. "We'll continue to work with AirConnect and may use it in the future." One way all the wireless vendors could improve their equipment would be to use Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) for authentication and authorization. Access control to wireless networks based on RADIUS would make for tighter integration and easier deployment, Kassabian says.
Products:
AirConnect access point: $1,195
AirConnect Wireless LAN PC card: $219
Starter pack of one access point and three cards: $1,795
Orinoco WavePoint-II access point: $995
Orinoco PC Card: $179
AirPort Base Station: $299
AirPort Card: $99Solid performance.
Good interoperability.
Priced attractively.
RoamAbout Access Point 2000: $999
RoamAbout Client card: $199
Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless Access Point: $1,299
Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless PC Card: $249
Not just a bunch of air
Mushrooming market for data has Internet equipment king investing heavily.
Network World, 01/31/00.
Putting wireless to the test
University of Pennsylvania gives top honors to Cisco gear for campuswide deployment.
 
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Details on the products that were evaluated
IT realized that wireless technology could be useful in several places around the campus. For instance, a short-range wireless link might be able to provide point-to-point wireless access to some locations that the school's PennNet network doesn't reach. Wireless also might be able to connect areas where traditional structured wiring is not suitable. For example, the open interior of the school's Furness Library incorporates old stone and metalwork. Currently, fiber runs from the building's basement to the first floor, but adding wall plates and desktop connections would require drilling unsightly holes through stone, brick and iron, Kassabian says. Moreover, Penn sets up a temporary ID processing center in a gym every year for new students. A wireless LAN might be ideal for short-term networks in such cases. Evaluating the options Kassabian worked with Eric Snyder, senior systems programmer; Kristina Victoreen, senior network engineer; Andy Diller, systems programmer; and Bill Magill, senior systems programmer, to evaluate wireless systems. The team bought 802.11- and 802.11b-compliant equipment from several vendors, including access points and PC cards from 3Com, Apple, Cabletron, Cisco and Lucent. It also tested Farallon Computing's 2M bit/sec Skyline Wireless PC Card but ruled out the product because it was expensive and didn't support the new 802.11b 11M bit/sec operation, Kassabian says. However, Farallon is scheduled to release an 11M bit/sec version of the Skyline Wireless PC Card this month. Last September, the group began evaluating several aspects of wireless equipment. With the access points, the primary focus was on setup and configuration. However, the school also sought solid management and monitoring features and the ability to manage access to the devices. With the client-side tools, which encompass PC cards and the full set of associated software, the network staff's criteria included support for multiple operating systems, signal monitoring, and easy setup and operation. The department also looked for feedback from the user interface, which lets IT know at what frequency and over what channel the user has connected, and good site-survey tools. Site-survey tools help engineers test the efficiency and effectiveness of access points in various locations. Once an access point is in place, an engineer can plan wireless coverage by running the site-survey tool on a laptop and viewing interference as well as the access point's signal strength and quality. IT set up the access points in its lab, then tried to get each vendor's wireless LAN card to associate at 11M bit/sec with access points from all other vendors in order to see what happened when it crossed vendor lines. After achieving interoperability in every case, Penn's network pros tested the hardware's network management capabilities. Team members documented the products' strengths and weaknesses, along with any surprising results. What's more, staffers examined, but did not specifically test, each device's wired equivalent privacy (WEP) capabilities, which protect against eavesdropping and unauthorized network access. All but 3Com's AirConnect access points had reasonable WEP support, though 3Com is scheduled to add WEP support this month. After comparing the test results, the school's IT department recently decided to deploy the Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless Access Points and Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless PC Cards for production use. Penn rolled out four access points and 35 cards in February and is awaiting the delivery of four more access points and 30 cards. If all goes well, Kassabian hopes to deploy wireless gear in seven to 10 more locations by June. Cisco got the nod because of its flexible management options, access security, and ability to set alarms and log error thresholds. What's more, the system provides a good view of signal strength and quality. But there's one drawback: Cisco doesn't support Apple PowerBooks. For those, Kassabian says the Lucent PC card is the only real option. Still, the card isn't ideal for the Macintosh environment and often requires rebooting. The university doesn't plan to use the Lucent access points. IT wasn't impressed with the Lucent product, primarily because it lacks a console port and because the management tools only run on Windows operating systems. While Windows is popular, many other operating systems are used on campus. Penn worked with value-added reseller Armstrong Microsystems of Kittanning, Pa., to implement the Cisco wireless gear. Brent Hester, general manager of Armstrong Microsystems, says that of the products Penn tested, the Cisco access points and cards seem to provide the most versatility. "They are probably the most easily managed products for an enterprise wireless network," he says. Hester says the Cisco wireless gear will let Penn provide mobile access to PennNet from anywhere on campus. Room for improvement Yet Kassabian notes that even his top choice could use some enhancements. "The weakest feature of the management interface is the graphics," he says. "Even in the Web interface, the graph uses ASCII symbols and the axes are sometimes severely misaligned. These graphs are not very readable, so most people will want to use some other network-management tool in order to view statistics for anything beyond a quick look." In addition, IT would welcome Macintosh support in Cisco's PC cards. While Cisco had a slight edge over most of the other products in terms of access control and traffic statistics, Kassabian says 3Com's AirConnect was a close second. "We like 3Com's access point and site-survey tools very much, but we think the product needs a bit more maturity in the WEP and client OS support areas," he says. "We'll continue to work with AirConnect and may use it in the future." One way all the wireless vendors could improve their equipment would be to use Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) for authentication and authorization. Access control to wireless networks based on RADIUS would make for tighter integration and easier deployment, Kassabian says.
Company: 3Com
Products:
AirConnect access point: $1,195
AirConnect Wireless LAN PC card: $219
Starter pack of one access point and three cards: $1,795
Web address:
www.3com.com/mobile/wireless/solution.html
Strengths:
- Easy to set up.
- Good management capabilities.
- In areas where there is no power outlet, the system lets you run power to the access point over unused network lines.
- Comprehensive, user-friendly client tools.
- Cumbersome telnet/serial interface.
- Lacks syslog support.
- Clients and access points can't support MacOS or Linux.
Company: Lucent
Products:Orinoco WavePoint-II access point: $995
Orinoco PC Card: $179
Web address:
www.lucent.com/wirelessnet/products/
solutions/wavelan.html
Strengths:
- Supports multiple PC Cards from a single access point.
- Supports many different PC Card operating systems.
- Good technical support.
- Lacks console port.
- Access point doesn't support telnet or Web management.
- Poor interface for Macintosh computers.
Company: Apple
Products:AirPort Base Station: $299
AirPort Card: $99
Web address:
www.apple.com/airport
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
- Poor scalability.
- Confusing setup.
- May create Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol problems.
Company: Cabletron
Products:RoamAbout Access Point 2000: $999
RoamAbout Client card: $199
Web address:
www.cabletron.com/download/
download.cgi?lib=roam
Strengths:
- Strong support for multiple operating systems.
- In areas where there is no power outlet, the system lets you run power to the access point over unused network lines.
Weakness:
- Poor management interface.
Company: Cisco
Products:Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless Access Point: $1,299
Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless PC Card: $249
Web address:
www.aironet.com/products/antennas/
access_point_ant.asp
Strengths:
- Flexible management options.
- Strong logging, security and Management Information Base support.
- Provides good view of signal strength and signal quality.
Weaknesses:
- Limited support for non-Windows operating systems.
- Web interface could use improvement.
Harter is a freelance writer based in Athens, Ga. She can be reached at betsyharter@aol.com .
Cisco's wireless moves:Not just a bunch of air
Mushrooming market for data has Internet equipment king investing heavily.
Network World, 01/31/00.
Fixed wireless prepares for speedy growth
Network World, 03/15/00.
