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Wired and Wireless Networking

Table of Contents 

  1. LAN-WAN Design and Implementation
  2. Site-to-site Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
  3. Secure Wireless Access Points (SWAPs)
  4. POINT TO POINT WIRELESS SOLUTIONS

LAN-WAN Design and Implementation
Building custom networks to suite your business

A properly designed network can dramatically improve both overall system performance and network resiliency. DTS can help you select the core devices that operate your network, both within your offices and between remote locations.

With over 10 years experience in computer networking technologies, we examine your network traffic and bandwidth requirements, then design a solution using products from leading manufacturers including 3com, Cisco, and Sonicwall. Whether you chose to implement dedicated, private leased circuits or Virtual Private Networking (VPN) across the Internet, our consultants can help guide you through the process of balancing performance and ongoing costs.

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Site-to-site Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Secure networking using the public Internet

A virtual private network (VPN) is a network that uses a public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure access to their organization's network. A virtual private network can be contrasted with an expensive system of owned or leased lines that can only be used by one organization. The goal of a VPN is to provide the organization with the same capabilities, but at a much lower cost.

A site-to-site VPN connects two or more geographically separated offices using your existing Internet connections. A VPN-capable device is installed at each location, creating a secure encrypted “tunnel” to transmit private data across the public Internet. 

DTS provides installation and support for Sonicwall based VPN devices.

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Secure Wireless Access Points (SWAPs)
Wireless networking for your offices

When implementing a wireless corporate network, privacy is key. DTS offers two industry-leading solutions to provide secure, reliable wireless networking systems.

Click on one of the following products to learn more...
- Sonicwall SonicPoint
- Cisco Airespace

 

Sonicwall Wireless Access Solutions
Excerpts from the Products Section of www.sonicwall.com

Employees have embraced the freedom and conveniences afforded by laptops, PDAs and other mobile devices and are now demanding easier connectivity with the corporate network. As a result, businesses need to provide their workforce with both wired and wireless connectivity. Simultaneously, corporate networks are growing and evolving, which means they need to expand with greater speed, flexibility and economy. This creates a dilemma. How can you accomplish both without compromising network security?

SonicWALL’s complete line of integrated wired and wireless solutions makes it easy to add secure wireless into an existing network infrastructure or to create a new wireless network from the ground up. By enforcing the use of IPSec encryption to create a VPN on the wireless LAN, SonicWALL wireless solutions deliver airtight wireless and wired security to keep even the most aggressive hackers out of your network. A robust suite of integrated features and services provides the network flexibility and security today’s businesses need, whether you have a small, standalone office or a large business with a distributed network deployment.

Secure Wireless Solution

SonicWALL SonicPoint and SonicPoint G
SonicPoints are tri-mode, dual band, dual radio, IEEE 802.11a/b/g compliant, dependent access points that provide secure mobility and wireless LAN connectivity for users on the network. For customers requiring deployment, flexibility, the SonicPoint G is a dual-mode, single band, IEEE  802.11b/g dependent access point with detachable high gain  antennas.  

Ø Comprehensive Wireless and Wired Security. The SonicWALL Secure Wireless Solution provides total security enforcement, central management and scalability for both the wired and wireless networks through a single security platform.
Ø Automatically Provisioned. SonicPoints provide plug- and-play capabilities for automatic configuration and management from the SonicWALL security appliance using pre-defined profiles.
Ø WPA Support using TKIP or AES. In keeping with industry standards, SonicPoints can also support WPA for added security to the wireless network.
Ø IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) Receive Capability. Accepts Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) allowing easy  deployment, especially where electrical power is not readily accessible.

SonicWALL Power over Ethernet (PoE) Injector
 
The PoE Injector is an IEEE 802.3af  compliant power injector that detects the presence of 802.3af compliant devices and “injects” power into the  Ethernet cable.

Ø Remote Power Feeding. PoE Injectors reduce the cost of deploying a wireless network infrastructure by supplying power directly to the SonicPoint through a standard Ethernet cable.
Ø IEEE 802.3 Compliant. PoE Injectors deliver standards-based 802.3af Power over Ethernet automatically to SonicPoints or any 802.3af compliant device.
Ø Ease-of-use. Take advantage of the PoE Injectors’
plug-and-play capabilities for rapid deployment of your wireless infrastructure.
Ø Advanced Auto-sensing Algorithm. Utilize the PoE Injectors’ built-in intelligence to automatically determine and supply power only to devices that can accept 802.3af power over the Ethernet connection.

 

Cisco Wireless Access Solutions
http://www.cisco.com/

Cisco Systems and Airespace Co-Branded Products
Cisco Systems® now offers several new wireless LAN (WLAN) products that expand and accelerate the delivery of important WLAN features and capabilities for the Cisco® Integrated Wireless Network. These new products, based on the recently acquired Airespace product portfolio, include the Cisco Aironet 1000 Series Lightweight Access Points, the Cisco 2000 Series, 4100 Series, and 4400 Series Wireless LAN Controllers, the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) and the Cisco Wireless Location Appliance. These new Cisco Systems and Airespace co-branded products deliver the control, scalability, and reliability that organizations need to build secure, enterprise-scale wireless networks—from branch offices to main campuses.
The Cisco Integrated Wireless Network is an evolution of the Cisco Structured Wireless-Aware Network (SWAN) available from Cisco since 2003. The Cisco Integrated Wireless Network includes two secure, enterprise-class WLAN solutions: the Cisco Distributed WLAN Solution and the Cisco Centralized WLAN Solution. These new products are available as components of the Cisco Centralized WLAN Solution.
The Cisco Integrated Wireless Network cost-effectively addresses the WLAN security, deployment, management, and control issues facing enterprises. This framework integrates and extends wired and wireless networks to deliver scalable, manageable and secure WLANs with the lowest total cost of ownership. The Cisco Integrated Wireless Network provides the same level of security, scalability, reliability, ease of deployment, and management for wireless LANs that organizations expect from their wired LANs.
Cisco offers the most innovative and comprehensive suite of WLAN solutions in the industry, addressing a wide variety of customer deployment scenarios and requirements. Customers can confidently deploy Cisco wireless products knowing that their Cisco WLAN investment is protected. Cisco has designed a smooth migration plan for all Cisco wireless products that includes a variety of deployment options, software enhancements, scalability features, security capabilities, hardware advances, and wired + wireless integration enhancements. Cisco will continue to lead the industry in the integration of wired and wireless networking with best-in-class secure WLAN solutions.

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POINT TO POINT WIRELESS SOLUTIONS

DTS recommends Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points



As WLAN deployments expand, security, scalability, reliability, ease of deployment, and management become increasingly important. Cisco provides a comprehensive line of access points that deliver enterprise-class features for business-ready wireless LANs.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Access points are critical elements of the Cisco® Unified Wireless Network. Cisco single- and dual-band access points are designed for offices and similar environments, challenging radio frequency (RF) environments, and the outdoors. The devices are available in two versions, those configured for lightweight operation in conjunction with Cisco wireless LAN controllers and the Wireless Control System (WCS) as well as those configured for autonomous operation in conjunction with the CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine (WLSE). Autonomous access points, along with the WLSE, deliver a core set of features and may be field-upgraded to lightweight operation and an advanced feature set.
To make the best choices for their particular applications, customers need to understand the features and benefits of the different Cisco Aironet® access points. This solution overview details the capabilities of each of the devices in the Cisco Aironet wireless access point family.
MANAGEMENT PARADIGM
As wireless LANs become increasingly mission-critical and evolve in terms of scale and capabilities, the way the wireless deployment is managed must evolve as well. As each customer and each deployment is unique, Cisco provides differing feature sets and differing management paradigms to address these customer-specific requirements.
Cisco provides a core feature set that includes autonomous access points and the CiscoWorks WLSE management appliance. The core feature set provides a base set of capabilities that are required for enterprise deployments. Core features include secure connectivity through support for 802.11i/Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), fast and secure Layer 2 roaming, and interfaces to a variety of third-party applications and products. Most Cisco access points are available in versions designed for autonomous operation. These devices may be upgraded in the field to lightweight mode, thereby providing customers with a smooth path from core to advanced features.
The Cisco advanced wireless LAN feature set is delivered by lightweight access points, wireless LAN controllers and the Wireless Control System (WCS) management application. The advanced feature set represents the most comprehensive set of capabilities in the industry including guest access, wireless intrusion detection, scalable Layer 3 mobility, and available location services. Most Cisco Aironet access points are available in versions designed for lightweight operation.
DEPLOYMENT ENVIRONMENTS
Wireless LANs are becoming commonplace in numerous environments, including offices, schools, factories, and warehouses-and even the outdoors. At the same time, the wireless industry is evolving from lower-capacity, single-band devices to high-capacity dual-band solutions. The Cisco Aironet family of access points meets these various application requirements, providing:
• Single- and dual-band access points
• Devices designed for indoor and outdoor deployments
• A consistent hardware feature set and predictable RF performance for deployment across the enterprise
As WLAN deployment expands into more applications and installation scenarios, a diverse line of access points is required to meet the associated capacity, coverage, and environmental requirements. Cisco provides access points with either single 802.11g radios for up to 54 Mbps of capacity or dual-radio access points supporting both 802.11g and 802.11a for up to 108 Mbps of combined network capacity. The Cisco product line includes access points designed for offices and similar facilities such as hospitals and retail environments, challenging RF environments like factories and warehouses, and the outdoors. These devices can be installed on desktops, on walls, on ceilings, above ceilings, and on top of poles.
While application requirements may vary, Cisco understands that all enterprise customers require uncompromised network security, scalable manageability, and an evolving set of network services. That''s why all Cisco Aironet access points, regardless of form factor and capacity and regardless of whether they operate in lightweight or autonomous mode, support the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, a framework for wired and wireless integration that delivers the security, manageability, and services that enterprises have come to expect from Cisco on both wired and wireless networks.
SOLUTION
Addressing Feature Requirements
As wireless LAN usage has evolved from basic transport for largely transactional applications, so have the feature expectations of wireless LAN users and administrators. This evolution has evolved, however, on a segment-by-segment, customer-by-customer basis. It is critical for Cisco to provide differing feature sets to best fit differing customer requirements. Given that customer requirements can evolve during the lifetime of a wireless LAN deployment, it is also necessary to provide a means of smoothly upgrading this feature set for the installed base of products with minimal disruption to network operations.
Cisco''s advanced wireless LAN feature set offers the features required for most enterprise deployments. Some deployments may not yet require these advanced capabilities. To address these evolving requirements, customers can select either access points preconfigured for lightweight operation and the advanced feature sets, or can upgrade autonomous access points in the field to lightweight operation. With Cisco, customers can choose the feature set that is right for them at the time that it is right for them. Table 1 provides a summary of the operational capabilities of various Cisco Aironet access points.
Table 1. Operational Capabilities of Cisco Aironet Access Points


Cisco Series

Autonomous Operation

Lightweight Operation

1000 Series

No

Yes

1100 Series

Yes

No

1130AG Series

Yes

Yes

1200 Series

Yes

Yes

1230AG Series

Yes

Yes

1240AG Series

Yes

Yes

1300 Series

Yes

No

1500 Series

No

Yes

Addressing Capacity Requirements
In just a few years, WLANs have evolved from proprietary systems with sub-Mbps capabilities to standardized offerings operating at as much as a combined data rate of 108 Mbps. These high data rates are available in both the 2.4 GHz band with 802.11g technology and the 5 GHz band with 802.11a technology. 802.11g offers backward compatibility with 802.11b devices, but is limited to three non-overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11a provides no backward compatibility but supports as many as 23 channels (depending upon local regulations). To provide both backward compatibility and high capacity, WLAN client vendors are migrating to dual-band 802.11a/g-capable client devices. In 2006, 802.11a/g devices are expected to become the predominant type for embedded and aftermarket client adapters designed for laptops, desktops, and even PDAs. Over time, these dual-band capabilities are expected to extend to almost every WLAN client device, including application-specific devices like voice handsets, barcode scanners, and radio frequency identification (RFID) scanners.
Deploying an infrastructure that takes full advantage of the expanding capabilities of the client base makes sense if capacity is currently an issue or is expected to become an issue during the useful life of the infrastructure devices. Given the rapid expansion of wireless-enabled devices, increasing capacity requirements are likely to apply to most WLAN installations. For this majority of applications, access points that support both 802.11a and 802.11g represent a better long-term value, particularly given their low price premium relative to single-band devices. For the few applications that are not expected to present capacity issues in the near term, customers can choose single-radio access points. Table 2 summarizes which Cisco access points support 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g.
Table 2. Cisco Aironet Access Point Support for 802.11a/b/g


Cisco Series

802.11b

802.11g

802.11a

1000 Series

Yes

Yes

Yes

1100 Series

Yes

Yes

No

1130AG Series

Yes

Yes

Yes

1200 Series

Yes

Yes

Optional*

1230AG Series

Yes

Yes

Yes

1240AG Series

Yes

Yes

Yes

1300 Series

Yes

Yes

No

1500 Series

Yes

Yes

Yes

* With a hardware upgrade module, the Cisco Aironet 1200 Series access point may be field-upgraded to support 802.11a.
Office Access Points
Cisco Aironet 1130AG Series IEEE 802.11a/b/g Access Point
Packages high capacity, high security, and enterprise-class features to deliver wireless LAN access for a low total cost of ownership. The device is available in either a lightweight version, or as an autonomous version that may be field-upgraded to lightweight operation. With support for both lightweight and autonomous operation, customers can enjoy the simplicity and efficiency of a common hardware platform even while having a hybrid lightweight and autonomous deployment. Designed for wireless LAN coverage in offices and similar RF environments, this unobtrusive autonomous access point features integrated antennas and dual IEEE 802.11a/g radios for robust and predictable coverage, delivering a combined capacity of 108 Mbps. The product comes complete with all necessary mounting hardware to provide for an installation that is both secure and consistent with contemporary office décor. The mounting bracket locks the access point as well as the Ethernet and console cables in place to prevent theft and tampering. The Cisco Aironet 1130AG Series is ready to install and easy to manage, reducing the cost of deployment and ongoing maintenance.
Cisco Aironet 1100 Series Access Point
Offers customers an affordable, easy-to-install, single-band autonomous access point that features enterprise-class management, security, and scalability. The device is available in an autonomous version only and does not support lightweight operation. Legacy Cisco Aironet 1100 Series access points have an 802.11b radio that may be field-upgraded to 802.11g; alternately, the Cisco Aironet 1100 Series may be ordered with a single 802.11g radio that is backward-compatible with 802.11b.
Cisco Aironet 1000 Series IEEE 802.11a/b/g Lightweight Access Point Model 1010
Delivers 802.11a/b/g wireless LAN access with zero-touch configuration and management. The Cisco Aironet 1010 is available only as a lightweight access point and does not support autonomous operation. Unlike the Cisco Aironet 1130AG Series, the Cisco Aironet 1010 requires additional mounting bezels for office deployments and does not provide the same level of security and tamper resistance that is provided by the 1130AG Series. As the Cisco Aironet 1010 is limited to lightweight operation, customers with hybrid lightweight and autonomous deployments cannot standardize on a single hardware platform.
Indoor Access Points for Challenging RF Environments
Cisco Aironet 1240AG Series IEEE 802.11a/b/g Access Point
Delivers the versatility, high capacity, security, and enterprise-class features required in more challenging RF environments, such as warehouses, factories and retailers. The device is available in either a lightweight or an autonomous version that may be field-upgraded to lightweight operation. With support for both lightweight and autonomous operation, customers can enjoy the simplicity and efficiency of having a common hardware platform even while having a hybrid lightweight and autonomous deployment. Designed for wireless LANs in rugged environments or installations that require specialized external antennas, the Cisco Aironet 1240AG Series features diversity antenna connectors for both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands to provide extended range, coverage versatility, and more flexible installation options. The Cisco Aironet 1240AG Series access points combines this versatility with industry-leading transmit power, receive sensitivity, and delay spread for high multipath environments, providing reliable performance and throughput under the most demanding conditions. A second-generation dual-band access point, the Cisco Aironet 1240AG Series supports IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE). The product comes complete with all necessary mounting hardware to provide for an installation that is both secure and rugged. The mounting bracket locks the access point as well as the Ethernet and console cables in place to prevent theft and tampering.
Cisco Aironet 1200 Series Access Point
Offers the same versatility, high capacity, security, and enterprise-class features demanded by industrial wireless LAN customers in a single-band 802.11g solution. The modular device provides the flexibility to field upgrade to a dual-band 802.11a/g network by adding a CardBus-based 802.11a upgrade module that can be easily installed into Cisco Aironet 1200 Series access points originally configured for 802.11g.
Cisco Aironet 1230AG Series Access Point
The Cisco Aironet 1230AG Series is a preconfigured dual-band version of the 1200 Series, providing support for 802.11a and 802.11g. This first-generation dual-band device does not, however, provide the same performance and support for 802.3af PoE as does the 1240AG Series.
Cisco Aironet 1000 Series IEEE 802.11a/b/g Lightweight Access Point Model 1020 and 1030
Delivers 802.11a/b/g wireless LAN access with zero-touch configuration and management. It provides diversity antenna connectors for 2.4 GHz operation and a single non-diversity connector for the 5 GHz band. The Cisco Aironet 1020 is available only as a lightweight access point and does not support autonomous operation. The device does not provide the same extended operating temperature range as the Cisco Aironet 1230AG Series and 1240AG Series, and requires additional mounting hardware. It does not provide the same level of security and tamper resistance as that is provided by 1230AG Series and 1240AG Series. As the Cisco Aironet 1020 is limited to lightweight operation, customers with hybrid lightweight and autonomous deployments cannot standardize on a single hardware platform.
Cisco Aironet 1030 Lightweight Access Point is a version of the 1020 with software capabilities that allow the device to be deployed remotely from a wireless LAN controller. This unique capability makes the 1030 ideal for small branch office deployments where local placement of a wireless LAN controller is impractical or uneconomical.
Outdoor Access Points/Bridges
Cisco Aironet 1300 Series IEEE 802.11g Wireless Outdoor Access Point/Bridge
Provides autonomous access point, wireless bridge, and workgroup bridge capabilities with enhanced WLAN security. For high-speed, cost-effective wireless connectivity between multiple fixed or mobile networks and clients, this ruggedized platform is ideal for public access for outdoor areas, network connections within a campus area, or outdoor infrastructures for mobile networks and users. Engineered specifically for harsh outdoor environments, the Cisco Aironet 1300 Series is ideal for WLANs requiring outdoor coverage. The Cisco Aironet 1300 Series is available in an autonomous version only.
Cisco Aironet 1500 Series Lightweight Outdoor Mesh Access Point
The Cisco Aironet 1500 Series enables cost-effective, scalable deployment of secure outdoor wireless LANs. With dual-band, simultaneous support for IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b/g standards, the Cisco Aironet 1500 Series employs a patent-pending Adaptive Wireless Path Protocol to form a dynamic wireless mesh network between remote access points, and delivers secure wireless access to any Wi-Fi-compliant client.
ACCESS POINT FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Table 3 provides a summary of the Cisco Aironet access points that are best suited for different environments.
Table 3. Cisco Aironet Access Points for Different Environments


Cisco Series

Offices and Similar Environments

Challenging Indoor RF Environments

Outdoors

1000 Series model 1010*

Recommended*

Not recommended

Not recommended

1000 Series model 1020*

Recommended*(Model 1030 for branch offices)

Recommended1 (AP1020 or AP1030 [for remote offices])

Not recommended

1100 Series

Recommended**

Not recommended

Not recommended

1130AG Series

Ideal

Not recommended

Not recommended

1200 Series

Recommended***

Recommended

Recommended****

1230AG Series

Recommended***

Recommended

Recommended****

1240AG Series

Recommended***

Ideal

Recommended****

1300 Series

Not recommended

Not recommended

Ideal**

1500 Series

Not recommended

Not recommended

Ideal*

* For lightweight deployment only
** For autonomous deployment only.
*** Particularly for deployments above suspended ceilings.
**** Can be deployed outdoors when deployed in a weatherproof NEMA-rated enclosure.

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