Wireless Local Area Networks or in short WLAN are actually the extension of wired network which provides connectivity between a wired network and the mobile users. It's an environment where high-performance networking enables total business mobility. From any location within your enterprise, using your notebook computer or wireless hand held device, you can wirelessly gather information, connect with colleagues, interact with customers, and make informed decisions in real time. Using barcode and wireless technology together gives you the flexibility of data capture on move and still connected with your ERP system. Studies show that organizations that integrate wireless networking into their systems see increased productivity, better customer retention, and lowered operating costs. When you choose to go wireless, your company is making a sound investment in the future. By integrating wireless systems into your computing environment, your company is laying the groundwork for a more cost-effective, powerful infrastructure that will lead to long-term success.

Speeds and Spectrums

Wireless LAN systems are based on spread spectrum technology, a wide-band radio frequency technique developed by the military for use in reliable, secure, mission-critical communications systems. There are two types of spread-spectrum radio: frequency hopping and direct sequence.

Frequency Hopping (FH) uses a narrowband carrier that changes frequency in a pattern known to both transmitter and receiver. Because the signal "hops," it is highly secure, provides great coverage, and has robust throughput.

Direct Sequence (DS) generates a redundant bit pattern for each bit of data to be transmitted, called a "chip." This type of transmission enables high-speed transmission at 11 Mbps for applications such as wireless Internet access, video streaming, and large file transfers. WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. WLANs of today operate in the 2.4 GHz license-free frequency band and have throughput rates up to 55 Mbps. The current 802.11b standard is direct sequence, and provides throughput rates up to 11 Mbps. The new standard, 802.11a, operates in the 5 GHz license-free frequency band and provides throughput rates up to 54 Mbps. All these standards have auto fall back in data rate depending upon the signal level.

The Benefits of Wireless

The widespread strategic reliance on networking among competitive businesses and the meteoric growth of the Internet and online services are strong testimonies to the benefits of instantaneous data capture, wireless voice, and shared resources. With wireless technology, users can immediately and continuously access shared information, while IT managers can set up or augment networks (such as temporary conference or work spaces) and devices (such as wireless cash registers, kiosks, and displays) without installing or moving wires. Just some of the benefits that wireless LANs offer include: Using middleware approach, the users can directly trigger ERP transactions from hand held devices without going to the system to access ERP.

Mobility That Improves Productivity and Service : Wireless LAN systems can provide users with access to real-time information anywhere in their organization. This supports better productivity and service opportunities not possible with wired networks, leading to faster decision-making and lowered costs.

Installation Speed and Simplicity : Installing a wireless LAN system is faster and easier than a wired implementation, as it eliminates the need for complex cabling and construction tasks. Installation can even take place without taking your current wired system off-line, allowing work to continue as usual.

Reduced Cost-of-Ownership : While there is an initial investment required for wireless hardware, overall installation expenses and life-cycle costs can be significantly lower. Long-term cost benefits are greatest in dynamic environments requiring frequent moves, adds and changes.

Scalability : Wireless LAN systems can be configured and reconfigured in a variety of topologies to meet the needs of specific applications and installations. Symbol networks are also designed to adapt easily for corporate expansion-simply add more access points to grow your network.

Site Survey

When considering the use of wireless networks, it is extremely difficult to predict the propagation of radio waves and detect the presence of interfering signals without the use of specialized test equipment. Even if your installation includes omni-directional antennas, radio waves do not travel the same distance in all directions. Walls, doors, elevator shafts, people, and other obstacles offer varying degrees of attenuation, which cause the radio frequency (RF) radiation pattern to be irregular and unpredictable. As a result, one should have an RF site survey performed to understand fully the behavior of radio waves within a facility before installing any wireless devices.

The goal of an RF site survey is to gather enough information and data to determine the number and placement of access points that will provide the coverage required. Coverage required usually means the support of a minimum data rate in a given area. An RF site survey will also detect the presence of radio interference coming from other sources that could degrade the performance of the wireless LAN. A poorly performed site survey could lead to you large number of access points and still not giving the desired performance. The positioning of access point and antenna plays very important role in the implementation of any wireless solution.

We have strong skills in performing the site survey for your site, design the wireless network and suggest the BOM for entire wireless network keeping in view your present and future requirements. We design the network to get maximum out of it still giving you the best performance, seamless roaming and desired level of redundancy at access point level.

Communication with Host System

At the heart of the mobile computing revolution is the ability to move information quickly and easily from the mobile device to a desktop PC and vice versa. Within the mobile computing community, we call this function synchronization. All mobile computers come with some form of synchronization software. Once installed on both systems, it allows a mobile computer and desktop PC to exchange information using a common application, such as a word processor or spreadsheet. A mobile computer can communicate wirelessly and exchange information with the host in real time, or through a batch download/upload option.

Typical Applications for Wireless LANs :

• Warehousing
• Manufacturing
• Shipping and Distribution
• Logistics