By Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman
Network deployment solutions are often overlooked at the strategic level yet mounts and enclosures are arguably critical for successful enterprise network builds. Market leader Oberon says the right solutions keep networks secure, drive down operational costs, and ensure aesthetic design guidelines are adhered to. Oberon mounting options are today being installed by the tens of thousands per year, the company says.
It is a high growth market: As Wi-Fi networks densify to keep up with growing demands for coverage and bandwidth, enterprises are increasingly looking for ways to reduce operational costs while keeping networks physically secure. Meanwhile venues nearly always require that network elements – such as APs – blend in with specific architectural aesthetics. Meeting a wide and varied range of operational and physical deployment demands is a tall order. But Oberon says they’ve got it covered.
“There’s a lot more to getting Wi-Fi networks right than picking the right Wi-Fi vendor. Successful Wi-Fi network builds require that you consider and plan the entire installation and lifetime maintenance process including future upgrades, fast serviceability, protection against tampering, aesthetics, and much more. Designing the right AP deployment solutions requires a lot of network build experience, a detailed understanding of the processes involved after installation, and a lot of thinking outside the box,” says Bree Murphy, Global Application Engineer at Oberon.
Oberon – today a division of Chatsworth Products – started as a wireless design consultancy in 1999. After accumulating close to twenty-four years of experience in advising and delivering specialised components for network builds for practically every enterprise vertical, current Oberon products check all the boxes when it comes to making Wi-Fi network deployments simpler, faster, adaptable, and more secure, Bree Murphy says.
“It’s not enough that your network can accommodate current APs, you really also want to be ready for upgrades. That’s why our Wi-Tile® enclosures come with retrofittable doors so that next generation APs are easy to mount at some point in the future. They also offer easy access to the AP and connectivity components for servicing. All of this means that installation and servicing of the Wi-Fi network can be done faster, which drives down OPEX. And OPEX funds are the hardest to come by,” says Bree Murphy.
Protecting APs against tampering, theft, or vandalism is imperative to avoid network downtime. Now add compliance requirements – for example – for installation of APs in healthcare and nearly all other types of facilities. “There hardly exists an enterprise vertical or Fortune 500 company without strict guidelines on physically securing IT installations. For example in healthcare facilities there is a requirement to limit physical access to its electronic information systems and the one or more facilities in which they are housed, while ensuring that only properly authorized access is allowed,” she says
She also says that APs should be protected with lockable mounts. “Hospitals follow strict infection control protocols, especially when it comes to handling ceiling tiles. As a result, Oberon’s ceiling mounts simplify infection control processes, leading to significant cost savings. Other requirements include IP67 water and dust proofing as well as fire and smoke barriers,” she says.
To comply with aesthetic guidelines, APs are often required to be recessed into ceilings or walls revealing only the ‘antenna face’ of the AP. At the same time almost all other cases venues require access to APs without needing to open and enter the wall ceiling space. In both cases Oberon has designed a range of effective mounting and installation options that address these challenges and more.
“In my experience, network professionals are often not given a clear strategy for critical AP mounting, servicing, and protection until late in the process. Ideally, evaluating and choosing the right physical deployment solutions should happen early in the network design phase. Getting this wrong can result in an unserviceable design for years, while getting it right ensures many years of reduced network maintenance and upgrade costs,” Bree Murphy says.
We’re delighted to welcome Oberon – A Division of Chatsworth Products – as our new WiFi NOW partner. For more details also read here.
/Claus.
