Clear To Send: Wireless Network Engineering

I tackle the topic of channel overlap in wireless. Some people may refer to this as co-channel interference. Others use the term co-channel cooperation or even co-channel contention. The latter of the two are more accurate terms to use. But first, lets talk about what channel overlap is. I’m referring to two or more access points providing service for the same area on the same channel. Why is this a big deal? When two or more access points hear each other on the same channel it becomes the capacity of one access point. This is because of the contention the access points must face when vying for air time. It creates more overhead which leads to lower throughput and more latency. What are some ways to mitigate channel overlap? The only ways to mitigate channel overlap involve proper planning which includes a good channel re-use plan, pre-deployment surveys to determine what channels are already in use in your deployment area, and a validation survey to verify any channel overlap. In addition to the above steps, some other ways to mitigate channel overlap include: * Turning off 2.4 GHz radios * Use directional antennas * Use 20 MHz channel widths Listen to the episode and let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below. Links and Resources Mentioned * WIFIQ on the term, survey * Hidden SSIDs in DFS * San Bernadino Screws Up iPhone * WLPC Thanks For Listening I hope you enjoyed this episode on Channel Overlap. Leave a comment below if you have any feedback or additional tips you’d like to leave for other listeners. Thanks to those who have subscribed to the podcast, reviewed, and shared on social media. I really appreciate your support for the show. If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to leave a [review]

What certifications are available out there for wireless network engineering? When I did some research, I found that there is really one authority on wireless certifications. This episode is about identifying vendor-neutral certifications and vendor-specific certifications. I talk about some of the reasons why one may want to be certified in wireless. Not everyone gets certified and its definitely not an absolute requirement to hold a certification. Additionally, many will fail certification exams. I have failed a couple in my career. Just don’t let that get you down. Keep studying and stay determined. Why get certified? * Get your foot in the door * Explore a career roadmap * Learn / grow expertise * Show value * Promotion / salary increase * Stay current * You have to (VAR or MSP) Certifications * CWNP – 6 certifications * CWTS (Certified Wireless Technology Specialist) * Entry level for sales, project managers, and those new to WiFi. * Good for a lifetime * CWNA (Certified Wireless Network Administrator) * Understanding RF, site surveys, etc. * RF fundamentals * Antenna concepts * Standards * Protocols * MAC and PHY layers * Architecture * Security * Valid for 3 years. * CWAP (Certified Wireless Analysis Professional) * Must have CWNA * For those who want to know how to analyze, troubleshoot and optimize WiFi. * Getting down to the nitty gritty. * PHY layer frame formats * MAC layer frame formats * Frame exchanges * Spectrum analysis * Protocol analysis * Troubleshooting * Valid for 3 years. * CWDP (Certified Wireless Design Professional) * Those who want to properly design WiFi. * Requirements analysis * Site surveys * Design * Deployment * Validation * Need CWNA. * Valid for 3 years. * CWSP (Certified Wireless Security Professional) * Prove your knowledge in WiFi security. * Intrusion and attacks * WIPS * VPNs * Security design models * Encryption * Need a CWNA. * Valid for 3 years. * CWNE (Certified Wireless Expert) * Not an exam. * Go through an application process. * Written paper. * Need all certifications. * Average Salary * CWNA – $71,250 – $105,750 * CWNE – $157k – $262,500 * Comptia * Mobility+ (MB0-001) * Vendor neutral * Focuses on mobile device management, troubleshooting, and security. * Includes not just wifi but CDMA, TDMA, GSM, WiMAX, LTE, and others. * Covers 802.11 * RF characterstics * Antennas * Site surveys * Network infrastructure * And OSI model Vendor Certifications You can go for vendor specific certifications from vendors such as Cisco, Aruba, and Ruckus. While these certification tracks will teach you some WiFi specific technology, they are aimed more towards configuring a specific v...

In this episode, we have a listener question from Steve Yuroff who asks: When you have a business with neighbors (particularly residential apartments) where WiFi bleeds over, how do you do channel selection when the neighboring channel use can be an ever changing issue? Networks come and go, a new one could have popped up since I last surveyed. Very good question Steve. This is definitely a challenge to work with when you have neighboring WiFi signals propagating into your environment. The thing about WiFi is that it is an iterative process. You’ve probably heard this before because I’ve taken it from Keith Parsons and Andrew Von Nagy. That means you gather requirements, plan, do your predictive surveys, deploy, validate, and optimize. That is a repeatable cycle. Channel planning is part of that process. In the United States we have 3 non-overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz spectrum and 25 non-overlapping channels in the 5 GHz spectrum. When two or more access points are transmitting and receiving on the same channel it causes errors and retransmissions. It is the same as having the capacity of one access point because all devices, including the access points, are contending for air time. WiFi is a half duplex medium in which one device can communicate at a time. To answer Steve’s question, I use a combination of tools to select the best channels to avoid co-channel interference. The tools are listed below in the resources section. Specifically in my experience, I am using Ekahau Site Survey to conduct pre-deployment or validation surveys to determine where access points are heard on a floor plan. I have also used spectrum analyzers such as Metageek’s Chanalyzer to gather more information such as channel utilization. If you’re working with a limited budget, check out Metageek’s InSSIDer Office. Another option that isn’t ideal would be using Adrian Grenado’s WiFi Explorer but taking note of where signals are heard and on what channel, on a floor plan. The caveat here is that you are doing this on your device’s built-in WiFi card. Results could be different for another device. Links and Resources Mentioned * Keith Parsons on Episode 21 * Adrian Grenados on Episode 7 * WiFi Explorer * Ekahau Site Survey * Metageek Chanalyzer * Metageek InSSIDer Office * Fluke Airmagnet Spectrum XT * TamoGraph * @Ben_sniffwifi Thanks For Listening I’m interested in how you plan channels around other WiFi networks that propagate into your environment? Let me know in the comments below!

This is Part 2 of my interview with Jason Hintersteiner joins the Clear To Send podcast to talk about how he got started in WiFi after the thought of having to move to Europe for his employer. From there Jason brings up his experiences working with small & medium business WiFi. If you haven’t listened to Part I yet I suggest starting there first. In Part II, Jason talks about becoming CWNE and his tips for those pursuing CWNE certification. I also ask him about starting a consulting firm and what challenges come from becoming an entrepreneur. Links and Resources Mentioned Part I – Jason Hintersteiner @emperorwifi – Follow Jason on Twitter www.emperorwifi.com – Jason’s blog www.imperialnetworksolutions.com – Jason’s consulting firm Tamograph – Wireless Site Survey software CommView – Network Analyzer, same makers of Tamograph Wireshark – Free network protocol analyzer CWNE – Certified Wireless Network Expert certification from CWNP Thanks Listening This completes the two part interview with Jason Hintersteiner who provided his experiences and challenges with working with small and medium businesses. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it on social media with the share links below. I would also highly appreciate it if you provided a rating and review of the podcast on iTunes to help expose the podcast to new listeners. Thank you for listening and tune in for the next episode!

Jason Hintersteiner joins the Clear To Send podcast to talk about how he got started in WiFi after the thought of having to move to Europe for his employer. From there Jason brings up his experiences working with small & medium business WiFi. This is Part I of a two part podcast interview. The SMB space requires a different approach to WiFi compared to a large enterprise or large educational institution. While the process might be different, one thing is certain – Jason and I agree that a wireless professional must know the basics or foundations of wireless before designing, installing and troubleshooting a wireless network. I ask about the tools Jason uses on his Windows laptop and what his design methodology is, such as 80, 40, and 20 MHz channel widths. Links and Resources Mentioned @emperorwifi – Follow Jason on Twitter www.emperorwifi.com – Jason’s blog www.imperialnetworksolutions.com – Jason’s consulting firm Tamograph – Wireless Site Survey software CommView – Network Analyzer, same makers of Tamograph Wireshark – Free network protocol analyzer CWNE – Certified Wireless Network Expert certification from CWNP Thanks For Listening Thanks for listening to this episode. This is Part I of the interview with Jason Hintersteiner. Stay tuned for Part II as we wrap up with Jason. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it on social media using the share buttons below.

In This Episode I have the pleasure of sitting down and interviewing Keith Parsons on the podcast. When I first got started in WiFi, it was Keith’s podcast and resources from WLANPros.com that gave me the right direction. Keith Parsons is CWNE #3 and runs WLANPros.com and also the founder of the WLANPros conference. In this episode, Keith talks about how he got started in wireless to where he is now. He provides insight into how he designs WiFi in K-12. Along with that are his expertise on 1 AP per classroom and placing APs in hallways. Near the end of the episode, Keith provides his tips for those just getting started in WiFi, what tools he’s currently using, and more about the upcoming WLPC conference in February 2016. Links and Resources Mentioned * WLAN Pros 2016 * WLANPros.com * CWNP * CWNA Textbook Defining Channel Overlap Channel Overlap is a heatmap within Ekahau Site Survey. It tells you how much channel overlap (both co-channel and adjacent channel) you have on your predictive or post-site survey. The criteria is defined within the Coverage Requirements window. Coverage Requirements can be found by going to Project > Coverage Requirements. By default, the application will allow for channel overlap. By setting the Max number for Channel Overlap to 1, the application will tell you if there is channel overlap heard from more than one access point. Another tip Keith provides is viewing secondary coverage. By default, Ekahau shows you primary coverage. But what about if you’re designing for VOIP? Or what if you want to determine coverage for redundancy in the case of an access point failure. By clicking on Options and then using the drop down to change from strongest to 2nd strongest, which is located at the bottom, the Signal Strength heatmap provides a visualization on secondary coverage. Thanks For Listening I hope you enjoyed this episode with Keith Parsons. He provided a lot of knowledge bombs for us on WiFi design, tips on using Ekahau, and his valuable insight. Please share this episode with your friends and colleagues by using the share buttons below. If you have anything to add or have any questions, please use the comment section below. I’d also appreciate it if you provided a rating and review for the podcast on iTunes which you can do so here.

In This Episode We’ve made it through the first week of 2016. It’s a good time to look back at our accomplishments of 2015 and to look forward for 2016. I’ve created a short list of 5 New Year’s resolutions for wireless engineers. It is not in any particular order. * Attend an in-person event * Become a speaker/presenter * Get certified * Start a blog * Be Bold Bonus: Start your own lab Links and Resources Mentioned * Packet6 – CWNA * WLPC * CWNP events * Cisco Live * Aruba Atmosphere * Ruckus Big Dogs * WordPress * Blogger What are your New Year’s resolutions? Are you going to take up one of the ones listed above? Let me know in the comments below.

In This Episode The first episode for 2016 is going to be about Wi-Fi predictive modeling – how I plan my wireless networks. But before we get into the meat of the episode, I’d like to share my new year resolutions: * CWAP * CWDP * More learning * More podcasts! Man, I have a lot to work on. What are your resolutions? My 2016 predications: * LTE over Wi-Fi*I meant to say LTE-U and LAA* to gain traction * We’ll be working with more poor Wi-Fi * Someone will be fined over blocking Wi-Fi * Wi-Fi calling will take off Predictive Modeling Predictive modeling is a method in which a software application is used to predict the number of access points required on a floor plan based on user inputted capacity and coverage requirements. As the phrase says, it is a PREDICTIVE model. A wireless installation should be verified to end user requirements. My application of choice is Ekahau Site Survey. Some things to consider in your predictive model using Ekahau: * Setting Capacity and Performance requirements * Setting Coverage requirements * Importing a floor plan * Setting scale and alignment points * Adding a coverage area * Adding access points * Optimize placement Thanks For Listening Welcome to a new year of Clear To Send podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please use the sharing buttons below to share it on social media. This helps expose Clear To Send to new listeners.

In This Episode I want to talk about channel planning and channel re-use. More importantly, why you would want to even consider this, how it should be done and what tools you can use to do it. As an introduction, I briefly go over the available channels in the United States – specifically the non-overlapping channels in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. At the end of the episode, I go into the importance of planning. My tool of choice here for wifi planning is Ekahau Site Survey. Links and Resources Mentioned Thanks For Listening Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you for being part of Clear To Send. This podcast would be nothing without you. You have helped make this podcast successful. Click on the share buttons below to increase the subscribers to the podcast and help us share the knowledge of WiFi.

In This Episode In episode 17 of the Clear To Send I would like to welcome Francois Verges of SemFio Networks. We talk about an introduction to roaming. Some of the topics we discuss are what customers need to know about WiFi roaming, how clients decide to roam, and what it means to roam. Sometimes there are also problems to solve about roaming. What happens when a client doesn’t roam? We talk about some amendments that help with improved roaming. Links and Resources Mentioned * What are sticky clients * WiFi Roaming Analysis Part I, Part II, and Part III * WiFi Roaming Analysis with Wireshark * Wireless 802.11 Wireshark Filters Reference Sheet

In This Episode I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Before getting into the episode, I wanted to thank you, the listener, for downloading and listening to episodes of Clear To Send. Without you, this podcast would be nothing. Also, thanks to my previous interview guests for being part of the podcast: * Eddie Forero * Adrian McCaskill * Adrian Granados * Jussi Kiviniemi * Todd Smith * Jennifer Huber * Lee Badman Thanks @wifichef for mentioning what he was thankful for: @rowelldionicio #WiFi thankful for the founders of @CWNP program. It has dramatically impacted my family and our quality of life #Planet3 — wificollusion (@wifichef) November 23, 2015 RF Fundamentals In this main segment, I talk about RF Fundamentals. There are four characteristics of RF signals and that is: * Wavelength * Frequency * Amplitude * Phase There are nine RF behaviors to know about: * Absorption * Reflection * Scattering * Refraction * Diffraction * Attenuation loss * Free Space Path Loss * * Multipath * Gain Links and Resources Mentioned * PureLiFi * Li-Fi achieves 224 Gbps * Ted Talk on Li-Fi Thanks For Listening Thank you to you for listening to the podcast. I appreciate your time! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes. I really appreciate. Leaving ratings and reviews helps others join the podcast and become part of the wireless community. What do you think about Li-Fi? Let me know in the comments.

In This Episode Ep. 15 will be a solo show this week. I’m going to go a little technical and discuss how wireless devices connect to a wireless network through authentication and association. Authentication and association occurs in three steps: * Unauthenticated and unassociated * Authenticated and unassociated * Authenticated and associated This is the 802.11 state machine. Authentication must occur before association. A device can never be unauthenticated and associated. Links and Resources * 802.11 State Machine * Authentication and Association.pcap

In This Episode – CWNA Certification Episode 14 is about the CWNA certification where I provide my experiences into how I passed. Outlined are the 6 steps I took for the CWNA certification process. This includes: * Objectives * CWNA Study Guide * Note taking * Flash cards * Practice exam * Bootcamp Links and Resources Mentioned * CWNA certification * CWNA Study Guide Book Review * CWNA 18-Week Study Plan * Evernote * Goconqr (for flash cards) * Practice tests * Global Knowledge (tell them Rowell Dionicio sent you!) * CWAP Here are some great words to live by from Andrew von Nagy. Never let a piece of paper define you. . @rowelldionicio @KeithRParsons You are not defined by the piece of paper but by your skills, experience, and attitude. — Andrew (@revolutionwifi) September 26, 2015 Another great tweet from Kash Shaikh. https://twitter.com/KashShaikh/status/665590275360731136 Thanks For Listening A big shout out to 802dot11pete, KiloSeven, and robb_35 for giving a 5 star rating to the podcast and for leaving great feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and family. Get the word out about the podcast. Thank you for listening. It’s a wonderful experience producing this podcast and sharing information back out to the WiFi industry.

In This Episode – Lee Badman My special guest is a blogger, writer, an instructor, and creator of #WIFIQ. He’s Lee Badman, a wireless network architect of 17 years at a large university. At the university, they have over 4000 access points which connect over 55k wireless devices. Lee transitioned from the Air Force into wireless networking where he talks about that experience. Additionally, Lee mentions the challenges that are faced on the university which is one big BYOD environment. With a large wireless network as his, he mentions the resources used for monitoring and keeping the wireless network alive. Links and Resources Mentioned * @wirednot – Lee Badman’s Twitter account * wirednot.wordpress.com – Lee Badman’s blog * #WIFIQ – Daily WiFi Question * Cisco Prime * Statseeker * MRTG * Meraki * Splunk * Ekahau * AirMagnet Thanks For Listening Thank you for listening to the podcast! I hope you enjoyed the insights provided by Lee Badman. He talked about how he got started in WiFi, what it’s like managing a large university wireless network, and his social media interaction with #WIFIQ. Share this episode with everyone you know using the share buttons below! Let me know what you think about the this episode in the comments below. If you have any questions of suggestions, feel free to email me using the contact form.

In This Episode – Jennifer Huber Jennifer Huber is a fellow photographer and wireless professional. As a mobility solutions architect, she provides her insight into how she and her team perform wireless site surveys. This includes the tools they use, her testing method, and some stories on previous site surveys. With the recent conferences that just occurred, Jennifer Huber speaks about which one she attends each year and why you would want to attend a conference. In addition, we talk about social media and how that plays a role in someone’s career. Near the end of the podcast we talk briefly about location tracking, the use cases, and how you could get started in location tracking. Finally, Jennifer talks about a new project she is working on but you’ll have to listen to what that is! Links and Resources Mentioned * @jenniferlucille – Jennifer Huber on Twitter * @jenniferlucille – Jennifer Huber on Instagram * Cisco Live * Jennifer Huber’s CWNP WifiTrek presentation on location tracking * Tech Field Day * Airmagnet Survey Pro * Airmagnet Spectrum Analyzer * Airmagnet WiFi Analyzer * Metageek Chanalyzer * Metageek Eye P.A. * Ekahau Site Survey * www.jentechyoga.com Thank You For Listening I appreciate the feedback you guys have given about the podcast. As I get through my first 10 episodes I am finding my flow. Thanks for hanging in there and I hope to bring on more interviews and insights. If you have any suggestions for topics feel free to send me an email through the contact form or leave a comment below. I would appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast on iTunes and subscribe! If you enjoyed this episode, please do share it on social media with the links below!