Designing a WLAN for Enterprise: A Case Study of Canberra Institute

This document presents a comprehensive WLAN design proposal for the Canberra Institute of Technology, which has two campuses in Canberra. The proposal addresses the institution's need for the latest wireless technology to support over 1200 users, including administrative staff and students using mobile devices. The design includes a network analysis, floor mappings, security considerations using VLANs and portal authentication, IP address design, and an extended service set (ESS) network topology. The proposal also specifies the desired types of links, hardware and software analysis, and a capital cost estimate. It recommends TP-Link access points for both indoor and outdoor use, along with appropriate switches and firewalls. The design aims to provide increased productivity, scalability, and flexibility, utilizing the 802.11b standard with a 2.4GHz frequency and a minimum throughput of 11Mbps.

Design a WLAN For an Enterprise 1
DESIGN A WLAN FOR AN ENTERPRISE
Name
Instructor
Institution
Course
City
Date

Design a WLAN For an Enterprise 2
Executive summary
Wireless networks have of late impacted a lot of universities and colleges. Most of them
have invested in wireless technology to communicate to students. Mobile phones are part of the
huge network systems and students are using cellular phones to communicate with friends online
ABC is an institute technology that has recently relocated to Canberra. The school has two
campuses which are located in Canberra and are two kilometers apart. The 1st campus is a four-
building with three colleges which are chemistry, IT, and physics. The campus has a library also.
The 2nd block is the administration block with a library, school of business, and the
administration office. The institution would wish to always use the latest wireless technology
where all the users expect the administrative officers are required to connect to the internet via
mobile devices. The institution has over 1200 users where 250 is the administrative staff and the
students are 1310.
This wireless network proposal will address the concern of the college. All the wireless
access points that will be discussed in this document will be compliant with the current IT
standards. In addition, all the access will have the capability of transmitting a minimum of
50Mb/s.

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Table of Contents
Executive summary.....................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Proposal description of requirements...........................................................................................................4
Network Design analysis.............................................................................................................................5
Floor mappings........................................................................................................................................5
Security of the WLAN.............................................................................................................................5
Access management................................................................................................................................5
IP address design.........................................................................................................................................6
Network Topology.......................................................................................................................................6
Desired types of Links.................................................................................................................................8
Hardware and software analysis................................................................................................................10
Capital cost................................................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................13

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Introduction
Wireless Network topologies have a lot of advantages than disadvantages. One of the
advantages is that wireless network is more flexible than cabled one. Second, wireless networks
are scalable as users can add Aps any time on demand. In addition with wired network, cabling is
needed which in turn increases workload. This means that an organization needs to invest in
designing of WLAN. This wireless design proposal will be in line with 802.11 series wireless
standard [1].
Proposal description of requirements
Table one below describes ABC institution requirements
Table 1: ABC institution requirements
ID Description
1 The wireless access point has to be compliant
with the current IT standards
2 All the institution access points will have the
capability of providing not less than 150Mb/s
3 All the access points will have to be
configured to restrict to unauthorized
personnel
4 The availability of all the access points will be
95 percent for 24 hours period
5 All wireless Access Points ought to be
configured to deny unauthorized mobile

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devices do not connect into the network
Network Design analysis
Floor mappings
Security of the WLAN
The use of broadcast WLAN in most cases is always a challenge. In addition, the college
needs to note that security for a wireless network is always a challenge of not properly done. To
solve the issue of security, the organization need data privacy and user authentication. Securing
the wireless network always need to a top priority concern. For this scenario, I would propose
VLAN for the two building. The type of authentication that is needed in this case is of portal
authentication so as to control the access of internet within the college. Every user within the

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university will have to pass through the college portal authentication so as block unauthorized
users from accessing the college network [2].
Access management
For this case, one would propose a 2.4GHz frequency which will be used for each Access
Point as they are a lot of walls for each and every building. In addition, a better coverage is
needed in the two buildings. The major coverage as highlighted in the requirements is the tuition
blocks and the administration block [3]. In this case, I would propose four access for each and
every floor.
IP address design
The table below clearly shows the number of floors in each building and the number of
Access Points used for each and every building in each and every floor.
Table 2: IP addressing scheme
Building VLAN Internet
Protocol
Gateway Floor Number
of Access
Points
Administration
building
102 192.168.101.0 192.168.101.254 1 4
2 4
3 4
4 4
The 2nd
building
101 192.168.101.0 192.168.102.254 1 4

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2 4
3 4
4 4
Network Topology
There three types of wireless topologies that are widely employed these are the ad-hoc
type, Basic service set, and extended service set. Ad-hoc type is where the users can directly
transmit data set between themselves, the basic service set where users connect to the internet via
an access point and extended service set where users connect via the internet using two or more
Aps. This can cover a wide area. Extended service is suitable for devices which have high speed
[4]. For this case, I would propose an extended service set type of topology. One of the reasons
as to why the institution ought to go for ESS is that, the plan implements multiple access points.
Figure 1 shows the network topology that the organization will implement

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Figure 2: Architecture diagram
From the diagram, the external Access points are connected through copper cabling of
CAT 6 type. The PoE is connected via fiber to the central core. Figure two is the architecture
schematic, the core switches which are connected through firewalls then to the routers which are
manageable. The routers are provided by the institution Internet service provider
Desired types of Links
When selecting wireless equipment it is important to consider whether the AP are to be
indoor or outdoor. For this case, both indoor and outdoor Aps will be used. The second
consideration is the way of installation whether the AP will be installed on the panel or at the
ceiling. A third consideration is power supply whether it will be a passive PoE or standard PoE.
Forth consideration is the coverage of WLAN whether it will be multiple rooms or a single
room. The last consideration is the number of users in each building. For this case, I would
propose the use of TP-Link type of access point. The reason why TP-link is best for this case is
that it can be installed in the ceiling or on the wall. TP-Link Aps are also available in both
versions that are internal APs and external APs.
For internal TP-Link ABC, institution should go for a 450 Mbs TP link of model TL-
WA901ND. The 450Mbps will bring a smooth wireless N experience. In addition, the TP-link

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supports several operating modes which are wireless Bridge, Access Point, and client. The TP-
Link also supports a coverage of 100 feet. The internal TP link is designed to establish a scalable
high-speed wireless network and supports multiple functions which make the organization
wireless networking experience flexible. The gadget can also be powered using an Ethernet
cable. Figure 3 shows how TL-WA901ND looks like
Figure 3: Recommended internal Access Point [5]
For outdoor Access Point, this proposal would recommend a 9dBi Outdoor CPE. One of
the reasons as to why the organization should use the gadget is that it has modifiable
transmission power from zero to 28dBm/500mw. The TP-link can also transmit signals for over
5 kilometers plus data transmission. The TP-link can also function spotlessly in any climate with
functional temperatures that range from negative forty degrees Celsius to seventy degrees
Celsius. The gadget also uses Maxtream TDMA technology

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Figure 4: Outdoor TP-Link [6]
Hardware and software analysis
It is very essential that suitable hardware is selected for this campus WLAN design. All
the hardware that the organization selects ought to meet the college needs. For an institution
such as this one, ought to ensure that high-performance WLANs and at the same time save on
cost.
The table analysis the type of hardware and software that will be required for this project [7]
Table 3: Hardware and software analysis
Hardware Specifications
TL-AP1750C-PoE Wall mounting
2.4 Ghz frequency band: 450Mbps
5GHz Frequency Band 1300Mps
Power consumption is 15.31
Distribution Switch Cisco
16 RJ45 ports and support PoE, the basic
software specification are VLAN isolation,

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and standard switching
Firewall WatchGuard
TL-SG5428 core switch 5 RJ45 ports, SSIF broadcast supported,
isolation between the wireless networks,
VLAN settings which support Tag VLAN
binding, and support SSID
Factory reset is supported by the switch
Back-up and import configuration supported
[8]
Software upgrade support
Capital cost
The capital cost that will be incurred by the institution will comprise of one area which are the
network infrastructure. The table shows the equipment and the estimated cost of each equipment
Table 4: Capital cost
Equipment Per unit ($) QTY Total sell ($)
Access Point (AP); TP-
Link access Point
820 20 16400
WatchGuard Firewall
M500XTM 3
1050 2 2100
Cisco switch 1000 16 1600
TL-AP1750C 50 20 100

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Power of Ethernet
Cabling 150 - 150
Total 20350
Conclusion
The WLAN design proposal has three major forces which are an increased productivity,
scalability and flexibility. ESS network topology administration users access printers’ access
printers and other users’ computers regardless of their location. In addition, the proposal utilizes
the 802.11b standard with a frequency of 2.4GHz and a minimum throughput of 11Mbps. TP-
Link types of Access Points is recommended access links for this case as it is compatible with
any climate.