Specifications

BPG_11n_v1.0 | Page 27
PROOF OF CONCEPT PLAN
A good PoC plan includes testing (on a small scale) all of the WLAN system features and user
applications in a design that is representative of the planned installation. The main object
being to prove that the proposed system will be able to support the all of the functionality
required.
DEPLOYMENT PLAN
We have all heard about installations that did not go well. It is safe to say that many of these
installs share one thing in common and that is poor planning… You can have the best
product, design, installation team, etc, but without a solid, well thought out deployment plan,
the deployment will not be successful.
At a high level the plan details all of the tasks needed to pilot, install, optimize and validate
the WLAN system. The plan should also detail a back-out procedure in the event that service
impacting issues arise during the deployment.
The initial phase of the plan typically involves a pilot where a small section of the network is
deployed. This is like the PoC but now we are using production systems, applications and
clients. Once the pilot proves to be successful we can proceed with the rest of the
deployment.
ACCEPTANCE TEST PLAN
The acceptance test is built around the customer’s expectations in terms of network and
application performance. This test is a way of demonstrating conformance to a set of
customer requirements and it allows us to “deliver” the network to the customer. That is to
say, it is a way to put closure on the installation of the network thus completing the project.
It is also a way to manage project scope creep. A link to an example Acceptance Test is
provided below for reference.
It is highly recommended that sign-off (yes, in writing) be part of the acceptance testing
process. This will help prevent project scope creep and draw a close to this phase of the
project.
RF INTERFERENCE
A spectrum analyzer allows you to determine the channels that have the least amount of
interference (Wi-Fi and non Wi-Fi). Many assume that the 5GHz band is free of non Wi-Fi
interference. While it is true that 2. 4GHz has a greater number of devices that operate in that
spectrum; there are many non Wi-Fi devices that operate in the 5GHz band.
It is always a good idea to get a good picture of channel usage up front thus allowing for the
best channel selection at the time of the installation.
MERU BEST PRACTICES GUIDE | 11n Design, Implementation and Optimization