WLW 026 – Scalable VoIP Mobility Integration and Deployment
Scalable VoIP Mobility Integration and Deployment
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Looking at my bookshelf in my office I have over four shelves full of books on Wireless LAN technologies. I’m sure many of you do as well. It’s a big part of how we learn about the thing we deal with day in/day out.
Lately someone recommended I check out a book with a very long name, Scalable VoIP Mobility – Integration and Deployment. Now that’s a mouthful…
But when I heard the author was Joseph Epstein of Meru Networks fame, I thought this might be a good read. I was not disappointed!
I’ve been teaching folks around the globe on how to best design their Wireless LANs for a VoIP deployment, as well as teaching people to use AirMagnet’s VoFi Analyzer. Either of these tasks requires a very large baseline of knowledge.
You’ve got to know and understand:
- Network Components – switches, hubs, routers
- Networking Protocols – TCP, UDP, IP, MAC, etc.
- Voice Technology – Analog vs Digital, PSTN, CO, CPE, etc.
- VoIP Fundamentals – Codecs, MOS, Jitter, Latency, etc.
- Wireless LAN Fundamentals – Contention Domain, RF characteristics, 802.11 Protocols, roaming, etc.
- Network Security – Authentication, Encryption, etc.
All of those technologies, and then learn to synthesize those together into a cohesive bit of knowledge to apply on your Voice over WiFi network. Whew!
Well Joe does a great job in covering all of those items in great detail in his book!
This week we are pleased to have Joe Epstein in an interview to help explain in person some of the concepts covered by his book.
I’ve read just about every book on the market that has anything to do with Wireless LANs – and this one shines as a beacon of knowledge, lighting the way for further, in-depth understanding of not only the Voice over IP issues, but more importantly how 802.11 works, and how mixing the two effects each other.
Highly recommended!
You can get your copy on Amazon
The book contains many tables and charts just loaded with researched details any Wireless LAN Professional needs to have at their fingertips. We even found out in the call that Joe developed all the book’s graphics himself.
Here are a couple of those graphics – they can really help to understand some fairly complex topics.
If you want to learn about 802.11, or VoIP, or WiFi Security – you can’t go wrong with this book. I personally went the the Kindle version so I can have it on my iPad as a technical reference with me always available.
Thanks again to Joe Epstein for not only writing this book filled with knowledge we all need, but also for sharing his time on this podcast episode!
You can find Joe and his work at MeruNetworks
Last Minute Apology – Due to a technical problem in the recording. The interview with Joe Epstein will be postponed until a future episode. This is a big ‘Doh’! on my part. I connected up some of the recording equipment incorrectly and the resulting audio was un-fit for publishing. My apologies!
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WLW 025 – Mesh Networks / New Antenna Technologies
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This week’s content comes from an interview with Matt Holdrege, a wireless technologist who has helped many companies roll out new technologies. We get to hear Matt discuss Mesh Networking, as well as a description of a new intriguing Antenna Technology.
I am American and have always worked for American companies, but I am based in France and travel all over the world representing American technology. I also have done a lot of work in standardization, writing RFC’s in the IETF, chairing groups in the IETF, ITU-T, ETSI and other fora. I have done a lot of work in VoIP, especially in lawful intercept (wiretapping) for the FBI and other organizations. And I have been nominated as a Senior Member of the IEEE.
Access Points
First Generation – Autonomous
Second Generation – Controller-Based
Third Generation – Wireless Mesh
First Mesh – Single Radio, to ’share’ for local access and backhaul
Second Mesh – Dual Radios, one for local access and one for backhaul
Third Mesh – Multiple Radios, multiple access frequencies, multiple redundant backhaul
RF is more of a ‘black art’ – mixing very high technology and a bit of ‘art’ to accomplish something that is essentially invisible.
New Antenna Technology coming from the Wireless ISP arena.
Wireless is best effort communication. Smart phones, hand-held gaming devices, and Netbooks don’t transmit with strictly vertical or horizontal polarity. Like cellular antenna systems, the FSRD’s multiple dipole antenna arrays are oriented off-axis in order to catch more signal, at any polarity at any time.
Data throughput is most important. Just catching more signal is only part of the equation when it comes to wireless data communications. The FSRD’s high-speed internal signal paths ensure that RF signal gets to the radio as fast as possible.
Too much signal is too much of a good thing. Physics prevent radios from processing unlimited amounts of data. The FSRD’s patent-pending Frequency Splitting Receptacle (FSR) ensures that only one frequency is sent to the radio at a time. As a result, the radio can actually use most of the signal that the FSRD sends to it.
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WLW 024 – Moving to Mac
Moving to Mac
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Many years ago, I worked with Ron Nutter on the CNEPA Communications Committee, for those of you you are old enough to remember it, the CNEPA turned into the Network Professional Association… oh, the good old days…
Ron has been an editor with Network World for over 17 years writing articles on Help Desk, and answering your questions about networks. In his ‘day job’ he maintains a large multi-national corporate network. In this episode we’ll talk a bit about his transition from a Windows guy, to a Mac person, and all that entails with respect to an IT Professional.
You might not be thinking of moving to a Macintosh, you might be satisfied using Windows and love your Dell/HP/Lenovo. But this discussion of the tools that are needed as a Network Engineer can be good food for thought for all of us.
You can get a copy of his free e-book with the same title here. Or check out his new website and blogs.
Some of the items we mentioned in the interview:
Keyspan USA-19HS adapter – USB to Serial Adapter
MacWise – Terminal Software
ZOC – Terminal Software
Super Looper – Rolled Adapter
Little Snitch – Outbound Firewall
MSecure – Password System
Thanks for listening.
We’d love to have you subscribe to our RSS feed – just click the button in the upper right corner of the web page. Until next week, thanks for listening!
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