Setting up your small business wireless network

Getting your small business ready for operation requires a lot of set up. One of the things you will soon find you need right away is a wireless network. Your small business wireless network will give you access to the internet and allow you to communicate with your employees, customers, and prospects via email or online chat wherever you are.

Setting up a wireless network can be tricky, however. The following are a few things you need to know about setting up your small business wireless network:

Figure out what you need.
The wireless network you set up will depend on the needs of your business. Things you will want to consider include:

• How many cubicles, conference rooms, offices, etc. are connected to your network? Are there any you would like to connect?


• Do you use many mobile devices, such as laptops or PDAs, or do most of your employees use desktops? This will influence the number of access points, which are small devices that help you connect wirelessly via radio signals.


• Do you or your employees conduct business away from the office most of the time?


• Is your building leased? Does the lease permit you to drill holes for setting up the necessary ports?


• Is your equipment equipped for wireless? It would be an expensive mistake to set up your wireless network only to find out that your devices or computers are not wireless ready.

These are all things that you will need to consider before you can set up your wireless network for your small business.

Once you know what you need, you can approach service providers and discuss your requirements with them.You may or may not need to purchase equipment, depending on the promotions your service provider is running, or the deal you work out with them.

Get your equipment
The amount of equipment you need will depend on the number of people you have who will have access to your wireless network. More employees means more access points.

Your equipment will consist of your wireless devices, such as laptops, printers, or PDAs, and your access points. The access points will contain a radio transceiver, software, and your Ethernet port that allows you to cable connect to a hub on your wired network.

Configure and connect
Once you get your equipment together, you will need to connect it to your wired LAN (Local Access Network). The best place to put this is a central location to your employees and the wireless devices they will be using, and preferably in an open area without interference. Things such as walls or cables in the way could decrease your overall range. As a rule of thumb, you should keep it at a maximum range of 150 feet.

Next, you should set up your security. Without a secure connection, anyone within range will be able to pick up on your signal and access the places you have visited. Data encryption, user authentication, and password protection are just a few of the security options most wireless networks provide. Typically, this should not take more than 10 or 15 minutes.

Be sure to take advantage of your provider's support helps if you run into trouble.

Once you have your small business wireless network connected, you can start accessing the Internet and communicating wirelessly via portable devices.