Customers
Case Studies
Case Study 5 - Wireless Network Design
Designing full coverage wireless for a manufacturing facility.
The manufacturer had three main concerns. First, the current WLAN in the manufacturing plant had dead spots where wireless clients would lose connections. Each time a forklift driver lost a connection, they lost productivity driving to an area with wireless connectivity, rebooting the wireless client, reconnecting and restoring database access. Eliminating these areas was complicated by electrical noise from production equipment. Second, the facility was expanding, and he wanted to avoid similar issues in the new section. Production equipment in this new area was not yet installed, making it more difficult to create an adequate WLAN design. Third, he needed an objective assessment of security compliance for the WLAN for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance.
The manufacturer engaged TSC Wireless™ to perform an evaluation of the existing WLAN, design a WLAN for the expansion, and assess the security of the WLAN against the PCI DSS standard. They knew TSC Wireless’ reputation for deep expertise and industry-leading methods of measuring wireless signals. The Trusted Advisors™ (TAs) assigned by TSC Wireless have extensive background in wireless measurement and design. They performed a comprehensive site survey of the existing manufacturing facility and made recommendations to fix the existing dead spots. They then used the survey information to create a theoretical model of the expansion and design a WLAN for the expansion that will provide full coverage before and after the production equipment is installed. TSC Wireless Trusted Advisors also have extensive experience securing wireless networks. They reviewed the security measures currently in place to ensure compliance with the PCI - DSS standard.
Lead experts at TSC Wireless are known as Trusted Advisors. Trusted Advisors are more than consultants. They are experts in their field with years of real-world experience. They are able to decipher the needs of your employees, customers and business to help you be more successful.
The site survey led to tangible productivity improvements. Once the dead spots were eliminated, forklift drivers became more productive. They no longer lost time driving around looking for wireless signal, rebooting the wireless client and reconnecting. The network design for the expansion saved the manufacturer days of lost productivity and by recommending cost-effective number and position of access points and identifying the optimum locations for each one. A wireless design similar to the one in the existing facility would have dead spots such as the ones they were already experiencing. By determining the cause and creating a remediation plan, TSC Wireless allowed the manufacturer to get the network design right the first time, purchase only the hardware needed and be immediately productive.
The TSC Wireless security assessment for PCI compliance found potential issues that required the manufacturer’s attention. In addition, they were able to confirm that their existing encryption methods were sufficient.
TSC Wireless provides comprehensive site surveys, wireless network design and security assessment services. We go above and beyond other providers in evaluating all aspects of the network to help you achieve better coverage, better total cost of ownership and better security.