White Paper Introduction | SpectraLink specification

White Paper

1.0Introduction

1.1Comparing Voice and Data

Wi-Fi telephony is the convergence of wireless voice and data applications using a common Wi-Fi wireless LAN. Wi-Fi telephony bridges traditional telecommunications, data communications, and mobile technologies. A Wi-Fi wireless telephone is a wireless LAN client device, using the same network technology as wireless laptops and PDAs, and sharing the same medium. A Wi-Fi wireless telephone is also functionally equivalent to a wired telephone, requiring configuration and management from the local enterprise telephone system. Lastly, a Wi-Fi wireless telephone is a mobile communication device that requires special considerations for continuous high-quality connections as the user moves throughout the coverage area.

SpectraLink pioneered the use of Wi-Fi telephones in a wide variety of applications and environments, making SpectraLink’s NetLink Wireless Telephones the market-leading Wi-Fi telephone devices. This document identifies issues and solutions based on SpectraLink’s extensive experience with Wi-Fi telephony.

Voice and data applications have different attributes and network requirements. The most significant difference is their tolerance for network errors and delays. Whereas data applications are designed to accept just about any amount of packet delays and retransmissions, voice quality will suffer with just a few hundred milliseconds of delay or a very small percentage of lost packets. Data applications are typically bursty in terms of bandwidth utilization, while a telephone conversation utilizes a consistent, and relatively small, amount of network bandwidth.

1.2Implementation Issues

Using a wireless LAN for voice is not complex, but there are some things that need to be considered, particularly for enterprise applications. A critical objective of deploying enterprise Wi-Fi telephony is to maintain similar voice quality, reliability, and functionality as users expect from their wired business telephones. The key issues in deploying Wi-Fi telephony are coverage, capacity, quality of service (QoS), telephone switch integration, and security. This white paper provides recommendations for ensuring that a network environment is optimal for SpectraLink’s NetLink Wireless Telephones.

2.0Wireless LAN Layout Considerations

NetLink Wireless Telephones utilize a Wi-Fi network consisting of wireless LAN access points (APs) distributed throughout an enterprise environment. The required number of APs is driven by two factors: coverage area and system capacity.

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