Problem of the Week: How to Keep Your Network Optimized in a Multi-Tenant Building

WiFi access is shared over airwaves, meaning in a multi-tenant building the biggest challenge to your network might be airspace interference from another company’s network.  Interference comes in two forms: WiFi, for example, multiple APs operating on the same channel or frequency band; or non-WiFi interference, such as radio waves from microwaves.  The worst thing possible in this situation is to not have continuous visibility into the entire WiFi ecosystem – this includes your own network, as well as any nearby networks.

Why continuous?  Perhaps you use a network analytics tool to discover exactly what is happening in your office building when you move in.  You design and optimize your network based on this information, and life is good. The service is strong and reliable and there are no complaints.  Then one of the other tenants leaves, and a new company moves in. This company brings in different network infrastructure and connects different devices to different channels.  Perhaps you are unaware of the change in tenants until you start experiencing intermittent issues with your network that disrupt productivity.

Or, perhaps there is no change in tenants, but there is still a change in infrastructure and/or devices.  You have no control over what other companies do with their networks. Do they connect legacy clients? Do they change the network design?  Do they grow in capacity? Do they react to interference from yet another company? The bottom line is, you have no way of knowing unless you have continuous monitoring and visibility into the entire WiFi ecosystem.  Without this visibility, you are left reacting to issues, rather than proactively defending against interference.

The Wireless Intelligence Platform™ (WIP) provides 24/7 visibility and awareness into every part of the WiFi ecosystem: backend and frontend infrastructure, client devices, non-WiFi devices, and RF airwaves from all nearby networks.  It is vendor agnostic, providing guaranteed support regardless of which vendors move in and out of the office. In a multi-tenant space, you are going to need to make changes to your own network to ensure it remains optimized, keeps users satisfied, and keeps productivity high.  WIP provides visibility and proactive detection, notification, and mitigation, and an automated solution response for quick resolution. It is the answer for reliable network optimization.