Life Cycle of a Converged Network and Network Optimization

Wireless networks have become a part and parcel of our lives. Not only are they needed for the accomplishments of various tasks, but have become an absolute necessity these days. They provide a comfortable infrastructure to accomplish different works. They are cableless and sometimes provide better services than wired networks. The number of nodes that can be attached to one particular network is a hassle-free work. Today, they are being used extensively in businesses, places of work, homes, schools, colleges etc.

What is a converged network?

An important iteration of wireless networks is converged networks. Usual networks are employed in receiving and transmitting only data traffic. On the other hand, converged networks, as its name suggests, converges data, video and voice traffic in one flow. All of this traffic makes use of the Internet protocol or IP.

How to set up a converged network?

However, if you plan to set up a converged network for yourself, you have to pay attention to various guidelines and have to create an efficient wireless network design. Moreover, network optimizations have to be performed to achieve effective results. The first and the foremost step is network capacity planning.

What is network capacity planning?

Network capacity planning is the process of planning the different aspects of a network and assessing how they will perform in the real world. The parameters included in this planning which have to be kept in mind are bandwidth utilization, the operability of the network, availability and its performance. This is a step where the whole network infrastructure is planned and predict future requirements. Wireless technology training is needed for this process, hence this step is handled by network administrators.

Wireless network design.

The next step is to design the layout of the network. This is a complex task that involves a plethora of variables. As the wireless networks have advanced so has the difficulty in sketching a network design. Usually, this step involves predicting the real world requirements and including them in the design. How many nodes have to be attached to the network, what kind of topology has to be followed, what kind of adapters, drivers, firmware have to be used, what should be the access points are some of the questions which are answered and applied in this step.

Network optimization

Since converged networks are complex and carry three different kinds of data, optimizing the network to perform at its maximum efficiency is indispensable. The main aim of this step is to achieve effective Quality of Service. The inclusion of a distinct VOIP service on top of the converged network is an added advantage. The protocols can also be reviewed in this step which may achieve better performance. Lastly, wireless security implementations are vital in these times due to various data leaks taking place all over the world.

Thus, converged networks are a useful tool in today’s times. Major network optimizations further increase its performance.