WLA Standards Framework

Wireless LAN Association Standards Framework

Reproduced from: https://wlanassociation.org/wla-standards-framework/

It has been identified by the Wireless LAN Association (WLA) that, in today’s Wireless LAN (WLAN) industry, there is a lack of standardized processes for the enablement of successful WLAN design and deployment.

For the benefit of individuals whose job it is to design and implement WLAN networks, the WLA set to task with the core purpose of creating the framework that identifies key actions for defining, designing, deploying and diagnosing/assessing a WLAN.

The most challenging area for many organizations requiring Wi-Fi is their limited expertise with radio frequency (RF), IEEE802.11 protocols, security, and where WLAN fits in with the overall network paradigm. Many of these same organizations have varying degrees of traditional wired network design skills and attempt to apply the same approaches to the WLAN.

However, this misstep often results in substandard WLAN design, unlikely to meet the requirements of the customer. Too often the full benefit of the investment made in the WLAN is not realized, due to non-existent or improper system design and implementation.

The purpose of these documents is to introduce a framework for, and lay the foundation of, a universally adoptable process for successful WLAN design and deployment. The WLA also acknowledges that WLAN Design is non-linear and more cyclical, which may require a WLAN Professional to start at the Diagnose stage.

The information presented in these documents is intended to provide an overview of the key stages of the design and deployment process and recommendations for how WLAN design and deployment activities should be approached. The WLA believes that using this framework will improve the quality of WLAN designs. The framework can be implemented in many different ways, as not all actions apply to every design situation.

It should be noted that these documents are vendor agnostic. There are no assumptions regarding specific vendor product capabilities or features. The process of vendor selection is out of the scope of this project, but adherence to the suggested methodology should ultimately help in the final vendor/product selection process.

Our overall aim is to raise the visibility and reputation of the professional wireless network design and implementation engineer, and the Wi-Fi industry as a whole. The only significant way to achieve this goal, from inside the industry, is to encourage a "standard" level of professionalism. We hope these documents will be a good starting point.

The Wireless LAN Association’s Standards Committee is the voluntary body, comprised of a group of experienced industry professionals, responsible for writing, editing, and reviewing these publications. We hope the Wi-Fi professional will find these to be useful reference documents.

NOTE: The WLA is a professional association for the WLAN community, defining industry best practices and quality assurance in the delivery of Wi-Fi networks. We bring together a community of industry professionals who share their experiences with one another. This provides our members with a competitive advantage as they become more active and better-informed members of the WLAN industry.

UPDATE: For multiple reasons, the WLA’s Governing Board decided to close down the Association in late 2023. Rather than losing the work effort created by the Association's volunteers, the results of their work is reproduced here and is provided for (non-commercial) use by any interested parties...