If you deploy VoIP solutions, you’re used to creating customized networks to help customers users communicate, be more productive, and work more efficiently. Recently, companies around the world have also started to utilize Wi-Fi technology more and more to achieve this same goal. In fact, in their recent 2019 annual report, Spiceworks found that 70% of surveyed organizations are expecting to utilize gigabit Wi-Fi technology by the year 20211. If you’re use to deploying VoIP, Wi-Fi is a natural addition to add to your offering – and one that your customers will soon be looking for. In this blog post, we’ll go over some of the crossovers and similarities between Wi-Fi and VoIP and why you should add Wi-Fi networking to your offering.
Wi-Fi Voice and Video
As Wi-Fi technology continues to become increasingly present in most facilities, VoIP technology is adapting to offer devices that run over WLAN networks, rather than relying purely on traditional Ethernet wiring. This technology is commonly referred to as Wi-Fi voice and video. This eliminates the need for a large amount of wiring throughout a facility, which can be a big upfront and on-going cost-saver for a customer. On-top of this, Wi-Fi-capable VoIP endpoints fit the emerging mobility and collaboration trend within global workplaces. This makes installing new IP phones or video conferencing devices as simple as connecting the product to a Wi-Fi network. In addition, wireless technology has evolved to account for VoIP bandwidth consumption and to maintain a necessary level of dedicated priority to prevent packet loss and decreased call quality. QoS (Quality of Service) standards and specific protocols can be configured within an access point to help prioritize VoIP traffic without having an adverse effect on other device connections.
Improving Organizational Productivity
VoIP and Wi-Fi have a common goal of improving the way that users communicate and collaborate, and gigabit Wi-Fi networking is emerging as a top-expected way to impact a business. After-all, 25% of IT decision makers feel gigabit Wi-Fi networking is the primary emerging technological trend that will have the biggest impact on businesses1. When deployed throughout an organization, a high-speed wireless network can enable users to freely move throughout a facility with Wi-Fi capable devices, such as laptops and phones. This allows users to better collaborate and work together while still being able to use necessary work tools. As more businesses adopt gigabit Wi-Fi networks as part of their hardware infrastructure, IT and business communications experts will be expected to include them along with their VoIP offerings.
Joint Network Infrastructure
One notable reason for the installer to include Wi-Fi with a VoIP deployments is because of the joint network infrastructure that both technologies run on. With both networks operating throughout an organization’s Local Area Network (LAN), wireless access points (APs) can easily be accounted for when designing the physical layout of a facility’s Ethernet cords, switches, and IP devices. Wi-Fi APs are also configured via a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be accessed by typing the AP’s IP address via a web browser that is in-network, this is the same as most VoIP devices. This helps streamline the initial setup process of a Wi-Fi and VoIP network, along with simplifying any future management or maintenance of the entire network infrastructure.
Wi-Fi is one of the largest emerging trends that is currently developing for businesses worldwide, and business owners will be looking for their IT hardware infrastructure to include wireless networking options. The identical goal of improving user productivity, easiness for an installer to configure and manage both Wi-Fi and VoIP technologies together and increase of Wi-Fi voice and video VoIP options makes Wi-Fi a natural addition to any Voip deployment.
Interested in learning more about deploying Wi-Fi in addition to your VoIP deployments? Check out one of my favorite Grandstream Wi-Fi case studies, where one of our installers utilizes Grandstream to expand their solutions for their customers.
“Adopting Grandstream’s GWN series has been a great decision for Sys Logic and our customers. These very high quality WI-Fi APs have improved our customer’s networks while allowing us to provide more at a lower price. A great product combined with Grandstream’s local tech support has made the GWN series a success for us.” – Chris Goldsmith, Sys Logic
Sources:
1. https://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/state-of-it/report/
