Wireless Network

ABC Sporting Goods Wireless Solution Recommendations

Keller Graduate School of ManagementTM 563

April 8, 2023Dawn Marshall

Vickram RampersaudChris McCoy

Gwen Ross

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS.....................................................................................................2

1 Executive Summary......................................................................................................3

2 Project Plan...................................................................................................................4

3 Needs Assessment........................................................................................................5

4 Cost Analysis................................................................................................................5

Costs Breakdown..........................................................................................................6

5 Technical Discussion....................................................................................................7

6 Network Diagrams......................................................................................................12

7 Project Schedule.........................................................................................................15

8 Conclusion..................................................................................................................16

9 References...................................................................................................................17

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1 Executive Summary

ABC is a chain of sporting goods store that specializes in providing soccer supplies to a

regional area served by 10 retail distribution stores. The company has had tremendous success

and expanded its business to 10 store operation. The management team at ABC has realized

that their success depends on exceptional customer service and operational efficiency. To

maintain a competitive advantage in the soccer supply market, ABC has decided to explore

cutting edge wireless technology as its corporate I.T. solution.

Wireless technology will play a central role in ABC’s supply chain growth and in helping to

maintain its competitive edge. By installing a wireless local area networks (WLAN’s) in each

store, the internal daily operations will be improved through a more efficient and less crowded

model of I.T. network deployment. Wireless Mobility technology will provide remote sales

employees with devices such as Personal Digital Assistants, (PDA’s). With this technology ABC

expects to improve customer service by enhancing the enterprise communications

infrastructure. Added technological benefits to remote sales employees will include: providing

real time sales pricing quotes, inventory product availability information and online transaction

processing. The integrated mobile phone service will allow these employees to communicate

quickly with their customers and managers, thus improving response time, productivity, and

revenue. In store operations will see additional business value through addition of wireless

tracking for inventory, merchandise receiving, item ordering and price checking. Finally, A

Wireless WAN solution will interconnect all 10 stores, providing an inter-store communication

that will allow cross checking of inventory between various locations. This added retail tracking

will allow stores to leverage supply chain capabilities by providing merchandise to other regions

where inventory is needed to meet a specific request that the local store might not otherwise be

able to provide. The Investment in wireless technology will not only enable ABC to experience

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the greater benefits today, but can also benefit from a flexible, scaleable design to move into the

future.

2 Project Plan

The team has established several stages that will be used to develop the wireless

technology chosen and implement the wireless network. One of the main steps for implementing

a wireless network for the ABC chain of stores is to fully analyze and understand the

environment of each individual store to see how the current network infrastructure operates.

This initial assessment will be used to determine what type of changes need to be made for

each of the locations and to ensure that there will be minimal downtime and no existing

information will be lost in the integration process.

The second phase would be scheduling the procurement of equipment. This stage can

be time consuming since not all locations will order the exact amount of equipment. Some

locations may need to buy equipment for the entire infrastructure due to possible compatible

issues and others may just need simple upgrade integrations. The wireless equipment

necessary for building the WAN, however, will be the same for all locations. In addition, after

approvals are granted from the management of ABC, we would then have to choose which

suppliers would be able to provide us with the type of equipment and services needed. The

team estimates that the procurement of all equipment should take about three to six weeks to

be completed, although eight weeks may be necessary to ensure timely deliveries.

The third stage includes scheduling the cable installation; this stage is relatively quite

simple and involves installing cable and even readjusting the current cable installation. The ideal

result would be to hire a local contracting vendor who specializes in this area rather than

performing the task ourselves.

Following this, the next step would be to begin the installation and configurations of all

equipment necessary for linking the locations to the WWAN.

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Upon completion of this stage the team will focus on running a series of tests, both at the

individual locations as well as at the designated headquarters or centralized location. The

purpose is to ensure that the installation process was performed to specifications and is

operational to eliminate any potential problems that may arise when the network goes live. This

stage is also important because problem areas can be easily detected, isolated and resolved

efficiently.

After all of the equipment and wiring is completed the next phase of the project is to

setup a single store as a pilot and resolve any issues rather than rolling out all stores

simultaneously and trying to deal with the same issues at ten different sites. The team will also

look over the feedback collected and determine how the system can be tweaked to be both

more efficient and user friendly. Once all issues and concerns have been addressed the

remainder of the stores will then be rolled out. The team will also use the feedback information

to establish and conduct a training program for all employees of the ABC chain of stores. The

goal here is to provide each location, and its employees, with the tools necessary for conducting

business in the new network environment.

3 Needs Assessment

For the wireless wide area network (WWAN), we assessed ABC’s need and determined

that the best and most secured network solution would be a wireless wide area network

(WWAN) provided by a service provider (Verizon Wireless). With the wireless wide area

network (WWAN) being provided by a service provider, ABC will get a cost-effective and

reliable connection. We assess that from the service provider, we will need a maximum

monthly allowance bandwidth of 1,800 MB per store. This will give ABC plenty of bandwidth

to have a seamless wireless connection between the 10 stores. By going with a service

provider, this will also free up ABC from any concerns of managing a wireless wide area

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network (WWAN) because the service provider (Verizon Wireless) will have that

responsibility, because it is their network.

4 Cost Analysis

The recommended products were chosen based on several criteria. The criteria used

included price, feature set, manageability, support options, the manufacturer’s reputation in

the market place, and ease of use. All pricing was pulled from either the manufacturer’s

site or an authorized distributor while eliminating non-authorized distributors, which may

advertise an initial lower price but are unable to provide the proper Return Manufacturer

Acceptance (RMA) process for out of box failures. In addition the support services will be

provided as follows: Hardware will be covered with extended manufacturers warranty from

Cisco which has a turn around time of onsite replacement of four hours. For each region we

will contract local support for software, troubleshooting and maintenance.

4.1 WAN Services

Cisco 2800 series integrated services router that will be equipped with a Cisco 3G WWAN

HWIC aircard interface card. Verizon Wireless will be the provider.

Wireless Wide Area Router:

In each of the ABC stores, there will be a Cisco 2800 series integrated services router

that will be equipped with an Cisco 3G WWAN HWIC aircard interface card. The Cisco 2800

router and 3G WWAN HWIC wireless interface aircard will provide ABC with a wireless wide

area network (WWAN) when coupled with a service provider wireless data plan. The Cisco 2800

router will provide ABC with a cost-effective, rapid, and reliable wireless wide area network

WWAN deployment that will link all of its stores with the distribution center. The Cisco 2800

wireless router along with an Cisco 3G WWAN HWIC aircard, which supports Code division

multiple access (CDMA) and Global System for mobile communications (GSM) standards and is

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backward compatible with 1 x RTT & GPRS / EDGE, provides an flexible alternative to landline

connections, shall provide ABC with a data connection that will change as the business

changes, and provide a less costly solution to running a traditional wireline data connection

(ISDN), particularly where installation timelines and costs may be an issue for wired solutions.

Our team has decided to use the Verizon Wireless PCS network to link the WWAN to

other stores using the Cisco WWAN HWIC-3G-CDMA-V interface. The high-speed wireless

interface card provides connectivity with the Verizon Wireless CDMA network at speeds of

approximately 3.1 Mbps on the forward link and 1.8 Mbps on the reverse link. Activation for the

WWAN HWIC-3G-CDMA-V is performed over-the-air from Verizon Wireless. Once activation

has been completed, the 3G Wireless WAN HWIC can be configured and monitored from the

router using Cisco IOS Software commands. During regular operation, ABC will be able to

monitor the receive signal strength, network transmission, along with service and data

connections. All of Cisco IP Security (IPSec) is supported on the Verizon Wireless network

using VPN.

In order to prevent poor signal strength, fading, shadowing, and interference ABC will

have external antennas affixed to all of the stores exteriors. Using the Antel’s MPA-1700

indoor/outdoor antenna that has a frequency range of 1710-2000 MHz is appropriate for ABC’s

store usage. This compact antenna will provide an Omni, elliptical, 90° and 180° horizontal

radiation patterns with just a change in pin configuration. Therefore, this type of flexibility will

allow ABC the ability to gain exceptional coverage at a minimal cost.

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Costs Breakdown

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5 Technical Discussion

The wireless project will consist of three major areas of implementation: WLAN, WWAN,

and Mobility. WLAN will consist of a centralized core L3 network switch with capability to provide

Power over Ethernet to a given number of access points suitable to provide network LAN

coverage throughout the entire store area. The core should provide gigabit speed connectivity

with the ability to upgrade, should the store expand occupancy into a larger retail area (such as

a side by side increase, takeover of a second retail space, etc.) The WLAN will tie into the core

infrastructure and thus expand the capabilities of a wired WAN. Store # 10 in the chain also

contains a small data center where the inventory database is centrally updated and managed.

Digital Cash register data updates the database from each terminal in the store, and this

information can be tracked on a wireless laptop by any sales rep in the store at any sales

station. The interconnection of all 10 stores will be achieved by a Wireless Wan (WWAN)

solution. This solution will provide the technological business benefit of inventory cross-

checking. For example, if a store in Region 4 requires a special type of soccer shoe, but lacks

the inventory, its manager may cross check Region 5. If the store in Region 5 has the needed

shoe, it may be shipped overnight to Region 4 to meet the customer request. To further expand

the business capability, a Wireless Mobility solution will tie into this enterprise. This will allow

sales reps to remotely leverage the power of the WWAN and WLAN solutions in place, by

creating the ability for them to use a smart-phone to check inventory, place orders and cross

ship items to other locations where a need exists. This three-fold solution will be completed in

phases, and rolled out to the over a period of 10 to 12 weeks from the day of budget approval.

The stores will be wired with Category 6 cable to support high speed connectivity between

wireless access points and the LAN switch. The core of the LAN will be a modular Cisco 4503

switch with PoE (Power over Ethernet) capable gigabit Ethernet 48-port blades and dual power

supplies for redundancy and protection from power spikes and outages.

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Firewall The Cisco PIX 506E Series was selected as the Firewall solution for the ABC project,

each store location will have a single PIX installed to provide the security and protection of the

company’s data and integrated services communications. The Cisco PIX 506E is a security

appliance that delivers both user and application policy enforcement, in addition it also provides

multiple integrated security and networking services such as:

Advanced application-aware firewall services

Voice over IP (VoIP) and multimedia security

Robust site-to-site and remote-access IPSec VPN connectivity

Flexible management solutions

This model Firewall provides enterprise-class security for remote and branch office

environments which we believe that fits the needs of the ABC Corporation. It is standard

equipped with two auto-sensing Fast Ethernet (10/100) interfaces, ideal for securing high-speed

Internet connections and delivers up to 100 Mbps of firewall throughput, 16 Mbps of Triple Data

Encryption Standard (3DES) VPN throughput, and 30 Mbps of Advanced Encryption Standard-

128 (AES) VPN throughput in a cost-effective, high-performance solution.

Access Points Each ABC store location will have at least six Cisco Aironet Series access

points that would be either scaled up or down to support the physical dimensions of each store

and the demands its users. As with all Cisco Aironet 1200 Series platforms, the Cisco Aironet

1240AG Series IEEE 802.11a/b/g access points deliver the versatility, high capacity, security,

and enterprise-class features required in more challenging RF environments like factories,

warehouses, and retailers, and when installing above suspended ceilings.

The design of this access point will definitely be a fit for the ABC chain of stores since

they are warehouse type structures. Each access point is also equipped with dual-antenna

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connectors that would allow the users to choose from several high-gain and directional

antennas to extend range and shape of the coverage areas.

From a security perspective, the Cisco Aironet 1240AG Series is WPA2-compliant which

is the second generation of WPA specified by the Wi-Fi Alliance industry organization, and is

based on the IEEE 802.11i standard for wireless LAN security. It is also backward-compatible

with clients certified for the first-generation WPA as well as with clients certified for the original

WEP security.

WPA2 is the Enterprise version of the IEEE 802.1X standard and uses the extensible

authentication protocol (EAP) for authentication. It also provides encryption support via AES-

CCMP and is compatible with the Cisco 4400 Series wireless LAN controllers as well as the

Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Module (WLCM) for Integrated Services Routers that support

WPA and TKIP.

Wireless LAN Controller There will be a Cisco 4402 Series Wireless LAN Controller installed

at each one of ABC store locations. This appliance was selected based on the fact that they are

designed for medium-to-large enterprise facilities. The Cisco Wireless LAN Controller will be

responsible for system wide wireless LAN functions, such as security policies, intrusion

prevention, RF management, quality of service (QoS), and mobility. By managing all access of

the access points as a complete wireless LAN system in each location the IT staff can create

and enforce consistent security policies across an entire wireless network, providing maximum

scalability, performance, and wireless LAN control.

The Cisco wireless LAN controller will smoothly integrate into existing networks and also

plays a prominent role in rogue access point detection and containment, as well as wireless

intrusion prevention. The Cisco 4402 is equipped with two Gigabit Ethernet ports and comes in

configurations that support up to 12, 25, and 50 lightweight access points. It also provides one

expansion slot that can be used to add enhanced functionality, such as VPN termination and

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other capabilities, in the future. In addition it also provides multiple layers of wireless LAN

security for complete enterprise protection. This includes support for industry standards, such

as:

• 802.11i, Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), WPA, and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

• 802.1X with multiple Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) types, including Protected

EAP (PEAP), EAP with Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS), EAP with Tunneled TLS

(EAP-TTLS), and Cisco LEAP

• VPN termination (IP Security [IPSec])

For security purposes, all of the WLAN networking equipment and end nodes will be

configured with WiFi Protected Access -2 (WPA-2). The WPA encryption model works by

frequently generating and distributing new keys so that any potential hackers don't have the

chance to decipher them. WPA-2 resolves WEP vulnerabilities and serves to additionally

strengthen security. Similar to that of the 802.11i standardization, WPA-2 uses Robust Security

Network (RSN) by default, and RSN in turn uses AES, (Advanced Encryption Standard) the

equivalent of the RC4 algorithm in WPA and CCMP (Counter Mode CBC MAC Protocol) which

is the equivalent of TKIP in WPA. We believe that with the proper configuration and security

features enabled, these network equipment selected will allow the ABC stores to operate with

the confidence of a safe and secure network.

Wireless Wide Area Interface Card: In each of the ABC stores, there will be a Cisco 3G

WWAN HWIC-CDMA-V wireless interface card placed in the Cisco routers. The 3G WWAN

HWIC-CDMA-V wireless interface card will provide ABC with a wireless wide area network

(WWAN) when it is coupled with a service provider wireless data plan. The Cisco 3G WWAN

HWIC-CDMA-V wireless interface card will provide ABC with a cost-effective, rapid and reliable

wireless wide area network WWAN deployment.

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The 3G WWAN HWIC-CDMA-V wireless interface card supports Code division multiple

access (CDMA) and Global System for mobile communications (GSM) standards and is

backward compatible with 1 x RTT & GPRS / EDGE. The 3G WWAN HWIC-CDMA-V wireless

interface card supports speeds of approximately 1.544 MHz. The 3G WWAN HWIC-CDMA-V

wireless interface card can be configured and monitored for the router CLI using Cisco IOS

software commands. ABC will also be able to monitor the signal strength available, network,

service and data connection statistics from the CLI. All of Cisco IP Security (IPsec) is supported

on the 3G WWAN HWIC-CDMA-V wireless interface card. If any one of ABC sites to the

wireless wide area network (WWAN) experience poor signals, external antennas can be used.

Wireless LAN Core Network Implementation

The Cisco 4503 is a primary choice for the Wireless LAN implementation. The main

management blade (Slot 1) will provide 2 fiber optic links which are connected to the Wireless

LAN controller. The controller’s links are designed for failover. If link 1 goes down, link 2 will

immediately come on line. It is recommended that slots 2 is filled with a 48-port POE copper

blade, which will support connectivity and power to all of the Wireless Access points. Though

the current implementation will not involve 48 access points, this provides an expansion option

should the physical size of the store be increased later. Slot 3 should provide gigabit

connectivity for the server and wired production backend.

Wireless LAN Access Point Implementation:

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The access point implementation will consist of a 3 phase activity.

Phase I involves the use of a capacity planning tool such as AirMagnet

(http://www.airmagnet.com/products/survey.htm?_kk=wlan%20planning%20tool&_kt=04ff441f-

8bb2-47f9-8799-53af877200d0&gclid=CI3KnIOgk4wCFRMFPgodVkRrCA) or the Airespace

predictor tool: http://www.airespace.com/products/AS_ACS_location_tracking.php

against the floor plan to determine the physical placement of each access point.

The rogue detection feature of this utility should also be used prior go-live to identify any rogue

access points in the area.

Access points can be either wall-mounted using an “L” bracket, or ceiling mounted from the drop

ceiling supports using the additional mounting kit included with the access point.

Phase II will involve installing the access points based on the capacity wiring the access points

back to the core switch using Cat6 cable.

This cabling standard is current, and will support LAN speed of up to a gigabit connection. Note

that this speed is an expansion consideration. The current G standard will support only a

54Mbps connection from the end user station to the network, but with the continued research

and innovation in wireless technology, a wire-speed connection may be possible within the next

5-10 years. This is dependent on the continued development of standards in the 802.11 family

by the IEEE.

Wireless Wide Area Implementation: Step one, we will order the 3G WWAN HWIC-CDMA-V

wireless interface cards from Cisco. The second step will be to place the cards at each ABC site

and provision them by loading the firmware onto each one of the cards. The third step, we will

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meet with the service provider (Verizon Wireless) to set up service and get a turn up date. The

final step will be to have the service provider (Verizon Wireless) activate the service.

6 Network Diagrams

Figure 1. Overall Network Diagram

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Figure 2. Single Store Network Implementation Diagram

Figure 3. Verizon Wireless CDMA Network Diagram

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Figure 4. WWAN Enterprise Diagram

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Figure 5 Use Case Scenario – Mobility, Remote Sales Field Reps

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Figure 6. Overall WWAN Enterprise Solution

Project Schedule

The project rollout will go according to the schedule shown on the Gant Chart below. These time

limits have some slack built into them and hopefully this will allow for any adjustments as

necessary and keep the project on schedule. The times were derived from assessments of the

entire project and resources available in addition to past experiences attained with similar

projects that have been done in the past. Prior to the rollout the team will conduct a needs

assessment which requires a team member from the project to go to each site and complete a

site survey. This involves documentation of the structural layout, inventory of existing network

infrastructure, interviewing staff members and management to better understand any unique

demands of each site and obtaining copies of existing network related documentation.

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Equipment procurement is the time it takes to get all necessary equipment ordered and in the

project team’s hands for install. We are allowing for approximately 11 weeks because we feel

that installing the WAN service connections from the vendors could be a timely process.

Once all equipment is in, a single store will be selected as a pilot for installation and testing. We

will install all equipment allowing for a total of 14 weeks to get all equipment installed and for

training of the store personnel. Training will be conducted after all installs. Each store will get

two days of training on the new equipment which should be sufficient. Documentations will be

provided at each store as reference materials for future questions. The last two weeks of this

phase will be for the store to use the equipment and try to uncover as many glitches that they

can find before the rollout is completed at the other stores. After we have tested the equipment

at the pilot store the team will take the data gathered from the pilot study and try to address any

issues that occurred during the pilot. The team will take surveys of store personnel to see what

they think of things like the interface and ways of improving the system.

Project Schedule with Gantt Chart

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Conclusion

The growth and innovation of wireless technology have provided a powerful opportunity

for ABC Sporting Goods to implement the latest cutting edge internetworking solution

available to the enterprise. Given the proposed wireless enterprise solution, ABC

Sporting Goods will have the ability to leverage its ROI for this technology by taking

advantage of the many opportunities it provides. The cross-inventory checking

capability available via the mobility solution is a key strategic advantage that will keep

ABC ahead of its competition. This remote access capability will allow ABC to provide

equipment that other local suppliers may not have due to regional shortages, and may

also foster the opportunity for partnerships with smaller suppliers, thus providing

additional revenue channels. The second key strategic benefit is the WLAN

implementation. Each store will have the capability for its employees to utilize wireless

equipped laptops to quickly check inventory inside the existing store, and across the

entire chain of 10 stores to determine product availability for its customers. Finally, the

WWAN solution will provide the critical link between all stores to maintain a cross

inventory capability and wireless communication capability between all 10 stores. This

powerful competitive advantage will set ABC apart from its competitors. The enterprise

wireless solution holds scalability advantage, so that additional stores may be added to

the chain using the same technology implementation model to quickly interconnect

these new stores with the existing enterprise. This scalability will allow ABC to ultimately

increase its supply chain and revenue stream capabilities as the business continues to

grow.

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References

Cisco Systems. (1992-2007) “Third-Generation Wireless WAN Card for Cisco Integrated Service Routers”. Retrieved May 18, 2007. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5949/products_qanda_item0900aecd80600f5d.shtml

EVDOinfo.com. 5-30-07 “Cisco 3G WAN Interface Card for Verizon or Sprint”. Retrieved May 18, 2007.http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/1945/64

Intermec. (2007) “WWAN Activation and Provisioning” Retrieved May 18, 2007.http://www.intermec.com/services/wwan_activation_provisioning/index.aspx

Cisco Systems. (1992-2007) “Third-Generation Wireless WAN High-Speed WAN Interface Cards”. Retrieved May 18, 2007.http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5949/products_data_sheet0900aecd80600f41.html

Verizon Wireless (2007) “BroadbandAccess Wireless Router Solution” Retrieved May 18, 2007.http://b2b.vzw.com/productsservices/wirelessinternet/broadbandaccessbusinesscontinuity.html

Cisco EAP-TLS Deployment Guide for Wireless LAN Networks (2007)

Retrieved June 11, 2007

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk722/tk809/technologies_white_paper09186a008009256b.shtml

Cisco Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA 2) Configuration Example (2007)

Retrieved June 10, 2007

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk722/tk809/technologies_configuration_example09186a008054339e.shtml

WLAN Security Still Weak in Most Businesses According to In-Stat. (4  October). Business Wire,n/a. Retrieved June 14, 2007, from Business Dateline database. (Document ID: 1140522021).

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