Cisco addresses Wi-Fi interference problems

Cisco Systems is offering a Wi-Fi tool that reduces the interference from rival networks and other competing wireless devices.

Cisco is teaming up with Cognio to address radio frequency (RF) interference.

Yankee analyst Zeus Kerravala said, “RF management should be a priority in any enterprise wireless Lan deployment. To fully realise the potential of a wireless network, it is critical to have an understanding of the RF environment and a means of managing RF conflicts.”

Complementing Cisco's Wireless Control System (WCS), the comapany will now offer Cognio's Spectrum Expert, a Wi-Fi spectrum analysis and monitoring tool.

Working with WCS, Spectrum Expert gives IT managers in-depth analysis and reporting of the airwaves, giving administrators an insight into RF issues and conflicts, helping them to rectify problems.

Additionally, enterprises can use the solution to strengthen their WLan security by determining the impact of non-Wi-Fi devices.

Bluetooth-enabled devices, for instance, can impact on the performance of Wi-Fi networks as they often use the same frequency band.

The Cisco/Cognio system can also be used to identify and isolate rogue devices used for unauthorised network access and denial of service attacks.