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To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles.
Wireless Networking Handbook
To expedite the registration process, Methodist Hospital worked with Datacom for Business, a Champaign, Ill.-based value added reseller. As a result, the hospital remodeled its 65,000-square-foot emergency room, eliminating all but two registration tables and replacing the rest with Compaq Contura notebook computers equipped with wireless LAN adapters. Now, patients can go directly to treatment rooms where registration clerks gather the necessary intake data and enter it into the database on the host computer. Methodist Hospitals wireless communications are made possible by RangeLAN2/PCMCIA adapters from Proxim, Inc. The wireless PCMCIA adapters allow the Compaq notebook computers running TN3270 terminal emulation to access the clinics existing wired client/server network or communicate on a peer-to-peer basis with other mobile systems within the same clinic site. The adapters operate at an average power output of about 100 milliwatts and use advanced power management to minimize the drain on the mobile systems batteries. RangeLAN2 provides easy access to standard wired LAN environments, including the hospitals existing TCP/IP network. This is accomplished through the use of three Proxim RangeLAN2/Access Points, which act as wireless bridges and allow mobile users anywhere in the emergency room to send information to the TELNET LAN server. The terminal emulation is then transferred in real-time over a TCP/IP enterprise backbone to the hospitals database in the mainframe computer. Disaster Recovery/ManufacturingAutoliv, a Swedish company founded in 1953, manufactures and distributes auto safety equipment such as airbags, seat belts, and child seats. With factories in virtually all major European manufacturing countries, Autoliv has positioned itself as one of the largest distributors of safety equipment in Europe. In July 1995, a fire in the Vargarda facility caused extensive damage to over 6,000 square meters (65,000 square feet) of production and storage facilities. Furthermore, existing network cabling and a majority of the manufacturing terminals were damaged in the blaze. Given the severity of the fire and the companys dedication to customer satisfaction, a solution was needed to rapidly fulfill existing customer orders. By incorporating a configuration of WaveLAN-equipped PCs and WavePOINT access points, Autoliv was able to successfully and rapidly rebound from the disaster. Within a matter of days the WaveLAN wireless local area network was installed. The WaveLAN solution helps track approximately 800,000 pieces of equipment delivered to customers daily. In addition to the swift and easy installation, WaveLAN is providing Autoliv the flexibility and mobility Autoliv lacked in a traditional wired LAN environment. Inventory control, materia l s tracking, a n d delivery information are available online from various locations on the production floor. WaveLANs 2 Mbps data speed helps to further increase productivity by handling this critical information easier than the 9400 baud speed of the old system. WaveLANs cost effectiveness is also becoming apparent by helping Autoliv save on reconfiguration and rewiring costs that average nearly 3500 Swedish kronas ($500) per terminal. INDUSTRY: Airline IndustryIn the competitive world of airline travel, computer reservation systems such as Apollo, SAABRE, PARS, and WorldSpan help airlines and travel agencies with the planning, scheduling, and ticketing of flights throughout the world. When one of the largest airlines in the United States sought a solution to extend the reach of its computer reservation system, it sought to offer travel agencies a cost-effective, turn-key computer solution. WaveLAN was chosen by the airline for plug-and-play installation of its computer reservation system terminals. Travel agency LANs are preconfigured in a centralized location then distributed to travel agency locations nationwide. Travel agencies can easily install the computer system without waiting for wiring to be installed. This plug-and-play approach has resulted in significant cost savings for the airline and its travel agencies. The airline estimates that it has saved nearly 30 percent on initial installation costs and nearly 35 percent on the total cost of ownership versus the traditional wired alternative. Other benefits include configuration flexibility, ease of relocation, and quick installationno local expertise is needed. Younkers, Inc.Younkers, Inc., the Des Moines, Iowa-based chain of fashion department stores, has always emphasized the need to focus attention on individual stores. Clear and constant communication between headquarters and the stores sales associates is essential, since Younkers bases its buying decisions on detailed customer profiles, which differ geographically. When the company acquired H.C. Prange department stores in 1993, the new branches means of communicationtheir point-of-sale (POS) systemswere incompatible with Younkers existing equipment. Younkers decided to absorb the cost of standardizing the POS systems at all 53 stores, which meant rewiring for twisted-pair cable. Their original estimate was $400 per terminal.
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