802.11 wired equivalent privacy (WEP) has weaknesses, making it inadequate for protecting networks containing sensitive information. WEP does a fairly good job of defending against the general public, but there are some good hackers lurking out there who can crack into a WEP-protected network. As a result, you will need to implement advanced security mechanisms beyond the capability of WEP if you feel that unauthorized people will want access to resources on your network.

One of the primary benefits of standardization is interoperability. With common standards, you can purchase a product and feel assured that it will work with other components based on the same standard. With 802.11, however, there are several flavors of the standard that are not interoperable, namely 802.11b and 802.11a.

RF coverage throughout a facility is of prime concern for companies deploying wireless LANs, and the antenna plays a vital role. If you ignore the antenna, then the access point may not attain maximum effective range. This can be a costly mistake. An effective antenna solution increases the range and corresponding coverage of a wireless LAN, which decreases costs because of fewer access points.

Access points, which require interconnecting cabling, generally play a dominate role for providing radio frequency (RF)  coverage in most wireless LAN (WLAN) deployments. Wireless repeaters, though, are an alternative way to extend the range of an existing WLAN instead of adding more access points. There are very few stand-alone 802.11 wireless repeaters on the market, but some access points have a built-in repeater mode. Here's the basic information you need to know when using wireless repeaters.