Health Care Environments Add Complexity to Wireless LAN Deployments

Nov. 24, 2010 - PRLog -- Hospitals and health care facilities seek to improve processes and services using wireless networking technology.  However, hospitals are challenging environments for the deployment of wireless networks.  These challenging environments are often comprised of large, multi-level buildings, constructed at different time periods over decades. There are additional challenges imposed by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and federal, state and local authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs).

A key component in health care installations is adherence to infection control measures. Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) procedures, as specified JCAHO, restrict access to the air handling space (plenum) above the suspended ceiling.  Procedures may restrict the number of ceiling tiles that can be removed, how long they are removed, and procedures for cleaning the air and personnel in the work area.  

By using enclosures to mount wireless access points in a suspended ceiling, time and labor involved in meeting ICRA procedures can be reduced.  The enclosure provides a means by which technicians can access wireless LAN access points from the room space, without exposing the air handling (plenum) space during moves, adds, and changes (MACs) in the wireless deployment.  

Additionally, article 300.22 of the National Electric Code (N.E.C.) specifies that unlisted equipment installed in the air handling space above a suspended ceiling shall be secured in a metal enclosure, accessible via an opening panel or door.  

A case study of the installation at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital provides key strategies for a successful large-scale wireless deployment.  The article by Oberon President Scott D. Thompson and Siemens Communications Enterprise IT Architect Jon Linton, featured in the November/December 2010 issue of BICSI News Magazine, is available at http://oberonwireless.com/healthcare.php.

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Since 1999, Oberon, Inc. has been providing products and services to integrators and end users of wireless LAN "Wi-Fi" network products. Oberon's enclosures provide secure, convenient, and aesthetic access to networking equipment.