Support for Wireless LAN Design

As mobile devices become common in mainstream computing, it becomes imperative to effectively design computing architectures that seamlessly and effectively integrate them. Rapid advancements in wireless technology has made it possible to build efficient wireless local area networks (WLANs). Designing WLANs presents some unique challenges. Some heuristics are available for WLAN design, but they represent piecemeal solutions, focusing on a limited set of issues. This paper provides a more comprehensive approach to WLAN design, by providing support for additional tasks in the design process, as well as by providing the designer the option of examining multiple competing options. The approach is developed in modular fashion, thereby permitting the easy substitution of alternative models in any phase of the process. We believe the approach to be useful for WLAN designers, and it provides an apt illustration of design science in information systems research.