The Gartner Group says that “Without Proper Planning, Enterprises deploying iPads will need 300% more Wi-Fi.” Basically, due to the mobility and lower omit and receive power levels, the iPad is somewhat deaf. Due to the fact that there are no standards for implementing Wi-Fi in mobility devices, the problem is exasurbated. Best practice at this point is to use a 10mw single stream, single channel, radio performance as a baseline for designing wireless infrastructure.
Below you can read a little more of the back and forth on this topic during our last weekly meeting.
————————————————
-I’m not saying every android tablet won’t have these same issues, but this paper articulates many of the points why I professionally dislike iPad in the business place.
I guess right now due to the apple market share, all the issues I am seeing, I am labeling iPad…
-All this does is prove our point and prove that you need to prepare yourself. The ipad is here to stay. Doctors, lawyers, Every sales person on the planet almost, service technicians, students, engineers, constructions administrations, General contractors, sub contractors, the list goes on and on. People and industries everywhere love the form factor. Simplicity, and convenience that is the ipad. Basically what is happening is that the whole world wants to use them and the people like yourself who have to support them are being expected to make it work. The demand is so high you are just going to be expected to make it happen. Good luck and thank you in advance for making my pad work everywhere I go! Now get crackin you have work to do.
-This basically makes my point, that the device isn’t designed for the enterprise, due to its non standard (read draconian ) powersave features and non-standard drivers. This document is one of a few that we professionals are using to help IT people set expectations for non-IT people. Basically gives them power to tell the user to shove off, that iPads will not be supported in the enterprise at the performance level you have come to know and love.
So, you think a hospital that just installed 500 Access Points at $1500 apeaice list is going to re-design at an expected 1500 devices(thats not counting cable licensing and services)? I didn’t think so either, what’s going to happen is that there is going to be pushback from corporations that apple conform to standards… since this has been going on a while, it seems to have already started.
There is rumor that the latest iPad has the hardware capabilities to “play nice” in the corp environment, Apple just has to push the work/dont-work toggle to the device via crappy iTunes. You may have noticed that the new one is beefier, in the battery dept… well once they push out the fix, that battery should allow your “New iPad” to work about as long as an Android, to be specific, you will need a long extension cord to drag down the hall behind you.
What? you don’t have the new iPad? then don’t worry, apple will continue to support you in the way they always have… just head on into the Apple store with $650 bucks and replace your obsolete 14 month old device..
Figuratively, heading into the corral to be sheered…. Baaaaaaaahhhh
-You can double your ap population or add a big battery and increase
power out on TX, or add a nice external full wave antenna, or change
the laws of physics. But user demand won’t fix it
-I have no problem with the job security, but as Edith said, Users whining about the device performing poorly on the enterprise wireless BECAUSE IT WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY is not a reason to change the enterprise wireless.
-But it is going to happen. The users win. Steve Jobs wins!
-No, Apple is already moving to standards based Wireless and Wireless power management in the “New iPad”, yet to be activated in software. Owners of iPad 1 and 2 will be left out in the cold. Enterprise is not going to triple the required access devices to accommodate a BYOD when Apple is already moving in the right direction. After apple has a decent install base of The New iPad, they will push the update, everyone’s battery life will go to shit, and Apple regarding the iPad 1 and 2, will claim: “sorry, those devices are just not enterprise, bring your $650 on into an Apple store for our upgrade options, “The New iPad” or “The New iPad S”.
-So does this most recent “new ipad” or “ipad s” have this or are you referring to a yet to be released version? I want a new one and wondering if ok to get the third version out now or wait for the fourth version? Some thing in my gut tells me that they will keep the current size but may offer a slightly larger ipad soon. That is what I really want. Another two inches on the diagonal and it will be perfect.
-The 3rd version, the most recent one which is available now has the new bigger battery, and the new standards base WiFi chipset, it is still using a proprietary driver, and has certain important enterprise friendly feature turned off, like WMM. This is rectifiable in software, if/when they ever make the push.
in my recent post, when I talked abut going to the Apple store to get “the new ipad” or “the new ipad s”, I was referring to version three(which is out now) and version 4(not yet available) respectively.
Really, 2′ bigger? I would like to see a smaller sport coat pocket size… If they are going to make something bigger, they should start with that puny screen on the phone. I can’t see how you guys with man hands can use something that small, my wife and kids… maybe. I am thinking about getting that obnoxious Samsung Galexy Note (or something like it)for my next phone.
-Well I like my small phone. But would like my pad a little larger. I don’t have small hands but not the largest either. I must say that I don’t see how in the heck Squirrel uses it. He has the biggest fingers I have ever seen. He is always drawn to small objects. The micro heli for instance. The day I met him it was like zero degrees outside and he was trying to fly the smallest damn rc plane you ever saw. Ask him to show it to you some time. If I were a betting man Squirrel would like his iphone even smaller.
-I’m running Cisco centralized key management on my wireless voice vlan
for fast secure roaming on my enterprise wireless at my house.
——————————————
The thread ended there, but discussion continued into the next meeting where the findings of the Gartner report were further debated. More on that as it becomes available for release to the public.
Thanks for reading,
sq