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Implementing Voice over Wireless LAN? Don't Forget E911!
More and more enterprises are deploying Voice over Wireless LAN (VoWLAN) solutions to support their increasingly mobile workforces.If your organization is a part of this trend, don't forget to ask this critical question: "What happens when someone dials 9-1-1 on a VoIP WiFi handset?" These new phones will not provide the location information of the caller to the public safety answering point without the help of an E911 location information management solution such as RedSky's E911 Manager.
The good news is that E911 Manager now automatically tracks the location of in-building WiFi handsets so the E911 coverage you can deliver to employees is even greater.
Here's how it works. When a wireless VoIP phone operating within the WiFi infrastructure attempts to register with the IP-PBX/call server, it goes through virtually the same initialization and registration process as its wired counterpart. Upon registration, the wireless endpoint receives a dial tone and the call server -- also known as the Wireless Access Point (WAP) controller, -- notifies RedSky's E911 Manager that a new WiFi phone is on the network. The call server provides E911 Manager with the device IP and MAC address so that the system can search the network for the exact WAP from which the phone is accessing the network.
E911 Manager maintains a database that includes the physical location of all voice and data switches and all WAP's on the network so proper location identification can be captured upon registration and the call server can be updated with the proper ten-digit calling number in anticipation of a 911 call. This process provides for seamless location identification of a 911 caller in distress and the fastest emergency response times possible.
Because access to VoWLAN networks differs among vendors, E911 Manager adheres to standard protocols such as IMCP ("ping") and SNMP to effectively accomplish network discovery and location identification. This standards-based approach means that customers can confidently expand their E911 Manager system to accommodate new technology as their business needs change.
Technology is moving forward at a rapid pace. As more workers "go mobile" on the enterprise campus, businesses will continue to roll-out VoWLAN networks to take advantage of the productivity improvements such mobility enables.
Hospitals are a good example of an industry sector that has embraced wireless IP end-points running on a WiFi network. Supporting the needs of an "always moving" staff is the driver for this sector and will be for other sectors supporting mobile employees.
RedSky solutions solve the resulting E911 issues that accompany deploying these solutions by integrating E911 Manager with industry-leading IP-PBX's (Avaya, Cisco, and Nortel, for example) and to WiFi infrastructure equipment from leading vendors using standard protocols. RedSky provides comprehensive, integrated E911 solutions for enterprise communication systems regardless of whether their VoIP endpoints connect over the wired network or "go mobile" over WiFi.
For more information on how E911 Manager supports your environment visit www.redskyE911.com. or call 877-REDSKY1.
