802.11 wireless implementation - existing network infrastructure issues

Since the widespread availability of wireless networking products based on the 802.11 standard allowing speeds of up to 54 Mb/second, many companies are now implementing this technology. A major aspect of any wireless technology is the ability to seamlessly change from one wireless access point to the next access point. This movement, known as "roaming", is critical to the functioning and usefulness of the wireless network. But, the typical network infrastructure is often not ready to support "roaming" over a campus-area as the wireless equipment is expecting the cabled network behavior to be that of a "repeater-based" network. This article examines several of the underlining requirements and pitfalls of supporting wireless "roaming" over a campus-area IP network environment.