The previous chapter dealt with engineering an 802.11 network that would achieve the best possible QoS for packet delivery over the air waves. This chapter explains measures particular to voice that will deliver the best possible voice quality on a Vo802.11 network.

QoS on Vo802.11 Networks

Despite the fact that telephone companies are losing thousands of lines per month in the United States to cell phone service providers, many perceive that voice over a cell phone connection would deliver inferior voice quality and, as a result, is not a viable alternative to the copper wires of the PSTN. As explored in the previous chapter, a number of new measures (primarily 802.11e) improve the QoS on 802.11.

But what about voice? As wired service providers and network administrators have found, voice is the hardest service to provision on an IP network. New developments in the Vo802.11 industry point to some exciting developments that overcome the chief objection to Vo802.11. Before we discuss these developments, we must first determine what metrics to use in comparing Vo802.11 to the voice quality of the PSTN.