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Reggie,

With a VoWLAN deployment, don't think of coverage as your primary target. Think of coverage and capacity almost as equals. Then think of fast handoff and QoS features as mandatory. Then think of security as relative.

I think using a WLAN switch, which gives you fast handoffs, high security, and QoS is appropriate. Second, I think that using smaller cells to gain capacity and then making sure to place APs everywhere they are needed to have coverage is the right way to go. As far as a list of "best practices" for VoWLAN deployment in a multi-story building, I don't think anyone could give you much "always or almost-always true information" on that. The number of phones is likely to increase, the use of data on the same network is highly likely in most deployments, and an increase in both data throughput and phone calls are almost guaranteed. That being the case, letting the switch dynamically handle issues of RF planning and management makes alot more sense.

Most every switch vendor out there has these features. Don't think, "I have to deploy as few APs as I can get away with because of cost." Instead, think, "This network has to work now and scale for the future." If you have to add a few extra APs to make sure you have appropriate coverage, that's no problem because it's also adding capacity, which your customer is going to thank you for later.

Devinator