Welch Allyn Connex and Acuity Network Installation Best Practices , User Manual - Installation Guide - Manual (Page 11)

Best practices Acuity 7
Cisco LAN/WLAN requirements
Best practice Affected types Without best practice
Authentication/Encryption WPA2-PSK- AES Only Wireless Other encryption methods not supported. No
connectivity.
Data rates
•
a band -- 6Mbps required
Wireless Vital signs monitors will not connect.
Interference Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)
15dB
Wireless High noise level causes dropped packets.
Jitter Packet-to-Packet jitter shall be
 400ms.
Wired, wireless Dropped packets, data loss and dropped connections.
Labeling Welch Allyn VLAN ports should be clearly marked on the
physical switches. Wired, wireless Harder to debug system issues. Mixing of IT and
patient data could result in loss of data due to
broadcast storms.
Network latency Round-trip peak network latency between
Acuity Central station and its patient monitor
800ms.
Wired, wireless Dropped packets and data loss.
Packet transport Packets should be passed through switches and
routers in cut-through mode, or hardware based switching, not
store-and-forward-only mode. (Applicable to older switches/hubs). Wired Dropped packets and data loss.
Power redundancy All network equipment used for patient
monitoring shall have a redundant power supply and emergency
power. Wired, wireless Data loss and downtime due to power outages.
Priority Welch Allyn data should have priority over other data.
Welch Allyn data is configured for 802.11e Access Category Voice. Wired, wireless Mixing of IT and patient data priority may result in lost
data.
QoS Hardware Quality of Service (QoS) support should be
configured to map 802.11e QoS bits to a hard-wired tag. Wired Increased probability of dropped patient data packets
on busy wireless networks.
Redundancy Redundant coverage in patient areas (i.e. patient
rooms) where patients are likely to be unattended. Labs and
Transport areas require only single coverage but redundant
coverage is recommended. Wireless Prevents the loss of data due to a single AP failure.
Roaming across subnets Keep the Welch Allyn wireless VLAN/
SSID flat (no roaming across subnets). Wireless Success for roaming across subnets depends on the
hospital’s Layer-3 network. Hospital is responsible for
validation of proper roaming across subnets.
Rules/Firewall Use separate rules and roles for Welch Allyn
patient data and other IT data. Rules and roles should be identified
using Welch Allyn specific names. Wireless IT changes to the Cisco controller that inadvertently
affect patient monitoring are more likely. Patient data
subject to issues on wired network such as broadcast
storms. Shorter battery life for patient monitors.
Separate VLAN Keep Welch Allyn patient monitors on their own
WLAN, SSID, and VLAN. Wired, wireless IT changes to the Cisco controller that inadvertently
affect patient monitoring are more likely. Patient data
subject to issues on wired network such as broadcast
storms. Shorter battery life for patient monitors.
Signal strength First wireless signal: RSSI Value
-65dBm for (802.11a APs set to 25mW). Second wireless signal:
RSSI Value
-70dBm for (802.11a APs set to 25mW).
Wireless Dropped packets and loss of connectivity due to poor
wireless coverage.
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) STP should be turned off for the
Welch Allyn specific VLAN/SSID. Use resilient links (spanning port
fast) for all wired interfaces connected to continuous monitors,
wireless controllers, or Welch Allyn Servers. Wired, wireless Dropped connections.
Mismatched connections Connections between gigabit and
FastEthernet interfaces should be avoided. If these interfaces are
configured, use them for light traffic only, and do not rely on auto-
negotiation. Ensure that you configure speed and duplex settings to
100Mbps and Full Duplex. Wired Unreliable network connection, severely affected
appliances connected through the interface.