Jim Schachterle deserves a tremendous amount of kudos for his contribution as the initial editor of this book. In addition to being knowledgeable, organized, flexible, and helpful, he also was an exceptionally patient coach in kick-starting this project.

Mary Beth Ray did a superb job managing this project to the end. Her positive attitude and receptiveness made our job a lot easier.

Thanks to Raina Han for her belief in us, her inexhaustible dedication to the project as the editorial assistant, her timely cracking of the whip, and her exquisite sense of humor.

Thanks to Dayna Isley as the development editor of Cisco Press for her top-notch editing, attention to detail, and timeliness.

The entire Cisco Press team worked tirelessly behind the scenes. We wish to thank everybody in editorial, illustration, layout, and the rest of the production team for their contributions.

John Elliott, Fred Niehaus, and Jack Unger the technical reviewers, made this book much better than we could have hoped to achieve on our own. We thank them for their expertise, advice, and editing.

Thanks to Bill Coyle, Pat Regan, Bill Hodge, Dennis Virkler, Doug Roberts, Dave Hemendinger, and the Cisco IT WLAN team for their contributions on the case studies.

Acknowledgments from H. David Castaneda: I would like to acknowledge the many people who, over time, have influenced and provided the opportunities that have made me a success today. Personally I would like to acknowledge my fellow authors, the Cisco EMEA networking team, and especially the Cisco wireless networking business unit, who have supported us over time in developing our skills and experience in the wireless world. Finally, and most importantly to my family, my wife Liinu who keeps me centered and is my constant supporter, my son Noah and daughter Nella who have had to deal with the many moments when I did not have time for them. This book is for them.

Acknowledgments from Oisin Mac Alasdair: I would like to thank my coauthors for their partnership, Bruce Scott and David Renaud of Griffith University for their friendly assistance, Sergey Shitov of Cisco IT for being an inspiration to work with and a world-class technical lead in the Cisco wireless space for many years, and Sarah, my ever-patient wife and mother to our beautiful new baby girl: “This one’s for you, Niamh!”

Acknowledgments from Christopher A. L. Vinckier: I would like to thank my parents for their dedication and for helping me get where I am today. Dad continues to be the source of inspiration for intellectual curiosity and Mom for instilling in me the pursuit of excellence. I also want to thank David and Oisin for making this project as fun as it has been, my friends from MIT for bouncing ideas off and keeping me focused, and finally Lana for her patience, understanding, and support, and for making me start every day with a smile.

Finally, we want to acknowledge our friends at Cisco who have always been very supportive of this effort. We especially wish to thank our managers Mike Norman, Greg Duncan, Dave Evans, Stuart Doyle, Chris Webber, and Paul McNabb for their patience and support.