Airtunes interfering with Wifi Network

Hello there, I am working in a private firm which has a Wifi network configured for LAN. I have a Macbook Pro which has a Wifi connectivity. I configured a private Wifi network which is closed and password protected to connect my Macbook to Speakers. I use a software named Airfoil to transmit audio wirelessly to my the speakers. The IT department of my firm thinks that the Wifi network I have created will interfere with the Wifi network which has been configured by the Firm. As I dont have Idea about networking, I am not sure if it is true. Hence I want to know that can Airtunes interfere with the Wifi network? If anybody has any Idea about it, please help.

All Wifi networks work on certain radio frequency. This radio frequency is standard and is mentioned in IEEE 802.11. There are subdivisions in 802.11 standard and different manufacturers use different standards for Wireless devices. Check the Standard and the frequency on which your Macbook pro works. Also check the standard and the frequency of the Wireless network of your Firm. If it is same then there are high chances of interference of the two networks and hence the use of private network should be avoided.

Many private firms have a tendency of not allowing use of any private network inside its premises. The make a point that employees use the Network which is configured by the firm inside its premises. Such policies are implemented by the firms so that they can keep the track of the data flow in the Network. Use of other network inside the firm can lead to leakage of sensitive information about the firm. Hence to keep a check on the information, the use of private networks in prohibited by some firms.

As you have created a separate private Wifi network, it is not possible that the Airtunes will interfere with the preconfigured Wifi network of your firm. In WLAN the communication happens with the use of SSID. SSID separates one network from the other. The network which is configured by your firm will have SSID which will be different from the SSID of the Network which you have created. All the devices in WLAN of your firm will join and communicate with the devices which are connected to the Network with certain SSID and not with the network which you have created. Hence there is no possibility of Interference.

In a Wireless network the devices communicate with each other using certain Radio frequency. If the Radio frequency on which the devices on the Wlan of your firm are communicating is same as the radio frequency of your Macbook pro then there will be interference. Disable the Wifi network which you have configured. Now Search and select the Wifi network which is configured by your Firm and connect to it. Now check the frequency on which the Wifi network is working. Now open the Airtunes application on your Macbook and select a frequency which is different from the frequency of the Wifi network of firm.

Your Private network will only interfere with other Wireless network only if the frequency of communication is same. The frequency of communication of two Wireless networks can never be same as the Access points search for empty available channel and only allocate the channel if it is empty. As the Wlan of your firm is preconfigured, it must be using some radio channel to communicate which will not be empty and hence cannot be used by your Private network. Even if the channel gets allocated, it will be ignored as the SSID of two networks will be different.