The other day I was in bed scrolling through my Facebook, bothered by the lagging of the page, when I saw a post that was far too relatable. It read “crazy how we can transmit data from Mars but Wi-Fi still can’t reach people’s bedrooms”. Upon reading this, I began to explore new technological developments relating to Wi-Fi. I stumbled upon the development of a new type of Wi-Fi that could virtually solve that problem of unreliable internet access. This new Wi-Fi development is called Wi-Fi 6.
What is Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 is the newest generation in standard Wi-Fi technology. It is also known as “AX WiFi” or “802. 11ax WiFi.” It still fulfills the original function of Wi-Fi as it connects devices to the internet, however, it does so in a way that is faster, more efficient, and overall better for our growing society than the current 802. 11ac WiFi.
What is the goal?
While Wi-Fi 6 may come with greater speeds, that is not its overall goal. Rather, its purpose is to allow a larger number of devices to have improved network access. This would be especially beneficial in settings where there are mass amounts of devices connected to Wi-Fi at one time. These places including offices, universities, schools, companies, along with many more highly connected areas. Wi-Fi can only connect with a specific number of devices at once. When there are more devices than the network is capable of handling, there are issues with overall speed and connectivity. The new technologies of Wi-Fi 6 would help mitigate the problems associated with placing large amounts of Wi-Fi connected devices on a single network.
Longer battery life for devices
This new Wi-Fi allows for the connection of more devices, as well as improving the battery life of devices. It does this through a new “target wake time” (TWT) feature that allows the router to detect when devices are not being used. By doing this, it can halt the transmission of Wi-Fi, conserving power in devices, therefore improving overall battery life.
What technology will allow this to happen?
Two key technologies are responsible for accomplishing the goals of WiFi 6. These are MU-MIMO and OFDMA.
MU-MIMO stands for “multi-user, multiple input, multiple output”. This is already present in current routers, but Wi-Fi 6 upgrades it.
This technology allows routers to communicate with multiple devices at once. Current routers can simultaneously connect with up to four devices. Wi-Fi 6 would double this by allowing routers to connect with up to eight devices.
OFDMA stands for “orthogonal frequency division multiple access”. This technology allows one transmission to deliver data to multiple devices at once. Improving each transmission from the router to the device.
Should I go get a Wi-Fi 6 Router?
Although this new technology is exciting, it is not plausible for members of the general public to rush out and get these new routers. This is because your devices need to be compatible with WiFi 6 technology. The new routers are a bit costly. The implementation of Wi-Fi 6 in our society will be gradual. It will prove to be invaluable with the growing amount of devices in our society. As new phones, laptops, and other devices are released, most of them will likely be equipped with Wi-Fi 6 compatibility. As these new devices emerge, so will the presence of Wi-Fi 6 routers.
Want to know more about Wi-Fi 6 or wireless networking? Our network engineers can assist you with any questions you may have. Contact us today.
Deploying an enterprise wireless solution can be a challenging task,
especially for IT administrators tasked with supporting multiple sites. In order to ensure good performance, network administrators would often have to perform a site survey at each location to discover areas of RF coverage and interference, and then manually configure each AP according to the results of this survey.
Static site surveys can help you choose channel and power assignments for AP’s. However, these surveys are often time-consuming and expensive, and they only reflect the state of the network at a single point in time. RF environments are always changing, and new sources of interference pop up all the time – whether it’s the microwave in the break room that only gets used around lunch time or a new tenant down the hall who put in a new access point. If your wireless solution is not able to adapt to these changes on the fly, then users will have a poor experience. This means your IT department will experience higher call volumes.
Aruba Networks has developed a feature within their operating system to address these ever-changing wireless environments: Adaptive Radio Management (ARM).
ARM maximizes WLAN performance even in the highest traffic networks by dynamically and intelligently choosing the best 802.11 wireless channel and transmit power for each Aruba Access Point in its current RF environment. ARM solves wireless networking challenges such as large deployments, dense deployments, and installations that must support VoIP or mobile users.
Deployments with dozens of users per access point can cause network contention and interference, but ARM dynamically monitors and adjusts the network to ensure that all users are allowed ready access. ARM provides the best voice call quality with voice-aware spectrum scanning and call admission control.
When ARM is enabled it will continuously scan the air on all 802.11 channels and report back what it sees to the controller. You can retrieve this information from the controller or push the data to Airwave to get a quick health check of your WLAN deployment. You can do all of this without having to walk around every part of a building with a network analyzer tool.
In addition to all this, there are some exciting changes coming to the ARM technology and the Aruba Operating System in general with the 8.0 update, make sure you engage your local Aruba resources for more information.
Mobility Challenge
As Mobility trends continue to transform the way we communicate, collaborate, and access information, enterprises are taking a wireless-first approach to connectivity. They need mobile networking solutions that allow enterprises to easily accommodate smartphones, tablets, and other personal devices on internal networks, while keeping them safe with the most robust security features available.
While “bring your own device” is great for the user, CIOs are faced with the challenge of transitioning legacy systems to the wireless edge while providing enterprise-class security and an optimized mobile application experience.
At the same time, the industry is about to go through the next major wave of wireless protocol roll-out with 802.11ac, ushering in another significant change in wireless performance. Over the next 3-5 years, we believe this wave will drive a massive network refresh not just to customers’ wireless access points, but to their campus switches as well.
Answering the Need
All of this creates a tremendous opportunity in the industry – and that’s where HPE comes in. About a year ago, HPE acquired Aruba Networks, a leading provider of next-generation network access solutions for mobile enterprise. Aruba designs and delivers best-of-breed mobility solutions and WLAN products and employs a software approach that extends mobility intelligence across wired and wireless networks all the way to users through devices and apps.
Combining Aruba and HPE will create a leader in enterprise mobility, positioning HPE to enable and accelerate customers’ transition to a converged campus network. The two companies are highly complementary – Aruba brings best-of-breed mobility software and WLAN hardware, and HPE has a leading networking portfolio. This potent combination will enable enterprises to easily, quickly, and securely deploy end-to-end mobile solutions, including the latest multi-gigabit wireless technology, across their campus. Together, HPE and Aruba will offer a unified solution with value-added software features, including policy management, security, and orchestration.
According to Antonio Neri, Executive Vice President and General Manager – Hewlett Packard Enterprise Group, “Ultimately, with Aruba’s leading wireless LAN technology and differentiated software solutions, coupled with HPE’s robust switching portfolio, HPE Networking will have market leadership in the $18 billion and growing campus networking market. HPE will be an innovative, agile vendor ideally positioned to solve customers’ toughest challenges in mobility, security and networking.”
Mobility Challenge
As Mobility trends continue to transform the way we communicate, collaborate, and access information, enterprises are taking a wireless-first approach to connectivity. They need mobile networking solutions that allow enterprises to easily accommodate smartphones, tablets, and other personal devices on internal networks, while keeping them safe with the most robust security features available.
While “bring your own device” is great for the user, CIOs are faced with the challenge of transitioning legacy systems to the wireless edge while providing enterprise-class security and an optimized mobile application experience.
At the same time, the industry is about to go through the next major wave of wireless protocol roll-out with 802.11ac, ushering in another significant change in wireless performance. Over the next 3-5 years, we believe this wave will drive a massive network refresh not just to customers’ wireless access points, but to their campus switches as well.
Answering the Need
All of this creates a tremendous opportunity in the industry – and that’s where HPE comes in. About a year ago, HPE acquired Aruba Networks, a leading provider of next-generation network access solutions for mobile enterprise. Aruba designs and delivers best-of-breed mobility solutions and WLAN products and employs a software approach that extends mobility intelligence across wired and wireless networks all the way to users through devices and apps.
Combining Aruba and HPE will create a leader in enterprise mobility, positioning HPE to enable and accelerate customers’ transition to a converged campus network. The two companies are highly complementary – Aruba brings best-of-breed mobility software and WLAN hardware, and HPE has a leading networking portfolio. This potent combination will enable enterprises to easily, quickly, and securely deploy end-to-end mobile solutions, including the latest multi-gigabit wireless technology, across their campus. Together, HPE and Aruba will offer a unified solution with value-added software features, including policy management, security, and orchestration.
According to Antonio Neri, Executive Vice President and General Manager – Hewlett Packard Enterprise Group, “Ultimately, with Aruba’s leading wireless LAN technology and differentiated software solutions, coupled with HPE’s robust switching portfolio, HPE Networking will have market leadership in the $18 billion and growing campus networking market. HPE will be an innovative, agile vendor ideally positioned to solve customers’ toughest challenges in mobility, security and networking.”
