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Category Archives: 802.11ad

Best Practices in Planning Your Wireless Network

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    Laying out a wireless network can be tedious, and sometimes downright stressful. In multi-AP deployments (i.e. every enterprise deployment) the placement of one AP affects all others, so every tweak in AP positioning can be like bumping the first domino, causing the entire chain to fall and have to be set up again. That is why, when mapping out where to place APs and how many to use, it’s important to have a blueprint before taking on the task yourself.

    This can be done in two fashions: automatically and manually. Both practices are relatively easy for wireless pros, but each has its strengths and weaknesses. When mapping out a network across multiple stories, or large open buildings like warehouses, it is best to automatically plan AP placement using a downloaded 3D map of your space and software specifically designed for this task, like Ekahau Site Survey. On the other hand, when planning out smaller networks, often times professionals find more satisfaction, and more control, in doing so manually.

    We’ve outlined both best practices below, as well as next steps to follow to ensure that your network keeps running at peak performance.

    Automatic Network Planning
    For the less technical wireless professional, or for large scale deployments, automatic network planning software is the best way to map out where APs should be placed to optimize your network’s performance and the overall user experience. This process involves importing floor plans of the areas to be covered by the wireless network, specifying some key dimensions on the floor plan (so the program can determine the scale accurately), specifying key construction elements in your floor plan (wood vs. metal studs, wall materials, other structures not represented in the floor plan, etc.), and selecting the AP make(s) and model(s) you plan to deploy. Most software includes a database of AP features and capabilities for common manufacturers and model numbers, so it tries to do the very best job to maximize the potential of the equipment you plan to use. The software will then calculate the approximate locations and configurations for the APs on a virtual 3D map of your building. It will also provide a channel map (a channel assignment for each AP), making every effort to avoid co-channel interference between APs. Once the software has developed a proposed layout, you can make manual adjustments, for example, if some APs end up being located in undesirable or infeasible locations (no power, no network drop, etc.). This is where the real value comes in, because in an actual deployment a few tweaks like this causes the domino effect, but since you’re only dealing with software right now you can see the effect your manual change has without needing to do any other work.

    You can also play “what if” with the software, trying different configuration parameters than those recommended, or even “trying out” equipment from different manufacturers to see if certain solutions have advantages over others. For a large deployment, the time savings with an automated approach are tremendous, and easily justify the cost of either the software purchase, or the services of a third-party to run the simulations for you.

    Once you’re pretty confident of your deployment, you can lay out the network, and again leverage the software to perform a site survey, taking measurements at locations within the deployment to assess the accuracy of the original software layout and make other small adjustments to ensure the best WLAN configuration.

    Manual Network Planning
    This approach is better suited to the more seasoned wireless expert, and is typically best for smaller deployments. It still requires the use of software – any deployment of more than just a few APs has far too many variables to manage the entire process manually. Manual network planning is only “manual” in the sense that you place your APs on the building map yourself, possibly even choosing the channel layout yourself, and then letting the program calculate overall WLAN coverage, providing a “heat map” of expected signal strengths at all locations in the network, so you can see if your layout is acceptable before actually deploying any equipment. This approach is most often used when your choices for AP placement are limited. The software can optimize the AP settings to maximize overall performance based on your AP placement constraints. After you’ve settled on a design, the same site survey described above should be used to validate both the placement and the settings, with necessary adjustments being made along the way.

    Ongoing Monitoring and Analysis
    Once a network is up and running you need a different solution to perform day-to-day network monitoring and analysis. Monitoring solutions are used to track which stations are connected to which APs, the overall throughput each station is able to achieve, signal strength and noise measurements, and network problems like packet loss, latency, and device configuration issues. When problems are identified, you need to be able to drill down to the details of each station to AP connection, often down to the packet level, to determine the root cause of problems.

    Using a combination of WLAN planning software and a WLAN monitoring and analysis solution, you will be ensured of both the best overall WLAN design possible, and well as a network that continually meets the demands of your ever-expanding wireless network user base, essentially eliminating the threat of one day toppling over all those WLAN dominos.

      Common Questions and Our Answers on 802.11ac and 802.11ad

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        One of the most popular topics from our webinars, the media, and of course our customers is 802.11ac and 802.11ad, two emerging wireless standards that will continue to propel the popularity of 802.11 wireless networking. In this blog we’ll cover the most common questions that we receive regarding these new 802.11 protocols. If you have other questions, please feel free to send us a message on twitter (@wildpackets) or leave a comment at the end of this blog post.

        If you are simply looking for the 101 on both of these technologies, we suggest watching our ondemand webcast, “802.11 – Who is Ready for 802.11ac and ad?” or checking out the videos below, which provide a quick encapsulation of these new wireless technologies.

        With that, here are some common questions that we’re getting from our customers and the wireless community at large.

        Q: Will stations and access points require updates to leverage 802.11ac and 802.11ad?
        A: Yes. If you are planning to take advantage of 802.11ac or 802.11ad technologies, you will need to purchase new stations and access points; it can’t simply be done with firmware updates. The underlying chipsets are new for these technologies.

        802.11ac APs will be backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n clients, but those clients will not be able to take advantage of the new 802.11ac capabilities.

        Q: Will 802.11ac replace 802.11n?
        A: Our prediction is that 802.11ac will replace 802.11n, over time. 802.11ac is a “lessons learned” from 802.11n, so it includes all of the benefits, and more, with less of the drawbacks. But if you’ve already deployed 802.11n , or are in the process, there’s no need to worry. 802.11n is still a very capable technology that will serve you well for many years to come.

        Q: Is 802.11ac better for VoIP?
        With VoIP you don’t need a lot of bandwidth, but you need reliability, and improvements at both the PHY and MAC layers in 802.11ac provide exactly that.

        Additionally, 802.11ac improves beam forming, which was first introduced with 802.11n, and this will help with real-time transport applications like video or voice over IP.

        That said, as we mentioned above, 802.11n is a perfectly good technology, so you’ll need to decide the cost benefit of VoIP to your business. If you consistently see problems with VoIP and use VoIP applications like Skype for business, then it might behoove you to make the switch. But if you’re happy with your VoIP performance, then you may not want to replace all of your access points and stations to switch over to 802.11ac just yet.

        Q: Can a single VoIP call leverage multiple data streams?
        A: Yes, VoIP can leverage multiple data streams, just as with any other application on the wireless network. This does of course assume that both the AP and client can support multiple data streams. Remember, MIMO (or multiple data streams) is only supported with 802.11n and 802.11ac.

        Q: Can you explain the power consumption between 802.11n and 802.11ac?
        A: Power consumption is all about the number of radios required to generate a certain data rate. And for battery operated devices, minimizing the number of radios (in fact, requiring only one), is tantamount to acceptable battery life, especially for “power” users (pun intended). A single radio 802.11n device will get you up to 150Mbps (megabits per second). With 802.11ac devices you’ll get almost three times that data rate for a single radio, or 433Mbps. So almost 3x the performance for the same battery life!

        Q: Are the four channels in 802.11ad non-overlapping?
        The four channels are non-overlapping. This is possible because 802.11ad is designed to use an entirely new part of the spectrum so channel allocation can be made with channel bonding in mind. The 2.4 and 5GHz bands never had this luxury, since channel bonding came along well after the channels were assigned.

        For more information on 802.11ac, sign up for next month’s webinar, “802.11ac – Wireless Gigabit Speeds Driving Changes in Wireless Analysis”

          More Updates on 802.11-2012 and the State of Wi-Fi

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            There are many 802.11 specifications ratified or in the process of being ratified. Periodically the IEEE rolls up all these changes to help address functional overlap and to ensure interoperability. This is what 802.11-2012 is all about, and we recently had a webinar that detailed all the specifications (10) that were ratified into the 802.11-2012 amendment.

            We had a lot of great questions after we presented the details on each specification in the update – if you are looking for specific information, please check out this blog post. Since some of the questions were really quite good we decided to repeat them here.

            If you have any additional questions on these, or any other wireless protocols, please do not hesitate to comment at the end of this post and we’ll start a conversation.

            What are the main security changes we’ll see in this new roll-up?
            From a security perspective, the main change here is 802.11w, which specifies methods to increase the security of 802.11 management frames. Management frames are 802.11 packets that control communication on the WLAN, but do not contain data. Manipulation of management packets can lead to many serious security vulnerabilities. 802.11w significantly reduces the ability to maliciously manipulate management packets. Beyond that there are no new encryption protocols or suites, though security is certainly an integral part of many of the other specifications in 802.11-2012.

            Do you know of any phones using 802.11r?
            Without getting into specific model numbers, 802.11r is an integral part of the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) Voice-Enterprise certification program, so any equipment certified as part of this program, which was implemented in 2012, will certainly use 802.11r.

            Do you have any concerns with the FCC opening up more 5GHz spectrum?
            The more spectrum the better! But compatibility with other systems must always be seriously considered. Interestingly enough, one of the only major applications in the 5GHz space is Doppler Radar around airports. We suggest reading Matthew Gast of Aerohive’s latest blog on 802.11ac channel allocation and how this new protocol affects channels and the new spectrum changes ahead.

            What is the different between 802.11ad and 802.11ac?
            802.11ac is like a super version of 802.11n – more range and higher throughput for the same or even less overall power consumption. It continues to build on 802.11 as a networking platform. 802.11ad is quite different. It uses spectrum in the 60GHz range, which due to physics will operate over a much shorter range. It supports wireless connectivity over common computing standards like HDMI and PCIe, making it an ideal interconnect between computing devices. Equipment which uses 802.11ad will also need to support 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac for overall network connectivity, and for connectivity back to the overall WAN. We discuss in more detail how these two specs are different and what you can expect from them in this blog post.

            When will 802.11ac be ratified?
            We don’t have a crystal ball to make this prediction, but it’s starting to look like early in 2014. But just as it was with 802.11n, manufacturers are already jumping on the bandwagon with hardware designed against a draft release of the spec. In fact, you can already find consumer-grade 11ac equipment on store shelves, with enterprise-grade gear right on its heels. And the WFA expects to be certifying 11ac devices later this year.

            Does 802.11ac require new chips?
            Yes, new chipsets are required to support the new technology.

            Is there any work being done to help mobile device battery life?
            From an 802.11 perspective, 11ac will help with mobile device battery life. It won’t help extend it, but it will provide much greater data rates for the same power consumed. This will help mobile devices break past the 150Mbps plateau (802.11n 1-stream – the only viable alternative for battery-operated devices), reaching data rates of at least 450Mbps.

            What is the difference between 802.11z and 802.11d?
            These are very different indeed. 802.11d was implemented to ensure device compatibility with the many different regulatory requirements across the world. One of the key elements is a country code which allows a device to be set to a particular country or region, with the appropriate configuration and settings to meet the local regulatory requirements. 802.11z allows WLAN client devices to connect directly to each other, bypassing the typical link through an infrastructure AP. It is analogous to the ad-hoc mode from the early 802.11 days, but it includes the appropriate levels of authentication, security, and inter-device communication to make ad-hoc usable.

            What is the effect on international distribution on encryption?
            The encryption algorithms used in 802.11 are generally exportable, but equipment manufacturers in the US must comply with the export control rules of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the Commerce Control List (CCL). Export of encryption products to the “embargoed countries” is typically still not allowed.

            Will there be a NIC that supports 802.11w?
            802.11w is designed to use features that are already supported as part of other 802.11 specifications (like 802.11i) so NIC support should not be a problem.