Top applications for 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi

Since the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced and certified 802.11n, Wi-Fi has become widely recognized as the primary edge connection for organizations world-wide. A 2007 Burton Group report entitled “The end of Ethernet” accurately predicted Wi-Fi taking over from wired Ethernet as the de-facto standard in modern networks.

Today we see 802.11n as the standard interface on PCs, tablets, smartphones, and other networked devices. This proliferation of Wi-Fi interfaces means more mobile devices and their associated data (including HD video) find themselves on corporate networks, while the capacity and data rates enabled by 802.11n may at times seem barely adequate to support this trend. Implementing mobile device management solutions can help organizations efficiently control, secure, and optimize the use of these devices on the network.

Fortunately the IEEE 802.11 working group and the Wi-Fi Alliance have already begun working on the successor to 802.11n – 802.11ac.

Expected to achieve final IEEE ratification at the end of 2013, 802.11ac provides enhancements to the techniques pioneered in 802.11n to deliver greater reliability and higher throughput in the 5-Ghz band; more antennas, wider channels, more spatial streams and a number of new features to increase throughput, capacity and reliability.

The increased performance and higher capacity of 802.11ac have tremendous appeal for organizations rapidly approaching the limits of their current Wi-Fi network, or for organizations that are striving to adopt next-generation applications or interactive network experiences. To help identify these opportunities, the following represents the top use cases for adopting 802.11ac technology today.

1. Deploying HD video over Wi-Fi

• Large enterprises that rollout HD video conferencing.
• Hospitals or medical clinics utilizing Wi-Fi for HD medical imaging and surgical procedures.
• Universities or other higher-education facilities deploying campus-wide IPTV and video streaming.

2. Projecting HD images and video from mobile devices

• Large enterprises utilizing Apple TV/Bonjour gateways in conference rooms and other gathering spaces.
• Education (primary/K-12 schools and higher-education facilities) to promote active learning spaces/collaboration/distance learning.

3. High client-dense Wi-Fi environments

• Enterprise networks with large common areas / conference rooms that need additional capacity.
• Large public venues (LPVs)/hotspot operators – stadiums, movie theaters, shopping arcades where large numbers of consumers/guests congregate and utilize publicly available Wi-Fi.
• Education (primary/K-12 /universities) accommodating large numbers of students and devices in auditoriums and common gathering areas.

4. Deploying interactive applications

• LPVs – movie theaters/shopping arcades/sporting stadiums that are adopting point-of-view (POV) applications for greater interaction with guests and VIPs.

5. Adoption of the All Wireless Office

• Large enterprises migrating away from static computing environments, opening their floor plans and utilizing Ethernet strictly for PoE+/transport with Wi-Fi as the only medium for edge connectivity.

6. 802.11a/b/g migration and greenfield Wi-Fi opportunities

• Enterprises migrating off legacy technology and bypassing 802.11n to deploy the latest Wi-Fi standard.
• Organizations looking to deliver better RF management and traffic prioritization while future-proofing the network.

7. Increasing performance and reliability of mission-critical applications

• Large enterprises looking to overcome performance issues and reliability concerns for rolling out large scale Microsoft Lync, VDI, mobile CRM, and other applications over Wi-Fi.

802.11ac is clearly going to dominate enterprise Wi-Fi deployments, but many organizations will take some time to upgrade their networks to be able to transition to this new standard. Proper planning and execution can ensure a painless transition for network operators and end users.

However, some organizations may already have a need for the improvements in performance, capacity and reliability of 802.11ac over prior 802.11 standards. As such, the availability of enterprise-class, purpose-built 802.11ac APs will prompt these organizations to start upgrading right away to satisfy the organizations business needs.

To ensure a smooth transition to 802.11ac, it is important to make sure the network is ready. Simply deploying 802.11ac on top of existing 802.11a/b/g/n networks will not yield desired results. Thus, conducting a readiness assessment prior to deployment is an important first step and can deliver the highest degree of success.

How Gigabit Wi-Fi Supports Modern Business Connectivity

Nobody notices good Wi-Fi. They only notice bad Wi-Fi — when a video call drops mid-sentence, when a cloud application takes forever to load, when a warehouse scanner lags just enough to throw off a whole picking workflow.

That is the reality most IT teams are managing. The network is invisible when it works, and immediately everyone’s problem when it does not. And as more of what businesses do every day depends on wireless connectivity, the stakes around getting it right keep going up.

Gigabit Wi-Fi changed what was possible for business networks. Not just in terms of raw speed, but in terms of how many devices a network can handle at once, how consistently it performs under load, and what kinds of applications can realistically run on wireless without constant frustration.

Enabling a Mobile Workforce

Workers in most industries are not sitting at desks anymore — at least not all day. Warehouse staff move constantly. Field technicians work across large facilities. Retail employees cover floor space. All of them need reliable wireless access to do their jobs, and a network that drops or slows under load is a direct drag on productivity.

High-performance wireless infrastructure supports the kind of work that actually happens in these environments:

• Mobile inventory management that updates in real time as stock moves
• Warehouse operations where scanning speed directly affects throughput
• Field service applications that keep technicians connected to job data and customer records
• Asset tracking systems that depend on a consistent signal across the whole facility
• Mobile point-of-sale that cannot afford to drop connection mid-transaction
• Real-time collaboration tools that need steady bandwidth to function properly

When the network is solid, workers stay in their workflow. When it is not, they lose time — and that lost time adds up across a whole shift.

Supporting Cloud-Based Applications

Over the last several years, most business software has sort of drifted to the cloud. ERP systems, inventory platforms, CRM tools, collaboration suites … they all do their thing over the network now, not on local servers. Because of that, network performance is way more consequential than it used to be.

If the connection is slow or inconsistent, it is not only a small annoyance. It drags down every person who is using those apps, can mess with data accuracy when session times out or sync fails, and then people start using awkward workarounds that can introduce errors.

With gigabit Wi‑Fi, cloud applications finally get the steady throughput they require to respond quickly and in a reliable way. Users get a sort of snappy experience instead of staring at loading screens. And IT teams spend less time fielding complaints about application slowness that is actually coming from the network.

Improving Collaboration Across Teams

Video calls, screen sharing, large file transfers, and real-time document collaboration — these are standard parts of how most teams work now. They are also bandwidth-intensive, and they show problems immediately when the network cannot keep up.

A dropped video call in the middle of a client meeting is embarrassing. A file transfer that takes ten minutes instead of one wastes real time. A collaboration platform that lags makes remote teamwork genuinely harder than it needs to be.

A well-built gigabit wireless network takes these pain points off the table by providing enough bandwidth and stability to support:

• High-quality video meetings without freezing or pixelation
• Screen sharing that keeps up with what is actually on the presenter’s screen
• Large file transfers that finish in a reasonable amount of time
• Real-time collaboration platforms that stay in sync without delays
• Messaging and communication tools that are always connected and responsive

Enhancing Customer and Guest Experiences

Wireless access is not just an internal need anymore. Customers walking into a retail location, visitors at a corporate office, partners touring a facility — people expect to have usable Wi-Fi wherever they go. When they do not, it reflects poorly on the business.

Beyond basic guest access, strong wireless infrastructure supports customer-facing technology that businesses are increasingly relying on:

• Digital kiosks that need a consistent connection to function
• Mobile apps that customers use during their visit
• Self-service solutions that reduce wait times and staffing pressure
• Contactless payment and transaction systems that cannot afford connectivity interruptions
• Interactive experiences that depend on the network performing well in real time

A network that supports all of this well becomes part of the customer experience, even if nobody consciously notices it.

Preparing for Future Technology Growth

The number of devices connecting to business networks keeps growing. IoT sensors monitoring equipment, smart building systems, connected tools on the production floor, analytics platforms pulling data in real time — all of it puts more demand on wireless infrastructure.

A network that was sized for today’s device count will fall short when that count doubles. Businesses that invest in high-capacity wireless infrastructure now do not have to scramble for a network overhaul every time a new technology initiative adds more devices to the mix.

Building on a strong wireless foundation means future upgrades are additive rather than disruptive, new capabilities get layered on top of infrastructure that can support them, rather than replacing a network that could not.

Also read – Understanding 802.11ac: Explanation and Benefits