Examining The Future Of WiFi: 802.11ah, 802.11ad (& Others)

In just 15 years, WiFi has evolved from sluggish connections to an incredibly versatile connective technology. And because it plays an integral role in the lives of hundreds of millions of people, it is being improved almost constantly. But what are those big changes? And what will these new technologies bring about in upcoming years? Consumers and companies are looking for two things in particular: incredible range and extreme speed.

Within this article, we’ll give a brief explanation on IEEE protocols and standards and a history of the 802.11 family. We’ll also take a look at three up-and-coming wireless network options:

• 802.11ah: for low data rate, long-range sensors and controllers.
• 802.11af: for similar applications to 802.11ah. This network option relies on unused TV spectrums instead of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands for transmission.
• 802.11ad: for multigigabit speeds (sans wires) and high-performance networking.

A Brief Overview Of IEEE Standards

The Institute of Electronics and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a professional association that acts as an authority for electronic communication. The IEEE creates standards and protocols for communication in industries like telecommunications, information technology, and much more.  Each standard that the IEEE ratifies is designated by a unique number. 802 is the prefix used for any protocol or amendment that entails area networking. For instance, standards for ethernet local area networks (LANs) are designated by 802.3, and Bluetooth personal area networks (PANs) are designated by 802.15. Wireless LANs—the subject of this article—are designated by 802.11.

In 1997, the IEEE released the base standard for wireless local area network (WLAN) communications, which they called called 802.11. In the years following, many amendments were made to this standard. Let’s walk through what each standard has brought to communications.

A History Of Past & Current 802.11 Amendments

802.11a (1990): “WiFi A”—also known as the OFDM (Orthogonal, Frequency Division Multiplexing) waveform—was the first amendment, and it came two years after the standard was complete. This amendment defined 5 gigahertz band extensions, which made it more flexible (since the 2.4 GHz space was crowded with wireless home telephones, baby monitors, microwaves, and more).

802.11b (2000): As one of the first widely used protocols, “WiFi B” had an improved range and transfer rate, but it is very slow by today’s standards (maxing out at 11 mbps). 802.11b defined 2.4 GHz band extensions. This protocol is still supported (since 80% of WiFi runs off of 2.4 GHz), but the technology isn’t manufactured anymore because it’s been replaced by faster options.

802.11g (2003): “WiFi G” came onto the market three years after B, and it offered roughly five times the transfer rate (at 54 mbps). It defined 2.4 GHz band extensions at a higher data rate. The primary benefit it offered was greater speed, which was increasingly important to consumers. Today, these speeds are not fast enough to keep up with the average number of WiFi-enabled devices in a household or a strong wireless draw from a number of devices.

802.11n (2007): “WiFi N” offered another drastic improvement in transfer rate speed—300-450 mbps, depending on the number of antennas—and range. This was the first main protocol that operated on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. These transfer rates allow large amounts of data to be transmitted more quickly than ever before.

802.11ac (2013): In 2013, “WiFi AC” was introduced. AC was the first step in what is considered “Gigabit WiFi,” meaning it offers speeds of nearly 1 gbps, which is equivalent to 800 mbps. That’s roughly 20 times more powerful than 802.11n, making this an important (and widely used) new protocol. AC runs on a 5 GHz band, which is important—because it’s less widely used, you’ll have an advantage as far as high online speeds are concerned, though the higher frequency and higher modulation rate mean the range is more limited

“Future” WiFi Technologies

802.11AH

802.11ah is 900 megahertz WiFi, which is ideal for low power consumption and long-range data transmission. It’s earned the nickname “the low power WiFi” for that very reason.

Who will use it: Companies who have sensor-level technology that they need to be WiFi-enabled.

Benefits:

• Can penetrate through walls and obstructions better than high frequency networks like 802.11ad, which we’ll discuss below.
• Great for short, bursty data that doesn’t use a good deal of power consumption and needs to travel long distances. This would be applicable in smart building applications, like smart lighting, smart HVAC, and smart security systems. It would also work for smart city applications, like parking garages and parking meters.

Downfalls:

• There is no global standard for 900 MHz. Right now, 80% of the world uses 2.4 GHz WiFi. That is a benefit because you can connect on these global standard bands anywhere in the world. (If you’re on a Mac, try this: hold down the option key and click your WiFi symbol at the top. You’ll see a bunch of information about the WiFi network you’re connected to, including channel.)
• AH isn’t available right now. The IEEE is in the final phases of resolving the standard, and once that’s done—currently slated for March 2016—the chip manufacturers (like HUAWEI, Broadcom, and Qualcomm) will have a chance to start creating physical layer chips. You will most likely start seeing WiFi AH products appear in the next 18 months to two years. The good news, however, is that organizations are providing similar technology for low power, wide-area networks (LPWAN) now, so you don’t have to wait until 802.11ah is complete to benefit from the technology.

802.11.AF

802.11af utilizes unused television spectrum frequencies (i.e., white spaces) to transmit information. Because of this, it’s earned the nickname “White-Fi.” Because these frequencies are between 54 MHz and 790 MHz, AF can be used for low power, wide-area range, like AH.

Who will use it:

• Organizations that need extremely long-range wireless networks.
• Lower interference can drastically improve performance.

Benefits:

• Because AF can use several unused TV channels at once, it can be used for very long range devices—potentially up to several miles, with high data rates.

Downfalls:

• It’s still in proposal stages, so it hasn’t been approved or released to the mass market yet.
• “White space” channels are not available everywhere, like in big cities.

 802.11AD

802.11ad couldn’t be further from AH. While AH is a future LPWAN option, AD is ideal forvery high data rate, very short range communications.

AD WiFi—previously known as WiGig because of it’s predecessor 802.11ac—separates itself from the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and operates on a 60 GHz band. This space is completely free and open, which helps it achieve speeds that are 50 times faster than WiFi N. And while AH uses 900 MHz, AD uses 60 GHz. To put that into perspective, 60 GHz is equivalent to 60,000 MHz.

Who will use it:

• Enterprise-level organizations that need extended bandwidth with very short-range devices.

Benefits:

• Very good for high data rate, short-range file transfers and communication.Back in 2007 when 802.11n was introduced, it was regarded as the fastest protocol yet. At 8 gbps, AD is 50 times faster than WiFi N. In fact, this protocol is so fast that, according to this Fast Company article, AD has the potential to “enable a whole new class of devices” like “wireless hard drives that feel as fast as locally connected ones.”

Downfalls:

• The chips are very expensive to manufacture, which makes this a costly set up.
• AD provides a very short range. When you have a really high frequency like 60 GHz, short-range communications are ideal. This isn’t a problem if you have the router right next to you, but if you need it to penetrate walls, you’ll need additional routers.
• AD (which operates on a 60 GHz band) is not a recognized international standard. This is also a downside for AH.

Conclusion

AH (low data rate, long-range sensors and controller WiFi), AF (or “White-Fi, as it uses unused TV spectrums for long-range transmission), and AD (the non-wired multigigabit high-performance networking WiFi) are three important up-and-coming changes to WiFi as we know it.

These three amendments are clear evidence that WiFi has undergone a spectacular transformation in the past decade and a half. And with the IEEE reviewing amendments to the 802.11 protocol on a near regular basis, we’re certain that the next 15 years will hold just as many interesting changes.

Microsoft upgrading switches to Arista Networks

Courtesy: Bradreese

"Korea Telecom is one customer that has now deployed hundreds of switches after the initial trial; the company saved over 80% in capex by deploying Arista's solution."

"We believe Microsoft may also be upgrading its network based on Arista switches.

"Flattening the network and simplifying the data center offer significant cost benefits and vendors including Juniper, Brocade, Cisco, and others have set forth various fabric technologies. We also have non-fabric fabric contenders, such as Arista, which believe that a standards-based approach is the way to get scale in a network. On top of that, the OpenFlow movement and the broader opportunities for Software Defined Networks promise to address the network problem from a different angle and potentially reduce the requirements for a full fabric deployment. For its part, Arista remains adamant that no fabric is required with Ethernet set to get only better from here."

"Arista says that SDNs can be implemented using controllers of distributed network controllers, each with its pros and cons. Initial applications for OpenFlow, according to Arista, include dynamic packet redirection for network tap aggregation, lawful intercept, and network segmentation deployments.
"And with more APIs in development, OpenFlow doesn't necessarily have to be the only method to deploy SDNs. Other options include OpenStack, Netconf, XMPP, VMware, or even future hypervisors, which all promise some topology agnostic network virtualization for applicant and workload mobility optimization. So while some investors may have concluded that OpenFlow equates to SDNs, others believe OpenFlow is just one option to implement an SDN."

"Arista typically displaces other vendors by starting with a two-to six-switch initial deployment. When customers decide that they would like to go ahead with Arista switches, they either do a rip and replace of entire data centers or grow alongside their existing network with more Arista switches.

"Korea Telecom is one customer that has now deployed hundreds of switches after the initial trial; the company saved over 80% in capex by deploying Arista's solution."

"Virtualization is one of the drivers of data center consolidation and the need for more efficient data centers. Arista has a partnership with VMWare whereby Arista's operating system EOS incorporates software capabilities of VM Tracer. Through VM Tracer, network operators get better visibility into the virtualization layer and have better control of their network protocols.

"Arista's approach to next-generation data center networking is based on its software OS imbedded in its switch technology. The company claims that fabrics are more marketing related than anything else and that Arista's switches already have the capabilities that many of its competitors are claiming to be revolutionary in networking. Arista offers high performance, functionality, low latency, and ease of use on open standards to be competitive with larger competitors in data center switching.

"Arista leverages merchant silicon for its switching technology, unlike other vendors that use their proprietary ASIC technologies. Merchant silicon may be getting more advanced and Arista claims that the company can achieve 6x to 8x better performance using merchant silicon vs. utilizing ASICs. Partnering with its merchant silicon partners, Arista is able to come out with a new technology every 18 months."

Cisco Live 365

Agenda

https://www.ciscolive365.com/connect/agenda.ww


Cisco Live is the kickoff for the company's next fiscal year after 12 months of layoffs and restructuring. Here's a look at what might be coming

SAN DIEGO -- Just over a year ago, Cisco Systems Inc. began a major restructuring after several quarters of sluggish financial performance.

When the network and unified communications equipment maker officially opens its annual Cisco Live conference here Tuesday, it will try to show a year’s worth of job cuts, new products and a more focused strategy has revitalized the company, reassured customers and energized solution provider partners.

“They’re coming up on the end of their fiscal year,” observes Bob Laliberte, senior networking analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group. “This is going to set the tone for what their sales force will be doing for the next year.”
There have been some leaks about what’s coming. In a news release to reporters, the company said last week will make product and strategy announcements about its core networking and virtualization businesses.

Last month NetworkWorld U.S. reported that a Cisco executive told a U.S. investment firm that one announcement at the conference will deal with how it will embrace theyoung software-defined networking technology.

SDN allows an external controller to oversee all routers and switches on a network. Backed by a number of large networking companies and the Open Networking Foundation, the potential has mesmerized enterprises and service providers.

But, as Zeus Kerravala of ZK Research says, invoking a hockey analogy, “we’re still in the pre-game skate.”

“Right now there’s a lot of hype,” agrees Laliberte, but there’s also a lot of promise. Enough that companies like Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM, Brocade Communications Systems and Juniper Networks have enabled support for an API called OpenFlow, which lets physical switches talk to an external controller on some of their switches to allow companies to leverage SDN.

So far, while supporting OpenFlow, Cisco has held its cards close to its chest on exactly how its customers can implement software-defined networking.

This being 2012, Cisco will likely also talk about cloud computing.

Since deciding for focus on five core areas and largely get out of consumer-related products, Cisco’s financial health has improved. In May it announced record third quarter revenue of US$11.6 billion, the second quarter in a row it hit a record.

There are some worrying signs about the strength of the global economy. CEO John Chambers told financial analysts then that spending in the U.S. public sector, Europe and India were a concern, as was “customer conservatism.”

Since then the global economy hasn’t gotten better.

Meanwhile, Cisco is pushing on with its restructuring. Analysts agree it’s done a good job so far.

“They’re more focused,” says Kerravala. “They’ve given up the sexy allure of the consumer market. While sometimes it may seem like there’s a big pot of gold there, there’s an awful lot of low-margin business and Cisco realized the price premium (they can get) on the enterprise side simply wasn’t there on the consumer side.”

“I also think they had so many initiatives going on that they didn’t have the same emphasis on core networking as they do today. And they allowed companies like Juniper and HP to sneak up on them and take some [market] share.”
“They’re much more aggressive competitively than they were in the past. One of the mistake they made, when you look at the relative fast rise of companies like Riverbed [in WAN optimization], F5 [in application delivery controllers] and Aruba [in enterprise Wi-Fi] is Cisco had left those companies dictate the terms and conditions of competition … and when you do that it’s hard to win.”
Today, if a company says something about its product that “stretches the truth, Cisco’s not afraid to call them on it.”
That in turn makes customers “take another look” at Cisco, which in some cases is all it needs to win business, or at least not lose it.
Cisco has also updated its product lines with competitive models, he said – for example, added the Catalyst 4000 line. It has fewer features than the 6000-series, which means Cisco can make it more attractive to price-sensitive buyers without deep discounts.
“They’ve been doing a good job of consolidating and optimizing its groups,” agreed Andre Kindness, enterprise networking analyst at Forrester Research, “but they still have a long road ahead of them integrating components (in their lineup) to make networking solutions.” For example, he said, the company still needs to integrate some data centre modules in its Cisco Prime network management platform so its an integrated system.
“Prime is getting a lot of good customer feedback,” he added, “they’ve just got to keep on going.”
The conference unofficially started Sunday with two days of labs and technical sessions for the thousands of network engineers in attendence. Tuesday will start with a press conference on products and strategy, followed by the official conference opening and keynote speech from Chambers.