Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column where C-level executives and advisory firms from across the mobile industry share unique insights and experiences.
We need to talk.
Last week Apple released its iPhone 6 (finally!) with support for the latest-and-greatest 802.11ac standard, and it’s time for us to talk about putting old things out to pasture.
You’ve likely heard stories of many outdated laws that are still technically on the books, such as the ban on playing cards on Sunday in Alabama or the law in Missouri prohibiting motorists from driving with an uncaged bear in their car. France had a law on the books since 1799 that women couldn’t wear pants in public; it wasn’t repealed until February 2013. Likewise, in the tech industry many technical standards are still in effect that are seriously outdated by advancing technology and should be repealed, such as some outmoded 802.11 standards for Wi-Fi connectivity.
To be sure, the IEEE’s 802.11 standards, like all standards, are essential to protect consumers by making sure their device connects to the network as advertised and to ensure that various devices are interoperable with others. But as 802.11 improves to deliver faster connections and extra capacity for a growing number of devices, some of the older versions of 802.11 can and should be retired. Cisco argues that standards-setting bodies such as the IEEE should gradually phase out older 802.11 standards such as 802.11b as no longer useful and a drag on further development of 802.11 for today’s wireless needs.
The latest connection standard, 802.11ac, delivers data throughput of up to 1.3 gigabits per second with shipping wave 1 products, but 802.11b only delivers a maximum of 11 megabits per second and a minimum of 1 Mbps depending on the distance from the access point. If you continue to support these low data rates, the airtime and potential bandwidth you’re wasting on the network is huge. It’s like having a bicyclist on the freeway; it’s dangerous and they’re slowing everybody else down. Network administrators need to ruthlessly hunt down anyone who’s using a phone or device that’s still using 802.11b. Just buy them a new device that is 802.11ac or 802.11n compatible and then disable the .11b data rates on your network. Next on the hit list should be devices running on 802.11a and .11g. I like to call this a mandate to “bring out your dead.”
Simultaneously, device makers should have the option to not support the older 802.11 standards in order to be “Wi-Fi Certified” products. Enterprises need to upgrade to 802.11ac, or at least 802.11n, to enable their wireless local area networks, not to mention their existing wired wide area networks, to deliver the speed and bandwidth requirements for today’s mobile-first, cloud-first world.
Upgrading to 802.11ac requires an understanding of the two “waves” of the rollout of the new Wi-Fi standard. “Wave 1,” which is already underway, is enjoying quick adoption. IDC forecasts that unit shipments of 802.11ac-based access points will hit 1.6 million in 2014, up from just 250,000 in 2013. Another research firm, Dell’Oro Group, forecasts WLAN sales revenue to reach $6.7 billion by 2018, a 70% increase over 2013. And ABI Research estimates that currently 50% of new device introductions are 802.11ac enabled, a statistic expected to increase to 75% by the end of 2015.
One of the reasons 802.11ac adoption is so strong is that most vendors have eschewed the price premium over 802.11n devices. While customers who’ve just invested in .11n can get by for now without upgrading to .11ac, consider that .11ac is three-times faster than .11n, which, in and of itself, can better handle the proliferation of new wireless devices and the applications, mostly cloud-delivered, that will run on them. You can anticipate increased demand for faster networks, for instance, as Apple introduces the iOS 8 mobile operating system for its iPhones and iPads.
However, for those who’ve recently upgraded to .11n, they are going to need to increase the density of higher-bandwidth APs per square foot to provide truly pervasive mobility, because mere hot-spot-like mobility will not be enough. They should consider adding .11ac APs on their new network of .11ns.
Also, consider that .11ac offers consumers a simpler choice than .11n in that 802.11ac operates only on the cleaner 5 GHz band, while .11n operates in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band and it is sometimes difficult to ascertain what bands a device actually supports — it could be 2.4 GHz only or 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz; 2.4 GHz being what I consider the “junk band.” With .11ac, traffic can move from the crowded 2.4 GHz frequency to the newer 5 GHz, enabling increased modulation with more throughput and the ability to support multiple clients.
For most enterprise networks, an upgrade to Wave 1 .11ac should be sufficient. “Wave 2,” expected to take hold sometime in 2015, offers other enhancements, including the availability of a 160 megahertz channel in addition to the 20/40/80 megahertz channels already available. Wave 2 will also enable multiuser multiple input-multiple output capability, meaning that an AP can send and receive signals at the same time and support multiple users, which is essential as the number of wireless devices grows. Consider that demands on the network will not just come from laptops, tablets or smartphones but from the emerging “Internet of Things” phenomenon in which devices that monitor HVAC systems, security cameras, badge readers and other functions will also need wireless connectivity.
As enterprises plan their transition to 802.11ac, they will need to look at their network holistically and not just upgrade the APs. As much as they’re going to want to upgrade the wireless LAN, they also need to think about how they architect their WAN and switching infrastructure. They’ve really got to think about how .11ac is going to be an enabler of their mobile-first, cloud-first world and take into account what else is going to impact the network.
Taking a step back, it’s also important to understand how critical a high performance wireless network is to your enterprise. In the early days of Wi-Fi, there were limitations compared to what you would expect on a wired network with slower speeds, uneven reliability and a limited range of Wi-Fi hot spots. But with 802.11ac, you will not have to compromise in order to enjoy wireless service. It is really going to enable a user to do pretty much anything they could previous do by the wire over a Wi-Fi signal. As we depend more on mobile devices we still want to be able to watch video, hold teleconferences, all of those rich media things over Wi-Fi. 802.11ac is the first Wi-Fi standard that enables you to do that.
Chris Spain is the VP of product management for the Enterprise Networking segment at Cisco. He is responsible for managing and overseeing the development of innovative solutions designed to create the mobile workspace of the future. Spain also leads the product management team and its activities for Cisco’s enterprise networking portfolio globally. Spain has more than 30 years experience in the IT networking and telecommunications industries. Prior to joining Cisco, he was VP of product marketing and technical marketing for Aruba Networks. Previously, he has held executive and technical positions at companies such as Juniper, Network Equipment Technologies and General Datacomm.
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