LoRa Flipbooks

p. 6 With wider channels comes higher data rates and bandwidth. But careful channel planning must take place because these wider channels come at a cost… there are fewer channels to plan around. It's possible that these wider channel widths may not be realistic in an Enterprise Wi-Fi environment where multiple access points are deployed and where co- channel interference must be avoided. As you can see in Figure A there is only one 160 MHz channel available in the U.S. and two in the EU (if DFS is used). With the 80 MHz-wide channels, four or five are available, depending on where you are located. To reap the benefits of improved performance from these wider channels, thorough channel planning must take place to avoid co-channel interference. MU-MIMO MU-MIMO (Multiple User- Multiple Input, Multiple Output) allows increased support for environments where many users are trying to access the same wireless network at the same time. With the earlier single- user MIMO, access points could only send data to one device at a time which caused some congestion. With MU-MIMO, access points can send downstream traffic to four clients simultaneously (See Figure B). The advantages of MU-MIMO include less on-air time for multiple clients, significantly improving overall network efficiency, and improved transference of large files and streaming video. To actively participate with MU-MIMO, both the access point and clients must support it. That being said, even non- MIMO devices could experience some improved performance because, if MU- MIMO devices on the same network are served more quickly, there is likely more time for SU-MIMO and other devices to communicate. 802.11ax 802.11ac is an important development leading to the next Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ax. 802.11ax, with a potential release date of late 2019, is the next step in the evolution of Wi-Fi. This upcoming standard will, similar to .11ac, focus on network efficiency rather than peak speed. 802.11ax is all about working smarter and more efficiently to enhance Wi-Fi performance. This latest specification will provide higher capacity and better coverage and it will reduce congestion for a better user experience. Some features and benefits of 802.11ax will include: • 8x8 MU-MIMO – 802.11ax extends the benefits of 802.11ac, which supports up to four transmissions at a time (downlink only). 802.11ax will support up to eight transmissions in both downlink and uplink. • OFDMA – Access points can send multiple user packets to multiple users simultaneously. In previous specifications, OFDM could only send one packet per client. Upgrading to OFDMA allows a single packet to serve multiple clients. Each channel is broken into hundreds of smaller sub-channels. Up to 30 clients can share each channel instead of having to take turns broadcasting and listening. • New modulation – 802.11ax uses 1024-QAM which allows devices to send denser packets. Hence, more data can be transmitted per packet. • Resource scheduling – This new feature is a more efficient way to handle packets. It significantly increases a device's sleep time, improving battery life. Think of it like a traffic light at an intersection, allowing cars to flow without congestion and in an orderly manner. • Backwards compatibility – 802.11ax is backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. • Increased spectrum use – 802.11ax provides better coverage, operating in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, while 802.11ac only works in 5 GHz. 1 1 1 Multi-User MIMO (Up to 4 simultaneous) 1 2 3 4 Single-User MIMO 1 Figure B

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