Planning for ac Webinar © 2014 CWNP, LLC All rights reserved.
Agenda Understanding the issues 1 2 Planning for coverage 3 4 Planning for capacity Planning for coverage and capacity Client Considerations 5 6 Upgrade Planning
Understanding the Issues ac features: Wider channels (up to 160 MHz) More spatial streams (up to 8) 256-QAM modulation MU-MIMO (Transmit Beamforming)
Understanding the Issues Spectrum utilization 2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz 20 MHz 40 MHz 80 MHz 160 MHz Data rates Increase from 11a/g through 11ac
Planning for Coverage No discussion required for 2.4 GHz 5 GHz provides for MHz channels 22 are available for use in the US 9 are guaranteed to be available 195 MHz additional space very likely in 2015 Channel reference numbering changed UNII-1 UNII-2 UNII-2-Extended UNII-3 ISM 20 MHz 40 MHz 80 MHz DFS Channels New with 11ac TDWR
Planning for Capacity Capacity is king – coverage is assumed Stated differently – anyone can do coverage Keith Parsons, “…coverage is easy.” Considerations related to capacity: Applications Users/clients Wireless side Wired side Installing more physical AP devices is not the only solution
Planning for Coverage and Capacity Must consider channel planning with capacity requirements in mind Individual throughput Aggregate throughput Factors: Co-channel interference User volume in channel Applications Client types
Client Considerations Today Most clients on n Few clients on ac Few clients on bg Fewer clients on a Tomorrow Most clients on ac Few clients on n DFS and Clients Know your clients Make DFS support a primary consideration going forward
Upgrading From n Phase 1 Continue use of 40 MHz channels Phase 2 After client support: implement 80 MHz channels From a/b/g Little use of 11a, but must be considered When in place: Replace APs with same channel plan If adding more APs, adjust channel plan after additional APs are installed Maintain existing b/g and overlay ac Initially, disable 2.4 GHz on ac APs Enable 2.4 GHz as b/g devices are removed
Tools of the Trade Spectrum analyzer No new investment required - technically Protocol analyzer New investment required Site survey software New investment required
Agenda Understanding the issues 1 2 Planning for coverage 3 4 Planning for capacity Planning for coverage and capacity Client Considerations 5 6 Upgrade Planning