12
WIRELESS NETWORKING
Evolution
of wireless
Tony Benn, Senior Pre-Sales
Technical Manager, Leviton
Network Solutions
www.leviton.com
Understanding 802.11ac and
why it paradoxically means more
cabling in enterprise networks
Enterprise networks using IEEE 802.11ac technology are
better prepared for more wireless devices and faster speeds
in the workplace, but users won’t see the true benefits of
the new IEEE 802.11ac standard without the right cabling
infrastructure in place to support it.
The proliferation of wireless devices can quickly tax a
wireless network. Installing a robust high-speed network
infrastructure supporting the wireless network, including
high bandwidth capable structured cabling, is a necessity to
take full advantage of the investment in new technologies.
Fortunately, standards organisations such as the ISO,
CENELEC, TIA and the IEEE give us guidance to specify and
install appropriate structured cabling to enable a wireless
network to handle more traffic and deliver data faster now,
and in the future.
Enter 802.11ac
802.11ac defines the next generation of Wi-Fi and succeeds
802.11n. While 802.11ac was approved in late 2013,
802.11ac-enabled smartphones, routers, and laptops have
been on the market since 2012. In 2016, shipments of
802.11ac enterprise access points had surpassed 802.11n,
and according to forecasts by the Dell’Oro Group, 802.11ac
will make 802.11n and older devices obsolete by 2018.
www.networkseuropemagazine.com