Tag Archive for Wireless

| September 3, 2013
Comments Off on 802.11ac Wi-Fi Clears the Way for Collaboration

802.11ac Wi-Fi Clears the Way for Collaboration

802.11ac Wi-Fi Clears the Way for CollaborationThe emerging gigabit 802.11ac, Wi-Fi standard is the current darling of the hype machine. The standard will be finalized in February 2014. However, that has not stopped manufacturers from shipping 802.11ac routers, access points, and mobile devices. Shortel (SHOR) recently provided their opinion on what this means for your business.

IEEE 802.11acThe article points out that more people are using mobile apps and devices. Shortel calculates that a typical worker may have three IP addresses, while digital natives may have up to six IP addresses. These stats suggest that mobility has become a must-have and the author claims that 802.11ac can meet the needs of increasing mobility because 802.11ac is faster, more reliable, and delivers more Wi-Fi capacity. 802.11ac is:

  • Faster – 802.11ac is three times faster than 802.11n Wi-Fi. 802.11ac will deliver up to 1.3 Gbps, which is about three times faster than 802.11n. This capacity will be ideal for real-time applications, such as IP voice and streaming video. Faster data throughput means better battery life for mobile devices, too.
  • More reliable – 802.11ac is more reliable with less interference. 802.11ac operates at 5 GHz, which is far less crowded than the 2.4 GHz band that by 802.11b/g/n access points — as well as cordless phones, automatic garage door openers, and other home appliances. That means that there’s less interference from other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, which will result in a better user experience.
  • Improved throughput. 802.11ac uses multiple antennas for transmitting and receiving RF signals, and that means better data throughput. More specifically, MIMO, or Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output, is key to providing wireless performance that is more switch-like, compared to the shared media nature of 802.11n.

W-Fi Alliance logoShortel believes that Gigabit Wi-Fi can be a real asset for unified communications, streaming media, and other bandwidth-hungry apps. They plan to use the greater capacity of 802.11ac to support more devices and more apps. In the workplace, teams want to engage and share without hassle using modern collaboration tools with the devices of their choice creating the need for BYOD.

The newest generation of workers are digital natives, who are more inclined to use videoconferencing for quick chats or to share ideas. In addition, many people use tablets to stream media, and more organizations are turning to streaming media over Wi-Fi for digital signage, training, company meetings, and customer support. And those bandwidth-hungry applications will love the new gigabit Wi-Fi.

Wave 1 802.11ac only offers incremental benefits over 802.11nShoretel reassures those that have deployed an 802.11n WLAN recently, you don’t need to be in a hurry to move to 802.11ac. You can be confident in the investment that you made, as the first-generation 802.11ac will offer only incremental benefits over 802.11n. But if you are replacing old Wi-Fi or expanding your wireless LAN or looking to downsize your wired network in favor of wireless, you should weigh the options between 802.11n and the new 802.11ac.

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802.11ac will only get faster, the theoretical max speed of 802.11ac is just shy of 7Gbps, which you will never see in the wild, but don’t be surprised to see link speeds of 2Gbps or more in the next few years. At 2Gbps, you’ll get a transfer rate of 256MB/sec.

To reach such Wi-Fi speeds, chipset and device makers will have to figure out how to make second-generation chipsets with four or more 802.11ac streams in software and hardware. The engineers at Broadcom (BRCM), Qualcomm (QCOM), Marvell (MRVL), and Intel (INTC) are already working on ways to implementing four and eight-stream 802.11ac solutions. A lot of work will need to be done by the chipset and device makers to make sure that advanced features, such as beamforming, comply with the standard and are interoperable with other 802.11ac devices.

In general, then, you can certainly expect some impressive speeds from 802.11ac in situations where you don’t need the performance and reliability of wired GigE. But I do not believe that 802.11ac will replace a wired Gigabit Ethernet network just yet.

What do you think?

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| July 25, 2013
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The Wireless Car Frontier

The Wireless Car FrontierNow that the mobile floodgates are open, developers, manufacturers, and platform operators are trying to design wireless cars. These devices will channel the next wave of mobile usage and innovation. Some are looking at wearable tech, such as Google‘s (GOOG) Glass and the Pebbles Watch and as the natural progression of mobile technology. But computing platforms, including mobile operating systems, are also becoming ubiquitous in consumer electronics and appliances. The Business Insider writes that the greatest potential for mobile platforms and services could be cars.

mesh nicely with popular activities on mobileThe article states the obvious, cars are inherently mobile. Additionally, many of the activities people do in their cars, listen to music, look up directions, mesh nicely with popular activities on mobile. The author claims that Americans spend an average of 1.2 hours a day traveling between locations and American commuters spend an average of 38 hours a year stuck in traffic. If mobile apps and Internet-based services can shoehorn their way into the in-car environment, that means a great opportunity to expand their ability to engage consumers, absorb their attention, and gather data.

The BI explains that there is already a sizable and growing mobile market in the car. Five years from now, there will be over 60 million connected cars on the road globally, according to estimates from the GSMA and others. Car-focused telecom, hardware, and software services will drive some $51 billion in annual revenue by 2018. Pandora, for example, is now being used in 2.5 million cars and 100 car models through one of its 23 partnerships with auto brands and eight partnerships with stereo manufacturers. BI identified three ways in which mobile products and services can be integrated into cars.

Wireless car integration

handset connects with vehicle-based hardwareThe owner’s Internet-connected handset connects with vehicle-based hardware and computing systems. However, the mobile device drives all key facets of the app, including Internet access, and the car simply provides some tools to facilitate it (i.e., dashboard user interface, voice controls, speakers, jacks, and/or steering wheel-based controls). Currently, many in-dash automobile app suites in cars are nothing more than an interface that provides control over a Bluetooth or audio jack-connected smartphone.

Tethering

The connection is provided through external means, but the computing and delivery of the services happen in the car. For example, a Bluetooth or USB connection might link a car’s navigation system to your phone-stored contact list, and from that moment forward a simple press of a button in the car would guide you to a friend’s house from any location. In this scenario, the car depends on the external device to gather Internet-based data.

Embedding

Connection and intelligence are baked into the car

Connection and intelligence are baked into the car. The car houses the operating system, apps, and other services that will deliver Internet-based mobile services to the user. A mobile device might sync with whatever is in the car, but external mobile gadgets aren’t essential to running car-based apps. GM is moving in this direction with its new fleet of 4G cars. (rb- I covered the evolution of 4G here) Means of integration can be blended, and often are. (rb- I wrote about Microsoft’s move into cars back in 2011, here.)

iOS in the Car

Emily Price at Mashable reports that Apple (AAPL) jumped into the mobile products and services integration game. Ms. Price reports that the folks from Cupertino have received a USPTO patent for a touchscreen car dashboard. If Apple carries through with their patent, it would replace most of your car’s existing instrumentation. The new dashboard would make your vehicle’s controls digital, letting you control everything from the temperature in your car to the radio station using a touchscreen.

OS in the CarThe article claims “iOS in the Car” should be released in 2014. Cars that support the service will allow your iPhone 5 to connect to your car’s in-dash system make phone calls, send and receive messages access your music, and get directions. Siri support will also let you do all of those things hands and eyes-free.

The blog reports that “Siri Eyes Free” is available in General Motors‘s (GM) Chevy Spark and Sonic via the Chevrolet MyLink system. According to reports sometime in 2014 Apple iOS will be available in 15 more car brands including:

• Acura
• Audi
• BMW
• Chrysler
• Ferrari
• Honda
• Infinity
• Jaguar
• Kia
• Land Rover
• Mercedes-Benz
• Nissan
• Opal
• Toyota
• Volvo

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Detroit moile cityI covered Ford (F) Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. plan to re-position Detroit as the “Silicon Valley of Mobility.” Hopefully, AAPL has figured out how to multi-thread iOS. I gave up my iPhone because it could not mult-thread. Every time I went to answer a call, I got 5 or 10 email pop’s that I had to deal with before I could answer the call. This kind of behavior could be catastrophic in a car.

What if you need to do two things at the same time, like shift from forward to reverse and turn on the air conditioning.

Then there is the privacy issue. Will AAPL give all the data they collect to the NSA or your insurance company?  

 

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| June 13, 2013
Comments Off on iDEN Shutdown is a Massive Recycling Project

iDEN Shutdown is a Massive Recycling Project

Sprint iDEN Shutdown Makes Massive Recycling ProjectSprint Nextel (S) is set to shut down its Nextel iDEN network to make room for LTE. The shutdown will result in nearly 30,000 iDEN installations being taken off the air. All of that ewaste needs to be part of a recycling Project.

FierceBroadbandWireless explains that Sprint has deployed FDD-LTE using the 1900 MHz Band 25 spectrum. Sprint holds two 5 MHz channels in the G band adjacent to the PCS spectrum. The carrier’s Band 26 800 MHz spectrum is currently used for CDMA as well as end-of-life iDEN service. Sprint will gain another two 5 MHz channels for LTE once it shutters its iDEN network on June 30 and re-purposes that 800 MHz spectrum for LTE.

Sprint without Nextel logoAccording to Sprint, its last full day of iDEN service will be June 29. Sprint said it will close switch locations “in rapid succession on June 30.” After the shutdown equipment will be powered down and backhaul at each cell site will be eliminated. Tens of thousands of iDEN cell sites will be deconstructed and taken off the air. Sites, where CDMA and LTE equipment are colocated, will be left intact, minus the iDEN gear, said Sprint.

100 million pounds of recycling

The shutdown will generate over 100 million pounds of leftover iDEN network gear. The equipment and materials include cables, batteries, radios, server racks, antennas, air conditioners, and other equipment. Much of the equipment s being staged for recycling vendors. Most concrete shelters housing iDEN cell sites will be crushed and turned into a composite for roads and bridges, said Sprint.

Recycling a nationwide wireless network is a huge undertakingThe iDEN recycling project is expected to continue into early 2014. “Recycling a nationwide wireless network is a huge undertaking, but one that we’re committed to,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president-network. “The company has earned a reputation for environmental stewardship. The iDEN recycling effort extends our commitment.”

The market for used iDen equipment is pretty limited. GigaOm points out that iDEN is a dying technology, and Nextel was the world’s largest iDEN carrier. iDEN’s sole manufacturer, Motorola Solutions, still supports the technology, and a handful of operators in North and South America, as well as Asia, still use it.

make money from recyclingThe recycling and reusing move isn’t just about PR. GigaOm says that Sprint can save significant money by reusing its tech. They could make money from recycling if it sells the scrap to a waste vendor. There are also some state laws that require the recycling of certain types of e-waste, particularly substances that could be hazardous material that could seep into a landfill.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| April 2, 2013
Comments Off on What is 4G Mobile Wireless

What is 4G Mobile Wireless

What is 4G Mobile WirelessWireless operators continue to roll out mobile networks built with acronym-heavy standards such as 4G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), or HSPA+. Stacey Higginbotham at GigaOM says it’s hardly a surprise that every press release is touting 4G, which presumably stands for the fourth generation wireless network. Only, according to InfoWorld, the truth is, neither WiMax nor LTE qualify as 4G technologies, according to the International Telecommunications Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R). For a service to be called 4G by the ITU-R carriers will have to use one of two future mobile wireless technologies.

GigaOM reports that in October 2009, the ITU fielded 6 candidates that could meet the true definition of 4G mobile wireless. The main criteria required speed boosts, but more importantly, new technologies that make more efficient use of spectrum, as well as an ability to work with other radio access systems and fixed wireline networks. The standard also requires that equipment makers offer features that will help guarantee the quality of service on wireless networks. Of the 6 candidates, the ITU declared the upcoming called LTE-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced – also known as IEEE 802.16m the only true 4G mobile wireless technologies.

True 4G wireless calls for peak speeds of 100 Mbps for mobile applications and 1 Gigabit per second for fixed networks. To do such speeds, operators will need five to ten times as much spectrum as most are using now to deploy LTE, as well as complex antenna configurations. The new 8×8 MIMO will need some new antennas at the tower and inside the mobile devices. Some operators won’t ever get to that point. Others might, but it’s going to take four or five years before people start rolling out anything like the ITU’s version of 4G mobile wireless according to the GigaOm article.

IEEE logoThe faux 4G we are getting now, comes in three flavors thanks to a bold marketing effort by T-Mobile writes Ms. Higginbotham. T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network is most assuredly 3G (or maybe 3.5G for some) but as its CTO, Neville Ray, argued with GigaOM founder Om Malik, its real-world mobile wireless speeds are better than those offered by WiMAX and are comparable to the real-world expectations of Verizon’s LTE network. The key to T-Mo’s experience lies in its spectrum resources. As a general rule, the more spectrum an operator has, the more lanes in its highway it can cram bits into. The blog says T-Mobile can use that spectrum to increase capacity or increase speeds. With plans to move from 21 Mbps to 42 Mbps speeds using HSPA+, T-Mo is going for speed to keep up with the wireless mobile Jones.

Laptop reports that other mobile wireless operators do not qualify as 4G either. “… Sprint and Clearwire’s Mobile WiMax (3 to 6 Mbps), T-Mobile’s HSPA+ (5 to 8 Mbps), and even Verizon Wireless’ LTE network (5 to 12 Mbps) don’t even come close to deserving the 4G moniker.”

After all, marketers pushing LTE first starting waving the 4G mobile wireless flag several years ago, despite the ITU hadn’t yet decided if LTE was 4G. The first releases weren’t. We’ll have to wait for LTE-Advanced in about four or five years for true 4G. By then, it’s possible we’ll be dealing with 5G mobile wireless networks or something even better the marketers dream up. In the meantime, consumers will buy their faux 4G mobile wireless phones for their faux 4G mobile wireless networks and never sweat the difference GigaOm speculates.

The faux 4G networks are incremental improvements over 3G. As Tolaga Research analyst Phil Marshall told InfoWorld, these wireless mobile networks were designed from day 1 for data, and are all Internet protocol (IP) from end to end. That’s a huge improvement over 3G and it’s a marked change. Despite the improved architecture, Wi-Fi Net News asks if the spectrum is available to meet the 2015 rollout for real 4G. “It looks like the maximum speeds being discussed require extremely wide channels, like 100 MHz. That’s not impossible, but no U.S. carrier has 100 MHz in a chunk that it materializes. The FCC white-spaces rulemaking frees up a bunch of 6 MHz pieces, and that’s the last major realignment after DTV 700 MHz spectrum that I’m aware of. The definition of 4G may now be set, but the ability to roll out 4G at anything like the minimum speeds promised seems highly problematic even in five years.”

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| January 17, 2013
Comments Off on WiGig, Wi-Fi Join Forces

WiGig, Wi-Fi Join Forces

WiGig, Wi-Fi Join ForcesWireless Week is reporting that the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) and the Wi-Fi Alliance have joined forces. According to the article, the Wi-Fi Alliance and WiGig Alliance have collaborated for over two years on the WiGig Alliance’s work to develop an interoperability certification for 60GHz products.

Wi-Fi Alliance logoWi-Fi Alliance President and CEO Edgar Figueroa said in a statement that the 60GHz technology has been an important highlight in the Wi-Fi Alliance’s certification roadmap for some time. “Combining the expertise of Wi-Fi Alliance and WiGig Alliance will deliver a terrific user experience with 60 GHz solutions, and will help ensure that a full range of interoperable WiGig solutions reach the market as quickly as possible,” Mr. Figueroa said in a statement.

WiGig operates in the unlicensed 60 MHz band and offers short-range multi-gigabit connections with speeds up to 7 Gbps. FierceBroadbandWireless reports that early applications will include ultrabooks and peripherals. WiGig offers short-range multi-gigabit connections for applications ranging from high-definition WiGig Display Extensions (WDE) to peripheral connectivity and I/O cable replacement such as WiGig Serial Extension (WSE), WiGig Bus Extension (WBE), and WiGig SDIO Extension (WDS). Tablets will then include the technology, primarily for media streaming, and smartphones will drive more widespread WiGig adoption from 2015 on according to ABI Research.

60ghz 802-11ad scenarios

Its major limitation is the extremely high 60 GHz frequencies it uses, which limits its connections to near-line-of-sight within a single room. Signals in the 57–64 GHz region are subject to a resonance of the oxygen molecule and are severely attenuated.

WiGig logoEarly 60 GHz implementations based on the WiGig specifications are entering the market now, and ABI Research forecasts that by 2016, annual shipments of devices with both Wi-Fi and WiGig technology will reach 1.8 billion units.

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  • WiFi spec update promises to double your wireless speeds (pcproactive.wordpress.com)

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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