Technology seems to love increasing numbers. It’s a quick way to figure out where you stand in the progression of releases. Smart phones, operating software, and now even Wi-Fi has gotten into the game by assigning numbers to their updates, with Wi-Fi 6 being the latest offering. It makes one wonder if there is enough of a difference to update the technology beyond the number itself.
In the case of Wi-Fi 6, the answer is an unquestionable: Yes!
It seems as though every time a new Wi-Fi level was introduced, the number of devices running on it multiplied and quickly overwhelmed the network. The purpose of Wi-Fi 6 is to get ahead of that curve. It is designed to future proof environments for the growing number of devices and the demands of mobile users, IoT, and latency-sensitive applications – especially in crowded areas. It is designed around the way people and organizations actually want to use mobile devices and Wi-Fi networks, while protecting the networks themselves.
Why Wi-Fi 6 is Better
Prior to Wi-Fi 6, organizations deployed multiple, overlapping technologies to manage various use cases and solution needs to reach their goals. These technologies would often operate outside of the Internet Protocol (IP) network and relied on complex proprietary technologies that added considerable ownership costs. With the advancements delivered by Wi-Fi 6, these organizations now have the opportunity to accelerate digital transformation by using SLA-grade application assurance, seamless in-building cellular coverage, combining connectivity with edge compute, converging IoT services, and improving security. In short, by refreshing your network to Wi-Fi 6, your network can not only talk to a greater number of endpoints at once, the endpoints can talk back. A few other advantages include:
APPLICATION ASSURANCE
As video and voice continue to consume greater amounts of bandwidth, Wi-Fi 6 ensures a quality of service that does not impact users or the business.
INDOOR WIRELESS COVERAGE
Wi-Fi 6 ensures that users on cellular can easily transition to Wi-Fi, as they enter indoor environments. Plus, you can provide the same or greater performance using standards-based Wi-Fi technology and communication service provider (CSP) technology.
IOT CONVERGENCE
Wi-Fi 6 makes it easy for IT and users to leverage IoT technologies easily as use the enterprise networks as the critical underlying infrastructure. As the primary connectivity method for mobile users and an emerging set of client devices, WLANs can be used to connect numerous Wi-Fi 6 devices to a single AP.
SAFER WI-FI ACCESS
Wi-Fi 6 now includes Enhanced Open to help keep guest traffic encrypted per user session and device. Guests can continue to connect to an “open” network but now enjoy a safer Wi-Fi experience without the added burden of doing anything extra
First Steps towards Your Refresh
Let’s say you’re convinced that Wi-Fi 6 is the real deal and something that’s needed for your business. How do you begin the refresh? Step one is to contact the experts at TPI. We’ll begin with a wireless site survey to determine what is working and what can be improved upon. It may be determined that the simplest and most direct way to get to the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 is to incorporate Aruba’s CX Switching portfolio, controllers or cloud control into your It solution.
The Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series is a modern, flexible and intelligent family of stackable switches ideal for enterprise and optimized for IoT and Wi-Fi 6 deployments. A powerful distributed architecture supports scalable, non-blocking performance to future-proof your network for tomorrow’s unpredictable demands. This series has built-in, high-speed up-links and include models with 24 SFP+ ports and full-density 60W PoE with multi-gigabit Ethernet for a high-performance network.
The truth is: legacy networks just can’t handle the amount of traffic demanded by today’s devices and workforce requirements, nor are they up to the task of fending off sophisticated cyber threats. Refreshing your network to Wi-Fi 6 gets you ahead of the game and gets you safely to the days of tomorrow. TPI can help you in that journey. Contact us today to get started.