Austin, TX and Washington, DC – March 12, 2024 – Wi-Fi Alliance® congratulates the NTIA spectrum team on the release of the National Spectrum Strategy Implementation Plan. This plan is an essential roadmap for collaboration between Federal and non-Federal stakeholders in the effort to address Americans’ ever-increasing need for wireless connectivity. We look forward to contributing to its implementation.
When you switch on a brand-new cellular or wired IoT device, it can be bootstrapped to connect to a provisioning server immediately. The IoT connectivity is secure and seamless from the moment the device is switched on.
This is not the case with Wi-Fi-based IoT devices. We have all tried to onboard these devices to the Wi-Fi network using an app, QR code, or Bluetooth, which may be okay for consumer devices. But what about industrial and enterprise use cases with thousands of devices? The onboarding issue is currently the largest showstopper for a mass market of Wi-Fi-based IoT devices.
At Enea, we have tried to solve this with the Zero-touch Wi-Fi IoT onboarding invention utilizing the already installed device certificates. The idea is excellent, but it requires industrywide acceptance and deployment. This was before OpenRoaming.
We now see the potential in using OpenRoaming to make Wi-Fi IoT onboarding as secure and seamless as Cellular and Wired IoT. It is a complex task with many use cases, and it may require a separate base RCOI for IoT and a different set of CAG policies. But it can be done.
The FIDO Alliance is leading the way in automatically onboarding IoT and headless devices. They have a well-thought-out process with their FIDO Device Onboard (FDO), an automatic onboarding protocol for edge nodes and IoT devices. FDO enables late binding of device credentials so that one manufactured device may be onboarded to many different cloud and edge management platforms. But to perform this late binding of credentials, the device needs connectivity to reach a so-called Rendezvous Service. This works well for wired and cellular devices that get connected when powered up but not for Wi-Fi-based IoT devices.
We are happy to announce that Enea and Intel have taken the initiative to form a working group within WBA called OpenRoaming & FIDO Device Onboarding with the mission to use OpenRoaming for a zero-touch connectivity for Wi-Fi-based IoT devices. The work is still in its initial stage, the goal is to make FDO as seamless for Wi-Fi as it is for fixed and cellular.
Eco-Friendly Speed Testing to Ensure New LiveBox 7 Performance |
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PARIS, France – 21 February 2024 – In an innovative move in 2023, Orange France launched the LiveBox 7, its latest home gateway with enhanced performance and eco-friendly features capable of delivering ultra-fast internet speeds up to eight Gbps for businesses. Leveraging Wi-Fi 6E and SoftAtHome’s Wifi’ON, the LiveBox 7 supports multiple devices across its three frequency bands. To validate these high-speed claims, SoftAtHome has engineered an eco-conscious speed test. |
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This new speed test serves at least four crucial functions: |
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SoftAtHome’s speed test technology is designed with the environment in mind, minimizing the network’s energy use while ensuring swift and accurate performance assessments in less than a second. This solution is already in use by various operators across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, demonstrating its global applicability and effectiveness. |
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Ollivier Courtel, Marketing Director, Connected Devices and Connectivity at Orange France, stated, “SoftAtHome stands as Orange’s preferred partner in fulfilling the commitments made to its valued connected home customers.” |
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“We are thrilled to partner with Orange France to deploy our carrier-grade speed test solution” said David Viret-Lange, CEO of SoftAtHome. “This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to superior service experiences and operational efficiency. Our innovative tool ensures that Orange France can deliver the highest quality of service that their customers expect and deserve in 2024.” |
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About SoftAtHome SoftAtHome is a leading software provider in six domains: broadband (Connect’ON), Wi-Fi (Wifi’ON), Security (Secure’ON), Smart Home (Things’ON), video (Watch’ON), and analytics/QoE monitoring (Eyes’ON). Their prowess is evident in over 30 million home networks and countless mobile devices worldwide, supported by Telecom and Broadcast operators. A majority operator-owned enterprise with a dedicated 300-member team, SoftAtHome actively participates in open-source communities such as prpl and RDK. Their innovative hybrid solutions adeptly combine top-tier Cloud-based software with software embedded in diverse mobile and fixed devices. For further information, visit: www.softathome.com or contact: contact@softathome.com. |
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For Press Information Contact: Marta Twardowska-Rienks for SoftAtHome M: +31 621-184-585 X: @SoftAtHome |
Single instrument combines edge network vulnerability scanning with Wi-Fi and BT/BLE
wireless network performance testing and surveying.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA – March 5, 2024 – Today, NetAlly announced the expansion of
its cybersecurity assessment product line with the addition of CyberScope® Air, a Wi-Fi
vulnerability scanner and tester for assessing the security posture of WLANs against policies,
generating compliance reports, and performing ongoing monitoring for changes.
“The CyberScope family of tools are the first and only devices I’ve seen that can address
network security in meaningful ways at the network edge,” says Jennifer Minella, cybersecurity
author and co-host of the Packet Protector podcast.
Minella continues, “These tools bridge the gap between security and network operations in
meaningful ways, by allowing on-demand or pre-configured security assessments to test for the
vulnerabilities and misconfigurations that most often contribute to breaches, malware, and
other incidents.”
In April last year, NetAlly introduced CyberScope, the world’s first wired Ethernet and wireless
handheld edge network vulnerability scanner for in-depth cybersecurity assessments.
CyberScope Air offers a wireless-only version for security practitioners and network engineers
focused on wireless edge networks.
“With the massive proliferation of endpoints and ubiquitous connectivity in edge networks,
security professionals need a fast and easy way to have ‘eyes on’ all of the devices at the sites
they manage,” says James Kahkoska, NetAlly CTO.
With today’s announcement, NetAlly amplifies the power of CyberScope’s discovery capabilities
with new capabilities in their Link-Live collaboration, reporting and analytics platform, providing
fast insight into the devices in a site network over time.
New graphical dashboards provide instant insight into endpoints and network configurations
allowing easy exploration in chart, table, or topology views. The Discovery Monitoring feature
allows automated daily, weekly, or monthly snapshots to be uploaded to Link-Live to track new
and missing devices or Wi-Fi access points and clients. Powerful filtering and grouping allow
NetAlly, LLC ● 2075 Research Pkwy – Suite 190 ● Colorado Springs, CO 80920 simplicity ● visibility ● collaboration
analysis to instantly identify new devices, changes within a device, or for tracking specific
devices and types over time.
Mike Parrottino, NetAlly CEO adds, “The release of CyberScope Air is another milestone in
NetAlly’s efforts to bring our thirty years of experience in network visibility technology to
cybersecurity professionals whose current toolset lacks in-depth, tactical situational awareness
in edge networks.”
According to NetAlly, their CyberScope family of products help security practitioners by:
Easily validating security controls at the edge.
Inventorying everything including IoT, OT, unmanaged devices.
Quickly testing and demonstrating policy compliance.
Enabling collaboration and sharing between teams.
For more information, visit https://cyberscope.netally.com
About NetAlly
For decades, the NetAlly ® family of network test and analysis solutions has been helping
network and cybersecurity professionals better deploy, manage, maintain, and secure today’s
complex wired and wireless networks. Since creating the industry’s first handheld network
analyzer in 1993, NetAlly continues to set the standard for portable network analysis and
cybersecurity assessment with tools that include EtherScope® nXG, CyberScope®, AirMagnet®,
LinkRunner ® , LinkSprinter®, AirCheck™, and more. NetAlly simplifies the complexities of
network testing and cybersecurity assessments, provides instant visibility for efficient problem
resolution, and enables seamless collaboration between site personnel and remote experts. To
learn more and see how NetAlly helps network and security professionals get their jobs done
faster, visit https://netally.com, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, Instagram or
YouTube
Bangalore, February 26, 2024 — Aprecomm, a prominent network intelligence company , has announced a strategic alliance with Actiontec, one of the leading suppliers of connectivity devices. This collaboration aims to incorporate Aprecomm’s Network Intelligence products into Actiontec’s portfolio of OpenWiFi access points.. Aprecomm Virtual Wireless Expert (VWE) is a cutting-edge AIOps solution that harnesses the power of big data and machine learning. It offers Wi-Fi intelligence, streamlines IT operations, boosts efficiency, and simplifies network management.
Aprecomm’s network intelligence solution will be accessible on all Actiontec WiFi 6 access points running OpenWiFi, an open and disaggregated technology from developed by the Telecom Infra Project. Aprecomm’s technology will enhance performance overall performance of managed service providers’ Wi-Fi network operations. Users from various sectors such as enterprises, schools, hospitals, and MDUs, hospitality, among others, with ongoing network expansion requirements can now take advantage of the new self-organizing capabilities on Actiontec’s OpenWiFi-capable access points which include Intelligence Frequency Selection (IFS), Intelligence Client Steering (ICS), Intelligence Cell Adapt (ICA).
Aprecomm is achieving End-End QoE Assurance with Network Automation with products like Virtual Wireless Expert. We are happy to bring VWE to all Actiontec OpenWiFi products with this collaboration. By optimizing the network experience, VWE will provide a quick ROI to service providers,” said Pramod Gummaraj, CEO of Aprecomm.
Customers using Actiontec OpenWiFi-capable access points can effortlessly enable the service by subscribing as needed and smoothly incorporate the Intelligent service into their current Wi-Fi networks. Aprecomm and Actiontec are transforming Wi-Fi connectivity by greatly reducing downtimes and improving the overall network experience. Thanks to AI algorithms and VWE’s cutting-edge technology, IT teams can now effortlessly detect and fix network problems across different networks, sites, access points, and end devices.
“Aprecomm VWE goes beyond traditional performance monitoring to quickly locate, diagnose, and respond to problems across different networks, sites, and devices with the power of AI” said Frank Lai, VP Business Development and Head of OpenWiFi Division, Actiontec “It allows IT teams to focus on driving business value as opposed to dealing with mundane tasks and enhances our OpenWiFi product offering,” Lai added.
Launched in 2021, OpenWiFi is a community-developed open-source platform designed to lower the cost of developing and operating Wi-Fi networks. OpenWiFi include a cloud controller SDK and switches and enterprise-grade access point firmware validated to work seamlessly together. The platform’s unique approach to Wi-Fi creates an open-source disaggregated technology stack. The OpenWiFi technology was created by Telecom Infra Project (TIP), a global community of companies and organizations that are driving open and disaggregated infrastructure solutions to advance global connectivity.
About Aprecomm
Aprecomm is an industry game-changer with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) – enabled Software Stack to understand Customer Wi-Fi Experience. Aprecomm offers cloud-based automated solutions to enhance Wi-Fi performance. Aprecomm patented technology helps in automatically and proactively troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues. This way ISPs and Enterprises will be able to fix them immediately and dramatically minimize down-time. Aprecomm solutions help enterprises, Internet Service Providers (ISP) and Technology Service Providers (TSP) improve their business standards through higher reliability, reduced expenses, and speedy ROI.
About Actiontec
Take the in-home Internet and WiFi experience to the next level with Actiontec Electronics. Our groundbreaking Optim Managed Service Assurance Platform provides a flexible, scalable, and cloud-based platform that enables service providers to remotely manage, diagnose, optimize and secure home networks. With Optim, families can enjoy fast, reliable and safe Internet throughout the connected home, while providers can increase revenue and improve customer loyalty. Our award-winning products — including Gigabit Ethernet fiber routers, high-speed VDSL gateways and home networking solutions — are deployed by some of the largest telecom carriers in North America. As a minority owned company, we’re committed to promoting diversity and are actively pushing a variety of green programs designed to reduce the carbon footprint of our company and customers. Founded in 1993, Actiontec is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, and maintains branch offices in Colorado Springs, CO; Shanghai, China; and Taipei, Taiwan.
Austin, TX and Washington, DC – February 23, 2024 – Wi-Fi Alliance® applauds the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to approve 6 GHz Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) system operators for commercial operations. Today’s approval is a significant milestone for the 6 GHz Wi-Fi® ecosystem that will maintain U.S. momentum in wireless connectivity and innovation.
We also take this opportunity to recognize the multiyear effort by our members and industry stakeholders to advance the development of the 6 GHz AFC resources that were instrumental to this accomplishment.
About Wi-Fi Alliance® | www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 80,000 Wi-Fi certifications. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the Internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.
NRC7394, the Next-Generation Wi-Fi HaLow SoC Providing a Low-Power, Small Footprint, and Lower Costs, is Now Available for Purchase and Evaluation
Transforming IoT Applications with Low-cost & Energy-conserving Wi-Fi HaLow
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RVINE, Calif., November 1, 2023 (Newswire.com) – Designed to be low-cost, energy-efficient, and small in size, NEWRACOM announces the commercial availability of the new Wi-Fi HaLow System on a Chip (SoC) to the market. The new Wi-Fi HaLow SoC, named NRC7394, represents innovative improvements in power consumption, size, and costs from our early experience and consequently is more competitive against existing Wi-Fi HaLow SoCs in the market. Wi-Fi HaLow is a long-range implementation of Wi-Fi technology based in the 750-950 MHz spectrum designed for a variety of IoT industries including building automation, smart homes, industrial IoT, smart cities, and wearables.
NRC7394 is a highly integrated SoC incorporating baseband (MAC & PHY), Sub 1 GHz radio transceiver, and ADC/DAC in a small 6mm x 6mm 48-QFN package. It is fully compliant with the IEEE 802.11ah standard which is the long-range and low-power version of the Wi-Fi standard. It supports 1/2/4 MHz channel bandwidth which yields 150 Kbps to 15 Mbps PHY rate that can handle low-rate sensors to high-rate surveillance camera applications.
An embedded Cortex-M3 ARM® processor in the NRC7394 offers enough processing power to accommodate the Wi-Fi subsystem and user applications in a single Wi-Fi SoC. NRC7394 includes two host interfaces, HSPI and UART, and rich peripherals such as general SPI, I2C, UART, PWM, auxiliary ADC, and GPIOs. The low-leakage retention memory inside NRC7394 can store code and data necessary for fast wake-up from deep-sleep mode.
The NRC7394 features a fully integrated Power Amplifier capable of +17dBm TX output and offers the capability to support various commercial external FEM (front-end module) devices for applications requiring higher transmission power.
The NRC7394 is capable of operating as an Access Point or Station device and supports additional network architectures including 802.11s mesh. The SoC can operate alongside an external processor in Hosted and “AT Command” modes or leverage on-chip processing and IO for low-power Standalone operation.
More information about the NRC7394 can be found on the NRC7394 Product Page. SDK and software documentation are available on our GitHub page at https://github.com/newracom.
If you are interested in purchasing an evaluation kit for the NRC7394 and getting silicon in hand, contact us at sales@newracom.com or at our contact page.
About NEWRACOM, Inc.
NEWRACOM, Inc., in Irvine, California, U.S., has rapidly become a leading developer and supplier of IoT-enabled wireless connectivity chipsets. We specialize in providing a broad range of Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11ah and IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac/ax) that covers various connectivity needs in our lives. With our extensive and diverse Wi-Fi solutions, NEWRACOM provides customers with a “one-stop-shop,” offering a comprehensive solution that can serve multiple IoT applications including Smart Grid, Wearables, Smart Home and Office, Healthcare, and Industrial Automation. For more information, please visit online at http://www.newracom.com.
Irvine, CA, October 24th, 2023 – Newracom is set to participate in AIoT Taiwan Expo hosted by CIoud Computing and IoT Association in Taiwan (CIAT), taking place at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center from October 25 to 27, 2023. This will mark the inaugural appearance of Wi-Fi HaLow at the CIAT IoT Pavilion. Newracom is collaborating with industry leaders such as AHPC, ASKEY, ALFA Network, AzureWave, NTT, and Furuno to advance the prominence of Wi-Fi HaLow technology as a standard for IoT connectivity. Their collective objective is to propel the widespread adoption of Wi-Fi HaLow for various IoT devices and to highlight the early commercialization successes of this technology.
During AIoT Expo, the consortium of Wi-Fi HaLow solution providers will showcase a range of innovations. Askey will announce the industry’s first FCC and TELEC certified Wi-Fi HaLow IP camera, a small form factor NRC7394 Wi-Fi HaLow module, and a Tri-band WiFi+11ah AP router, available for the Japan and US market initially. Other key highlights include the industry’s smallest Wi-Fi HaLow System on Module (SoM) from AzureWave, a comprehensive Japan-certified sensor and imaging solution demonstration by AHPC, and Newracom’s next-generation Wi-Fi HaLow SoC named NRC7394.
Tadao Kobayashi, Chairman of the AHPC (802.11AH Promotional Council) in Japan, comments, “Since the inception of AHPC, Newracom has been actively engaged in field experiments related to 802.11ah conducted by AHPC. They have consistently enhanced the hardware and software of 802.11ah chips to align with Japanese regulations. Newracom has played a pivotal role in making 802.11ah available in Japan. At the Expo, Newracom – a chip vendor, ASKEY – a product manufacturer, and AHPC – a consortium of 150 companies and organizations, will showcase their latest 802.11ah devices, products, and services. We aim to forge a new alliance that promotes Taiwanese IT entrepreneurship and the expansion of 802.11ah business.”
Patrick Lin, Vice President of Product Development at AzureWave, remarks, “Newracom’s remarkable accomplishments in the Wi-Fi HaLow product domain underscore their unwavering dedication to innovation and excellence. Their seamless collaboration with AzureWave has not only raised connectivity standards but also transformed the market landscape. Together, they have set a new benchmark for reliable, high-performance wireless solutions, showcasing the power of synergy and expertise in driving technological progress, which we will exhibit at the Expo.”
“Through cooperation with world-class chip developers – Newracom, ALFA Network Inc will continue to provide innovative products and strive to become a leading promoter of the smart world of the Internet of Things” commented Johnson Wang, General Manager of ALFA Network.
Tommy Lin, Research and Development AVP at ASKEY, said “With the growing popularity of IoT devices, the demand for low-power, long-distance communication is also rising. The Wi-Fi HaLow’s low power consumption and long-range may make it a particularly suitable solution for many IoT applications. Askey Computer has always been committed to promoting innovation in technology. Through cooperation with Newracom, we look forward to deploying Wi-Fi HaLow products more widely and jointly promoting the rapid growth of this market in various industries and regions.”
James Lee, Senior Director at ASKEY, followed with, “We are proud to have successfully developed the world’s first Wi-Fi HaLow camera. The launch of this product means that we have a technological leadership position in the field of Internet of Things. The ability to transmit long-distance wireless images is a goal that everyone is looking forward to, and Askey Computer has realized this dream for this industry with the Newracom chip. We look forward to it providing broader development prospects for global IoT applications.”
Frank Lin, Vice President of Global Marketing and Sales at Newracom, adds, “The Wi-Fi HaLow community has united to demonstrate the readiness of this connectivity standard for global implementation. AHPC, ASKEY, AzureWave, ALFA Network, and many other industry leaders are advancing Wi-Fi HaLow’s capabilities, ushering in a new era of linking IoT devices with fast, long-range, low-power connectivity.”
About NEWRACOM, Inc.
NEWRACOM, Inc., located in Irvine, California, U.S., has rapidly become a leading developer and supplier of IoT-enabled wireless connectivity chipsets. We specialize in providing a broad range of Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11ah and IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac/ax) that covers various connectivity needs in our lives. With our extensive and diverse Wi-Fi solutions, NEWRACOM enables customers with a “one-stop shop,” offering a comprehensive solution that can serve multiple IoT applications including Smart Grid, Wearables, Smart Home and Office, Healthcare, and Industrial Automation. For more information, please visit online at http://www.newracom.com.
About AHPC
The AHPC is committed to implementing the IEEE standard 802.11ah, known as Wi-Fi HaLow, in Japan, offering more features than the existing LPWA for IoT wireless systems. Established in November 2018, the organization gained significance with the revision of the Wireless Equipment Regulations by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in September 2022, which permitted the use of IEEE 802.11ah in the domestic 920MHz band. The AHPC is made up of over 150 members including NTT, KDDI, Softbank and others, their full member list is available at www.11ahpc.org/memberlist/index.html. For more information, please visit www.11ahpc.org.
Aprecomm’s WiFi intelligence technology to further strengthen ACT Fibernet’s customer experience enhancement program.
Bengaluru, Feb 21, 2024: Aprecomm has partnered with ACT Fibernet (Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd.), India’s largest fiber-focused wired broadband ISP (Internet Service Provider), to onboard Aprecomm’s innovative technology to remotely optimize residential Wi-Fi connections. Aprecomm’s AI technology will help ACT Fibernet better understand the in home Wi-fi experience, thus enabling interventions and optimizations that improve in home Wi-Fi performance for customers and bring down the customer issue resolution time and for its two million plus connected households.
Aprecomm’s AI Engine allows ACT to convert its household connections to A.I.-enabled Smart WiFi access points. The technology offers proactive monitoring and measuring of the Wireless Experience of the connected devices and provides real-time insights to improve the reliability and performance of the network.
Pramod Gummaraj, CEO of Aprecomm, said, “Thrilled to collaborate with ACT and introduce cutting-edge technology into their network, resulting in a significant decrease in customer support handling time and a remarkable enhancement in the customer experience. Aprecomm will be bringing more innovation towards Network in the upcoming months.”
Speaking on the development, Dr. Sarath Kumar, CTO, ACT Fibernet, said, “We have tested this technology in our labs and are excited by its prospects. We look forward to integrate Aprecomm’s cutting-edge technology into our network to help provide visibility and analytics of wi-fi performance. We are confident that this will enhance our customer experience immensely. This partnership signifies our commitment to providing top-notch services and staying ahead in the industry.”
“With Aprecomm’s vendor-agnostic technology, ACT can now manage and monitor CPEs through a unified interface, ensuring an assured internet experience for their customers” said Guharajan Sivakumar, CTO of Aprecomm.
The measurable improvements offered by the integration between ACT and Aprecomm also lead to lower maintenance costs and improved customer satisfaction for one of the country’s fastest-growing ISPs.
About Aprecomm
Aprecomm is an industry game-changer with an AI-enabled Software Stack to understand Customer Wi-Fi Experience. Aprecomm offers cloud-based automated solutions to enhance Wi-Fi performance. Aprecomm’s patented technology helps in automatically and proactively troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues. This way ISPs and Enterprises will be able to fix them immediately and dramatically minimize down-time. Aprecomm’s solutions help enterprises, ISPs, TSPs improve their business standards through higher reliability, reduced expenses, and speedy ROI.
About ACT
ACT Fibernet, one of India’s largest wired ISPs (Internet Service Provider) in India. ACT Fibernet is headquartered in Bengaluru and has operations in 24 Indian cities with more than 2 million customers. ACT Fibernet is known for its cutting-edge technology and high-speed broadband connectivity that the company provides to its customers. ACT Fibernet was the first broadband service provider to bring 1 Giga speed connectivity in India to the city of Hyderabad in 2017, followed by Bengaluru and Chennai in 2018. ACT Fibernet recently launched broadband plans which includes all famous OTT platform subscription as part of a bundle.
Going on two decades, Wi-Fi has delivered simple, inexpensive wireless connectivity for the masses. It was never perfect, but the convenience and generally fine performance for most applications made it good enough for most.
Now, the stakes are higher.
Consumers are requiring more demanding use cases and more powerful apps. Despite its promises, 5G connectivity remains limited. This has meant everyone from personal to enterprise users have been leaning heavier than ever on Wi-Fi to meet connectivity needs.
This has been a driving force behind a whole new generation of Wi-Fi tech and adoption. Whether working or playing from home, we expect Wi-Fi to operate flawlessly with high performance and reliability. This is especially true as Wi-Fi cements a role in mission-critical private networks that support emerging industry applications.
Wi-Fi is being positioned to meet these new roles and requirements. New Wi-Fi standards provide distributed connectivity, high throughput, and low latency. In particular, the radio interface has received an overhaul, with modulation and spectral efficiency on a completely new level.
Wi-Fi routers, extenders, and mesh networks are being installed in homes and offices to provide wider coverage, support more users, and accommodate a growing range of devices. Each brings pros and cons, but whichever is chosen, it is safe to say Wi-Fi networks have evolved far beyond initial roles as simple routers.
In fact, the changes seen in Wi-Fi introduce challenges that are in some ways more significant than the migration from 4G to 5G.
New Wi-Fi complexity means device testing has grown in complexity, too
As expectations of Wi-Fi surge, so too does the need for precise, comprehensive Wi-Fi network testing. As always, testing must address conformance to standards, interoperability, and performance. With Wi-Fi, many factors can impact performance, such as walls, electrical interference, , signal reflection, and other Wi-Fi and wireless usage in the area. All Wi-Fi devices must be tested against these factors in controlled, repeatable ways.
Wi-Fi sees multiple standards in play, including TR-398 performance for routers and access points, RFC-2544 network device benchmarking specification, and others in the offing. Still, as this next generation of Wi-Fi comes to market quickly, comprehensive test and interoperability standards have yet to be developed.
As such, testing Wi-Fi 6/6E (and soon Wi-Fi 7) devices has become more complicated than traditional Wi-Fi device testing. Trying to test manually not only makes little economic sense, but it has become nearly impossible.
Automated testing of Wi-Fi devices
To overcome the complexity of testing a growing number of Wi-Fi 6/6E devices, automated device hardware and software testing is essential for cost-efficient, scalable, accurate, timely, and repeatable results.
Traditionally, test teams must research and keep up to date with evolving standards to create and execute tests. Alternatively, automated Wi-Fi automation packages from test experts like Spirent can be leveraged. Such automated test packages reflect existing standards and, where standards don’t yet exist such as for mesh networks, expertly define appropriate tests. Executing automated test software on your testbed enables fast, 24×7 testing. And all those resources that were grinding through test scenarios can instead put energies into evaluating results.
Spirent Wi-Fi automated test packages
Spirent, the Wi-Fi testing market leader, offers a wireless test bed that validates Wi-Fi networks and devices. Its software automation packages automate standards-based Wi-Fi test plans to assess conformance, interoperability, and performance.
To accelerate Wi-Fi testing, test automation packages spanning mesh interoperability performance testing of devices and device performance evaluation through RFC 2544 benchmark tests have been developed.
Learn more about how Spirent automated Wi-Fi test packages can enable you to quickly assess Wi-Fi device conformance to standards, interoperability, and performance.