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In an increasingly connected world, the demand for robust and reliable wireless communication has grown exponentially. Wi-Fi Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) access points play a crucial role in maintaining seamless connectivity across various devices. However, the dense occupancy of the Wi-Fi Tri-band RF spectrum and the inherent challenges in multi-band operations necessitate the use of specialized filters in CPE access points (APs). These filters ensure that Wi-Fi signals remain strong and stable, even in the presence of potential sources of interference. This article explores the critical need for filters in CPE APs, delving into the challenges posed by the RF spectrum, self-generated interference, and the technical requirements of these filters.

Figure 1: The many devices inside a home that can cause Wi-Fi AP congestion and interference challenges.

As shown in Figure 2, tri-band Wi-Fi 6 and 7 offer increased bandwidth, relieving congestion and enhancing performance, along with offering greater capacity to provide consumers with a larger data pipeline. However, this also creates more opportunities for interference, which can degrade performance across various applications.

Figure 2: Tri-band AP Wi-Fi spectrum.

Using RF filters in these more advanced tri-band AP applications not only mitigates signal interference but also plays a vital role in extending coverage, enhancing frequency performance, and increasing network capacity. They also address key design challenges faced by engineers developing Wi-Fi routers for congested RF environments.

Self-Generated Interference in Multi-Band Routers

While this tri-band capability (i.e., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6) enhances network flexibility and performance, it also introduces a significant challenge: self-generated interference. This self-generated interference arises whenever a multi-band AP transmits. Since the multi-band transmitters are located in the same product as the receivers in the AP, mitigation of cross-band interference must be a major design consideration.

Figure 3: Access point showing many areas where self-generated inference can occur.

For example, as shown in above Figure 3, when an AP transmits signals across multiple bands simultaneously, strong RF signals from one band can interfere with others. This is especially problematic because Wi-Fi receivers are highly sensitive to detecting weak signals, making them more susceptible to interference from both external sources and other bands within the AP. This phenomenon can cause receiver desensitization.

RF Receiver Desensitization: A Critical Concern

Intra-device coexistence issues arise when multiple radios in a system interfere with each other. This interference, combined with external AP transmit signals, increases the noise power at the affected receiver, degrading the signal-to-noise ratio and leading to reduced receiver sensitivity, or “desensitization.” This results in dropped or interrupted wireless connections.

While desensitization has long been an issue, it’s especially problematic today for devices like smartphones, Wi-Fi APs, IoT and Bluetooth systems. There are two effective ways to prevent this: providing sufficient isolation between transmit and receive signals and using RF filters. While coexistence filters to reduce desense are common in smartphones and client devices, their use in Wi-Fi APs is becoming increasingly important.

Most RF chain antenna designs provide 20-30 dB of isolation between interfering and intended signals to mitigate desense. However, to maintain good throughput, interfering signals should not exceed -70 to -90 dBc, meaning designers need an additional 40-60 dB of isolation in the Wi-Fi front end. Filters play a critical role in achieving this.

Technical Requirements for RF Filters

To ensure that a Wi-Fi AP operates efficiently and reliably, it must be equipped with filters that meet specific technical criteria. An adequate filter for a CPE AP should possess the following characteristics:

Low Insertion Loss: Insertion loss refers to the reduction in signal strength as it passes through the filter. A low insertion loss is crucial for both the transmit and receive paths. On the transmit side, minimizing insertion loss reduces heat generation and power consumption, which are critical for maintaining the AP’s efficiency. On the receiving side, low insertion loss is essential for preserving receiver sensitivity, which directly impacts the router’s coverage area and performance.
Steep Filter Skirts: The filter skirts define how rapidly the filter’s response transitions from low insertion loss to high rejection in the frequency domain. Steeper filter skirts are desirable because they allow for better coexistence with neighboring frequency bands, both within the Wi-Fi spectrum and with external bands. This characteristic is particularly important in densely populated RF environments, where precise filtering is necessary to prevent interference.
High Rejection Levels: Rejection refers to the filter’s ability to attenuate unwanted signals and prevent them from interfering with the desired signal. Adequate rejection is necessary to minimize receiver desensitization, especially in the presence of out-of-band interference. A filter with high rejection levels ensures that the Wi-Fi receiver remains sensitive and reliable, even in challenging RF environments.
Small Size: In addition to their technical performance, filters used in CPE APs must be small and cost-effective. As APs become more compact and manufacturers strive to reduce costs, finding filters that meet these criteria while still delivering high performance is a significant challenge.

Figure 4: Typical RF filter response.

Qorvo’s Best-in-Class Filters

Qorvo, a leading provider of RF solutions, has developed filters that excel in meeting the demanding requirements of modern CPE APs. One of the key factors contributing to the superior performance of Qorvo’s filters is their use of Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) technology. BAW filters are known for their high-quality factor (Q), which is a measure of the filter’s efficiency in terms of insertion loss and the steepness of its skirts.

Figure 5: RF filter Q factor resonator response.

Qorvo creates compact, cost-effective filter designs that fit all Wi-Fi applications. Figure 6 shows the placement of two such filters. Qorvo’s BAW filters have the highest Q in the industry, allowing them to achieve low insertion losses, steep filter skirts, and high rejection levels. These characteristics make them ideal for use in CPE APs, where the need for precise filtering is paramount to ensure reliable and high-performance Wi-Fi connectivity.

Figure 6: RF Filtering used in a typical Wi-Fi frequency AP plan.

Qorvo’s filters are designed to address the increasingly stringent requirements for coexistence between different Wi-Fi bands, sub-bands, and external systems like cellular networks. In support of this coexistence and compliance with out-of-band restricted emissions regulations, Qorvo’s filters ensure that Wi-Fi APs operate efficiently without compromising the performance of neighboring bands.

This is particularly critical when transmitting over wider Wi-Fi channels, such as a 320 MHz channel in the UNII-5 band, commonly used in the 6 GHz spectrum. In this scenario, an AP broadcasts the lowest channel, channel 31, which spans from 5945 MHz to 6265 MHz, as shown in Figure 7 below. Without a filter, as seen in the light blue trace of the graph, significant spectral regrowth occurs both above and below the 320 MHz waveform. This regrowth represents noise that spills into adjacent frequency bands, such as UNII-2c and UNII-3 in the 5 GHz band. Such noise would desensitize the 5 GHz receivers, rendering them ineffective.

Figure 7: Wi-Fi channel 31 response using analyzer showing with filter and without filter.

Introducing a bandpass filter, shown in Figure 7, results in a much cleaner signal with significant noise reduction in the 5 GHz bands. The filter’s high rejection characteristics, particularly in the lower frequencies of the 320 MHz waveform, allow the AP to maintain signal clarity and minimize interference with the adjacent Wi-Fi bands. A similar situation can be demonstrated with a 5 GHz Bandpass Filter with a Ch 155 transmission, as shown in below Figure 8. The ensuing noise level is much lower when a filter is present, ensuring stronger signal integrity.

Figure 8: Wi-Fi channel 155 response using analyzer showing with filter and without filter.

However, not all filters are suitable for this type of application. A filter with a very high Q-factor is necessary to achieve minimal insertion loss while ensuring steep skirts, meaning the transition from low insertion loss to high rejection happens within a narrow frequency range. This steep rejection is essential not only for preventing interference with other Wi-Fi bands but also for adhering to regulatory standards, such as the out-of-band restricted emissions imposed by the FCC in the United States.

RF Filters – A Critical Component in Future CPE Applications

As the RF spectrum becomes increasingly crowded and the demand for high-performance Wi-Fi continues to rise, the need for effective filters in CPE routers has never been more critical. These filters play a vital role in mitigating both external and self-generated interference, ensuring that Wi-Fi signals remain strong, stable, and reliable. By incorporating high-quality filters, such as those offered by Qorvo, CPE access points can achieve optimal performance, providing users with seamless and uninterrupted connectivity in even the most challenging RF environments.

For more on this topic and solutions, we encourage you to view these collateral pieces – Wi-Fi 7 & Matter Ratification: What You Need to Know, 4 Ways to Address the Most Common RF Filtering Challenges for Modern Applications, Exploring Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) in the Wi-Fi 6 GHz Realm, or read our RF Filter Technology For Dummies book. Additionally, you can find more interesting collateral on this subject by visiting our Qorvo Design Hub for a rich assortment of videos, technical articles, white papers, tools and more.

For more information on this and other Qorvo 5G and 6G base station design solutions, please visit Qorvo.com or reach out to Technical Support.

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January 29, 2025

[Blog]

IPv6 in 2025 – Where Are We?

The first in a series of blogs throughout 2025 highlighting the state of IPv6 across the industry, best practices to consider, and how Cisco is helping customers on their journeys with its products and services.

The complex history of IPv6

IPv6: a protocol with a long and winding history, and one that is sure to evoke a wide range of reactions upon mention – from skepticism to curiosity, from dismissal to openness, from indifference to fear, and everything in between. Most of the time, the first things I hear are either “It’s never going to happen” or “What’s going on with IPv6 anyway?” The first is quite easy to address – it is happening. The progress may not be uniform around the world nor across market segments, but the data is there, and it may come as a surprise to many.

The rise of IPv6 traffic

The percentage of global IPv6 traffic Google sees across all its properties from users did not cross the 1% threshold until 2013. Since then, it has risen dramatically, hitting around 48% at the end of 2024. Going by country, the United States is at 53%, while France, Germany, and India are at 78%, 76% and 72%, respectively. As of 2022, Akamai saw 52% of their US traffic as IPv6 and Facebook was seeing over 61% in the US. And yet when one digs into the data, you find that Residential and Mobile segments have driven a lot of these numbers, with Enterprise and Public Sector lagging.

Delayed adoption despite early promise

Given these prominent levels of adoption, it is natural to wonder why it has taken so long to deploy a protocol that is 30 years old (!). Many people have memories of the 1995-2015 time period where there was a lot of talk and hype around IPv6, but nothing ever seemed to materialize. Network professionals got rounds of training, it was incorporated into exam material, and we even had previous government mandates, but nothing ever seemed to get deployed.

Around the same time as the creation of IPv6, the industry also developed some life extenders for IPv4 – CIDR, VLSM, NAT and RFC 1918 private address space – that turned out to be so effective they delayed the need for IPv6 not just by a couple years, but by several decades. But as successful as they were, they still could not overcome the fact that 32 bits simply isn’t enough space for today’s global Internet. We ran out of new public IPv4 addresses to hand out in the mid 2010’s and are still feeling the consequences: Prices have skyrocketed on the secondary markets. ISP’s have had to increasingly deploy Carrier Grade NAT and shoulder the operational issues that accompany it. Enterprises have had to constantly re-address their networks to squeeze every last bit out of each subnet. Furthermore, many have had to deal with the pain of overlapping private address space, as different parts of their network started using the same address blocks independently. This forces more and more NAT just to achieve internal communication, let alone external connectivity.

The shift towards IPv6

The good news is we had a solution ready to go – it had just been in hibernation. However, it was going to require a team effort, an endeavor that has been working well in some areas, but that we still struggle with in others. Service Providers, both mobile and terrestrial, have IPv6-enabled many of their networks (with some choosing to run a single-stacked IPv6 core), large content providers have turned on dual-stack to serve as many potential customers as possible, and major operating systems vendors have ramped up their support. Combine these with developments like Happy Eyeballs (an algorithm built into most endpoints that will attempt IPv6 first, but quickly fail over to IPv4 without any noticeable delay to the user) and you begin to see why adoption has significantly increased.

However, more work is needed within Enterprises. There are a whole set of middleboxes, software suites, monitoring and management tools, identity and policy products, and other operational considerations that present challenges not faced by mobile and home users.

Governmental support and IPv6 moving forward

Many governments around the world, including the United States with OMB M-21-07, have seen this and are putting more emphasis behind closing these gaps [1]. They foresee an IPv6-only future and know that remaining in a dual-stack state indefinitely is the worst situation to be in, even though it is almost certainly required in the short-term. This future is not just about overcoming address exhaustion, but also presents new and exciting opportunities around architecture and operations that simply were not possible in a constrained IPv4 world. While Cisco has published a bit on this previously [2], my colleagues and I are going to use the rest of 2025 to lay out a series of blogs that will help you on that journey: how to think about and plan your new (nearly infinite) address space, how to transition from IPv4-only to IPv6-only, considerations for security and operations, the role of fabrics and other architectural designs, and what management and monitoring looks like in an IPv6 world. Stay tuned!

Countries with IPv6 mandates in place (not exhaustive)

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January 29, 2025

[Blog]

Breaking the Wall: WaveCore by Airvine Turns Asbestos from Obstacle to Opportunity

Picture this: You’re finally ready to upgrade a property—whether it’s a bustling multi-dwelling unit (MDU) or a historic building steeped in legacy.
The goal: Deliver and extend blazing-fast connectivity that meets modern demands, boosts property value, and keeps tenants happy.

Then reality hits. Those walls you need to open up to upgrade and extend your Ethernet backbones? They’re filled with asbestos.

Suddenly, the simple plan to run new cabling becomes a logistical nightmare.

Permits, inspections, specialized abatement teams—costs spiral out of control, timelines stretch for months, and what started as progress screeches to a halt. Faced with these challenges, many owners and service providers simply abandon their plans, leaving aging buildings stuck in the past.

But what if you didn’t have to open those walls at all?

No permits. No construction. No asbestos abatement. Just fast, seamless connectivity—delivered wirelessly. This isn’t a pipe dream—it’s WaveCore by Airvine.

Asbestos: The Silent Barrier to Modernization

For decades, asbestos was hailed as a miracle material, lining the walls, floors, and ceilings of buildings worldwide. Today, it’s a costly liability waiting to derail any renovation. The “asbestos tax” is an invisible but unavoidable burden:

Sky-high costs: Abatement often adds tens of thousands of dollars to project budgets.
Lengthy delays: Permits, inspections, and abatement crews turn weeks into months.
Missed opportunities: Many upgrades are abandoned, leaving tenants stuck with outdated connectivity.

This isn’t just an issue for MDUs. Commercial buildings, schools, historic landmarks—any structure built before the 1980s faces the same challenge. As demand for high-speed connectivity surges, asbestos is turning buildings into digital dead zones.

Redefining the Possible with WaveCore

WaveCore by Airvine isn’t just a workaround—it’s a breakthrough. By delivering wireless connectivity that doesn’t require tearing into walls, WaveCore makes asbestos a non-issue.
Here’s how it works:

Wireless Backbone: Confronted by a cement wall or a wall with asbestos, instead of drilling and dealing with abatement, the WaveCore will deliver multi-gigabit connections through the walls wirelessly.
No Disruption: No construction, no permits, no downtime—WaveCore bypasses asbestos entirely.
Lightning-Fast Deployment: Installations take hours, not months, minimizing tenant disruption and project timelines.

A Tale of Two Buildings

The difference WaveCore could make.

A historic landmark—built in the 1920s. Its walls are filled with asbestos, but the staff needs modern connectivity to stream services, power IoT devices, and support administrative operations. Traditional solutions were off the table—costs were prohibitive, and delays unacceptable. With the WaveCore it is possible to deliver multi-gigabit connectivity with zero disruption to the building’s structure or operations.

An MDU project. The property manager had budgeted for an Ethernet upgrade to meet tenants’ growing demands for faster Wi-Fi and smart home capabilities.

But when asbestos was discovered, the project was scrapped. The result? Frustrated tenants and a property that couldn’t keep up with its competition.

Why Technology Matters to You

For Property Owners
Your tenants expect fast, reliable connectivity—whether they’re working remotely, streaming, or integrating smart devices. Without it, properties lose their edge. WaveCore ensures you can:

Upgrade without compromise: No construction. No downtime.
Attract and retain tenants: Offer the kind of connectivity that justifies higher rents and builds loyalty.
Boost property value: Modern infrastructure translates to long-term ROI.

For Service Providers
WaveCore isn’t just another tool in your kit—it’s a competitive edge.

By offering WaveCore, you can:

Simplify deployments: Complete upgrades in hours, not weeks.
Expand your offerings: Provide a solution that bypasses asbestos without cutting corners.
Win more clients: Differentiate yourself with faster, safer, and more affordable options.

Flipping the Script on Asbestos

Asbestos doesn’t just slow projects—it stops progress. WaveCore by Airvine changes that, turning a liability into an opportunity. Imagine:

A university upgrading its network without disrupting students or faculty.
A commercial property embracing IoT capabilities without losing tenants.
A historic landmark modernizing its infrastructure without compromising its character.

With WaveCore, the possibilities are endless—and the barriers are gone.

Let’s Build the Future, Together

The demand for better connectivity isn’t going anywhere. Whether you’re a property owner ready to invest in the future or a service provider looking to solve impossible problems, WaveCore by Airvine ensures you can deliver.

The future of connectivity starts here.

Read full release

January 29, 2025

[Blog]

In the Land of the Smart Home, One App to Rule Them… Almost

We recently had a Matter roundtable at Silicon Labs Works With 2024. It was a fantastic chance for ecosystems, device makers, development partners, and others to learn more about the current state of Matter, its challenges and limitations, what is being done to address its shortcomings, new device types coming in the future, and new markets or use cases that are being worked on.

The goal of the roundtable was to allow people to have a more open and honest conversation, so we did not stream or record the event as has been done in previous Works With events. This allowed for attendees to share their own experiences for bad or good, confusion with the goals of the standard, or just general concerns. It is never easy to hear this but is important to get the open feedback.

One of the pieces of confusion that we heard had to do with the need for multiple apps on your mobile device. Shouldn’t Matter mean I can get rid of all my other smart home apps? I never need to even download another smart home app again right? Well, almost.

Matter as a standard has done great things for providing a baseline of interoperability to greatly simplify the commissioning and standardize IP based IoT communications. This helps so many new and existing device makers avoid inventing ways of doing the same basic commissioning that Matter already provides. It doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement in the Matter device setup, but the goal is to ensure that proprietary improvements will be really innovative and not just mildly improved.

When it comes to smart home apps, I see them falling into three categories:

Generalist smart home apps
Device feature apps
Services apps

Generalist Smart Home Apps

There is a lot of simple functionality that can be accessed via Matter, and that means users can do most all of it with just a single app. Matter already has support for most of the popular device types. Put more succinctly, I don’t need multiple lighting apps on my phone just because the smart bulbs happen to be from different manufacturers.

Apps that will handle most of the basic home automation, I call generalist smart home apps. These will handle associating devices with different rooms, scenes, routines, and labelling them to make logical sense with the way we naturally live in our smart homes. Users only need one of these generalist apps on their phone. However, it’s important that we allow users the option to switch between generalist smart home apps if they want. One of the goals of Matter is to avoid manufacturer lock-in by ensuring devices can be paired to multiple smart home apps simultaneously, even if the user will only use one.

From a developer perspective, creating your own mobile app is a high barrier to entry and could mean a sub-par experience for something basic. I recently bought a temperature sensor system that had a hub and a number of remote sensors so that I could monitor the temperature in remote locations in my house (the garage, the attic, and a couple of rooms where the thermostat wasn’t located). My goal was to get a better sense of the temperature swings during the cold winters and the warm summers here in the Boston area. These temperature sensors required me to download the mobile app, create an account on the manufacturer’s website, commission the hub, commission each sensor individually, label the sensors, and only then could I finally achieve what I wanted. Monitoring the system required me to re-launch the app regularly, which on occasion made me log back in just to see the temperature. The worst part is that this particular system had extremely poor range and I couldn’t find the right place to install the hub to make all the sensors happy. I eventually gave up and returned the system.

This entire experience has a lot of overhead just to get a temperature sensor up and running. This really shouldn’t be the case, for either a user or developer. It is easy to say that a temperature sensor doesn’t need its own Mobile App. This is an obvious case where a generalist smart home app could easily provide support for temperature sensors along with its other features and functionality. Apple, Google, Samsung, and Amazon all provide this kind of experience through their current hardware and software offering.

Smart Home Device Feature Apps

But now let’s take something more sophisticated like a robot vacuum. This is a more complex device type that can be setup with a schedule, maps of rooms, excluded vacuum areas, control for mopping vs vacuuming, sensors for indicating battery charge, the level of the vacuum bag, and more. Although Matter does have support for robot vacuums, you can easily see why you may want to have a device feature app on your phone for your a robot vacuum and its more complex management. Now certain simpler functionality could be handled, and I would argue should be handled, via a generalist smart home app means. Start, stop, or notifications could easily be handled by a generalist app. If your robot vacuum starts running while you are in the middle of having a kids party, you may want to very quickly use a voice assistant to tell the device to stop or delay its routine. Perhaps the device gets stuck, and you would like to see a notification pop up on a more convenient screen such as a Matter-enabled TV.

From a user perspective, it should be intuitive when you need a dedicated app.

From a developer perspective, Matter enables simpler device integrations but also provides flexibility for a more complex interface experience via a dedicated device feature app. Building a smart home mobile app is now a choice based on the user experience and the device capabilities, rather than just a necessity in all cases.

For some device classes, Matter will grow in its feature set and the major ecosystem will evolve to provide a “good enough” experience for your device that you can phase out your own specialized app. For smaller companies, this means they can focus on adding new hardware features rather than being required to hire mobile developers to re-create yet another a smart home mobile app.

Smart Home Device Services Apps

Now, for a users there will be situations where a generalist smart home app will be too simple in what it can do but where a device feature app will be too limiting. A device feature app is focused in its usage to interact with a single device or single device type. What a user may want is to integrate with a feature across multiple devices. This is where a services app comes in.

Take for example the case of energy management. Matter has enabled devices to report their energy usage and provide the means to aggregate that data in a single unified place. A services app can interact with multiple devices in the home all in support of tracking energy usage. An energy management app needs to understand big energy consumers, like thermostats connected to HVAC, laundry dryers, laundry washers, and a few other related devices like ceiling fans. It doesn’t need to know about lights or sensors or many other Matter enabled nodes that are just not relevant to that goal. It doesn’t need to provide home automation routines or integrate with a voice assistant. This app may have knowledge of your local utility’s cost for electricity or that you have solar panels on your roof, or a generator hooked up to the house. An energy management app may have dedicated screens showing your energy usage over time, correlating this to the past weather conditions. It could have various modes focused on how you can fine tune energy in your home or business to achieve lower costs or just going more green and comparing to your neighbor’s usage. This kind of app will need access to your Matter network but is not meant to be a substitute for the other kinds of apps, and in particular will not be a generalist app.

This kind of specialized service offering is common on the internet. Take for example Slack. Slack is still hugely important for business messaging. It integrates with a number of other tools to provide a means of getting updates and even interacting all within Slack as a means to provide a better user experience. However, it is not a substitute for those other tools. You can integrate Slack with Jira to get updates and perform some simple operations, but it doesn’t replace Jira. I foresee the same kind of thing will occur with user’s Smart Homes.

Smart Home App Conclusion

Ultimately it’s up to the user to decide how they want to manage their network. If they want only a single generalist smart home apps because their usage is simple enough that’s their choice. But if they need a bit more functionality there is option for a blend of smart home apps based on what they do or which one the user likes best.

Having the option for multiple apps is a good thing because it will allow companies to specialize and innovate, and of course compete. Device makers can focus on building the best-in-class device and how to highlight those unique elements that users desire. Services apps can build a service offering based around a theme or specialized use case without having to support all the Matter enabled device types. For all the typical automation use cases, you have the generalist apps.

To put it more succinctly, Chris La Pre Head of Technology at CSA had this great way to summarize it: “You’ll intuitively know when you need a separate app for your smart home device”.

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January 29, 2025

[Blog]

Is Your Neighbor’s WiFi Slowing You Down? Fix it with WiFi 7 Preamble Puncturing!

What Is Preamble Puncturing?

Multi-RU Preamble Puncturing is a new feature in WiFi 7 routers. It lets you bypass interference from neighboring networks or radio sources by “puncturing” or “splitting” part of a WiFi channel. The rest of the channel remains usable with better internet speed, particularly in busy and built-up environments.

Imagine a highway, but only the left lane is open, and the other lanes are closed. That was the scenario before the introduction of WiFi 7 routers. Preamble Puncturing allows your router to split the bandwidth into additional usable channels.

Preamble puncturing gives you an extra lane of superfast and reliable WiFi 7, comparable to an extra lane opening on a highway to relieve congestion.

How Preamble Puncturing Benefits Users

WiFi 7, also called Extremely High Throughput, builds upon the best WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E features such as MU-MIMO and OFDMA to deliver multi-Gbps speeds, more usable channel bandwidth, and ultra-low latency. Preamble Puncturing can:

Reduce Network Congestion

Preamble Puncturing makes your WiFi more efficient by letting your devices use any part of the channel that’s not already in use. You can connect WiFi devices seamlessly to the internet with a WiFi 7 router, unlike older routers that only connect when the entire channel is clear.

Improved Performance for High-Bandwidth Applications

By keeping more bandwidth available, Preamble Puncturing is perfect for large WiFi networks and consistently high speeds for gamers, streamers, and podcasters. WiFi 7 is the secret behind the best enhanced AI, virtual reality, and augmented reality technology for the internet.

How Preamble Puncturing Works

Preamble puncturing gives you wider channels for wireless networking. The new ‘punctured’ channel portion doesn’t suffer from narrowband interference from nearby networks or devices. This allows for more WiFi 7 access points and next-generation devices in your network. The average home in the US includes 24 WiFi-connected devices all vying for speed and bandwidth, and WiFi 7 routers and mesh systems are the best way to stay connected.

Leading NETGEAR Nighthawk Routers and NETGEAR Orbi Whole-Home Mesh Systems include WiFi 7 for faster data rates, more channel width, and connection for up to 200 concurrent devices. You can create a home network, a guest network, and a smart home IoT network, so everyone under your roof has their own space for online work or play. NETGEAR WiFi 7 with Preamble Puncturing makes life easier.

NOTE: Preamble Puncturing is a new WiFi 7 technology. You will experience the full benefit of preamble puncturing as you progressively upgrade to WiFi 7 devices.

How WiFi 7 Benefits Users

There are lots of use cases that showcase the benefits of WiFi 7. The new WiFi generation is a quantum leap forward in a world where wireless connectivity is important. The addition of the 6 GHz band, 4096 QAM, and 320MHz channels (up from 160MHz), preamble puncturing, and other benefits give WiFi 7 2.4x faster speeds than WiFi 6, with lower latency for multiple devices. WiFi 7 is perfect for homes and apartments of all sizes.

Read full release

January 29, 2025

[Press Release]

NetAlly Appoints Nathan Collins as EMEA Vice President to Drive Growth and Strengthen Channel Partnerships with Enhanced Distribution Strategy

Industry-leading networking test and analysis company appoints proven channel and sales leader to support revenue growth, market development and partner expansion.

29th January 2025 – Colorado Springs, CO USA – NetAlly, a global leader in handheld network test and cybersecurity solutions, is doubling down on its commitment to EMEA market growth with the appointment of Nathan Collins as Regional Vice President. Collins brings decades of expertise to lead the company’s ambitious expansion strategy, focusing on empowering partners and enhancing network resilience.

NetAlly provides network test, management and security products for companies to better understand and secure their networks. Their solutions cover a range of network management requirements, from testing tools that technicians can use to troubleshoot network issues in seconds to robust cybersecurity solutions that provide fast insights into potential vulnerabilities in edge network environments.

With over 300 active partners across the EMEA region, NetAlly is transitioning to a fully two-tier distribution model to ensure its cutting-edge solutions are readily available in all major markets. By partnering with local distributors, NetAlly enables faster product availability, better service quality, and streamlined operations for both customers and partners. Collins brings his more than 25 years of expertise in the data storage, networking, and business continuity markets to NetAlly, including senior leadership positions at the likes of AvePoint, CommVault, Druva, and PAVilion.

“Companies rely on their networks to connect their operations and support their goals, so networks must evolve faster and be dynamic and responsive to those business goals. At the same time, increasing regulation and security challenges make building, deploying, and managing networks more challenging than ever. Helping our customers and partners navigate these evolving trends is crucial to our success. Nathan brings us a wealth of experience to help us deliver these goals,” said Mike Parrottino, CEO at NetAlly.

“The European Union has introduced numerous new regulations focused on security and resilience, while similar critical infrastructure regulations are being enforced in the UK for companies and service providers. These regulations aim to make digital services more reliable and resilient, but they need to be supported over time, all the time. Without strong networks, you can’t deliver those great digital services to your customers. Compliance with these security regulations is a critical requirement for both partners and customers. NetAlly’s network test and security vulnerability solutions will be essential to stay compliant,” explained Collins. “I look forward to working with our partners on developing their networking infrastructure businesses, delivering more opportunities for them, and ensuring more reliable and secure networks for their customers.”

Intec Microsystems is a NetAlly distributor based in the UK. Of their partnership with NetAlly, Tom Newall, direct vendor manager, said, “The market certainly has a strong, positive sentiment about NetAlly. As a trusted advisor to our customers, we saw partnering with NetAlly as a way to build out our solutions portfolio and capture a larger share of wallet in our market space.” Newall continued, “The launch of our partnership was our most successful vendor kick-off in 2024. Our team is very enthusiastic about this addition to our portfolio, as NetAlly’s product line provides an attractive margin and good value attach to our network infrastructure sales. On top of that, their team is easy to work with and super responsive.”

Lennart Heijnen, CEO at Heynen BV, a Dutch supplier of solutions in the field of professional electronics in the Benelux countries, said of their partnership with NetAlly, “We’ve experienced many years of year-over-year growth with the NetAlly portfolio, including significant large deals with several service providers. We’ve had particular success with a key customer in the electronic payments processing industry. NetAlly’s close collaboration, teamwork, and responsiveness to their unique needs resulted in multiple large orders over the years.”

Under Collins’ leadership, NetAlly is poised to transform how partners and customers experience network management and cybersecurity in the EMEA region. By focusing on accessibility, innovation, and collaboration, NetAlly will ensure that every business, from local enterprises to global corporations, can have secure, high-performance networks they can rely on.

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, visit https://netally.com, follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram or YouTube.

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January 29, 2025

[Press Release]

In World Premier, Orange Jordan to Deploy prpl-based Broadband Solution with SoftAtHome

PARIS, France – AMMAN, Jordan – January 23rd, 2025 – SoftAtHome and Orange Jordan announced the imminent deployment of the world’s first fully prpl-based broadband solution with a home gateway and Wi-Fi repeater powered by prplWare and complementary SoftAtHome products.

The new home gateway and Wi-Fi repeater are powered by prplWare, which includes the prplOS and prplMesh.

prpl extends the Orange device’s shelf life and brings operators greater independence from hardware constraints to deliver new and innovative services. Through this project, SoftAtHome enabled five critical advantages promoted by the prpl Foundation, including higher velocity by de-complexifying Gateway stack integration onto multiple platforms, a focus on service-driven innovation, enabling proprietary differentiation from a 3rd-party services ecosystem, API harmonization through collaboration and convergence to help scale up businesses, open source to improve testing and avoid duplication and wasted efforts, and cultivating a community.

Orange Jordan’s new gateway offers fiber connectivity and delivers the advantages of Wi-Fi6E. For this project, prplWare was extended with several critical operator features such as VoIP, Wi-Fi repeater, API migration, all the while keeping compatibility with the existing infrastructure, etc.

prplMesh already brings Wi-Fi management capabilities and hardware abstraction. SoftAtHome added smart Wi-Fi algorithms, such as Wi-Fi repeater management, packet prioritization, intelligent channel selection, remote device management, and enhanced security features with the Wifi’ON Product running on top of prplWare.

Orange Jordan commented on this agreement saying: “At the outset of this project, we were looking for a software solution that leveraged our installed base of devices while simultaneously preparing an exciting future of services for our broadband subscribers. SoftAtHome exceeded our expectations with this prpl-based advanced solution and their extensive expertise.”

Orange Group said, “Orange Jordan is the first within the Orange Group to deploy a prpl-based home gateway solution, which is the result of Orange Group’s investment in prpl open-source solutions. The whole operator community will benefit from access to new home gateway-based services.”

Arnaud Bellivier de Prin, CEO at SoftAtHome, said, “I am proud that our teams have delivered the world’s first prpl-based solution deployed simultaneously on the home gateway and Wi-Fi repeaters and grateful to Orange Jordan for their continued trust in SoftAtHome and for paving the prpl way for our club of operators.”

About SoftAtHome

SoftAtHome is an independent software provider with seven critical solutions: broadband (Connect’ON), Wi-Fi (Wifi’ON), security (Secure’ON), smart home (Things’ON), video (Watch’ON), analytics and QoE monitoring (Eyes’ON), and a gateway Appstore environment (Orchestr’ON). SoftAtHome’s solutions power over 30 million connected homes globally, delivering unmatched broadband, Wi-Fi, and smart home experiences. With its focus on energy efficiency and open-source communities like prpl, SoftAtHome continues to innovate for the future of the connected home.

For more information: www.softathome.com or contact@softathome.com

Press Contact:
Marta Twardowska-Rienks for SoftAtHome

E: press@softathome.com – M: +31 621-184-585 – LI: SoftAtHome

About Orange Jordan

Orange Jordan is one of the subsidiaries of Orange Global Group, which is present in 26 countries around the world. Orange Jordan operates in line with the Group’s strategy “Lead the Future”, and through its positioning as a Responsible Digital Leader, it supports the national digital transformation vision. Orange Jordan prioritizes community service, and in this context, it implements a comprehensive CSR strategy that revolves around 4 pillars including digital education, digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, climate, and environment.

Orange Jordan, with more than 1600 employees in 301 shops and locations across Jordan, strives to provide the best customer experience through an integrated set of digital solutions including fixed, mobile, internet, data, and Smart Life Solutions to around 4.1 million customers in Jordan.

Orange Jordan’s solutions are comprehensive as they serve businesses in addition to individuals under its sub-brand Orange Business.

Orange Jordan inspires by its values namely transparency, agility, results-oriented, customer centricity, collaboration, caring, and excellence.

To learn more about us, please visit our website: www.orange.jo.

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January 29, 2025

[Blog]

The future of smart homes is intelligent, autonomous, and personalized

Imagine coming home to one that knows you as well as you know it. It’s a future where your living space doesn’t just respond to commands but anticipates your needs and subtly adapts to your routine. That’s where we’re headed—a future where the smart home feels less like a collection of devices and more like an extension of you, and your family.

Generative AI is one of the major innovations helping us reach this future. MediaTek’s Genio IoT platform is already leading the way by making AI-driven interactions more natural and responsive. Picture a personal assistant who’s helpful and empathetic, even providing companionship for elderly family members. And now, with natural language interaction, you won’t need to memorize specific commands or tap through multiple screens; you can simply speak naturally, and your devices will accurately interpret, understand and respond. This isn’t just tech—it’s a new level of human connection and comfort right in your living room.

This transformation intends to elevate connected homes into truly autonomous living spaces. And it’s happening faster than many realize; soon, your home recognizes when you decide to go to bed, for example, and will automatically adjust the lighting, secure doors, and even optimize the temperature throughout each room without needing a second thought from you. Think of it as a silent virtual assistant, always there but never in the way, adapting quietly to your needs.

And as homes become more connected, they need to be harmoniously integrated. We know how frustrating it can be when gadgets don’t play well together. MediaTek is committed to ensuring that whether it’s the security cameras, sensors, thermal control systems, a smart hub, plus all your smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs, smart TVs, and everything else – all your devices must always connect reliably, and communicate seamlessly across platforms. It’s smart living made simple.

Finally, personalization will be at the heart of tomorrow’s smart homes. Imagine that your home learns from you—adjusting the lighting and music as you wind down for the evening, or planning your workouts based on what you did, or didn’t do last week! It’s a world where every piece of tech aligns with your unique lifestyle, making each day a little more tailored to you.

At MediaTek, we believe that the future of smart homes is one where technology moves quietly to the background, working smoothly and intuitively to elevate your daily life. We’re building the foundations today so that, tomorrow, you won’t just have a smart home—you’ll have an intelligent, personalized space that truly feels like yours.

Learn more about our featured products:

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January 29, 2025

[Blog]

Dulles and Reagan National Airports Join Ads4WiFi Marketplace to Boost Advertising Revenue

Dulles and Reagan airports join Ads4WiFi to boost revenue from their free Wi-Fi networks, enhancing passenger experience and supporting operations.

WASHINGTON D.C., DC, UNITED STATES, January 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Reagan National Airport (DCA) are excited to announce their participation in Ads4WiFi, a digital out of home (DooH) Wi-Fi advertising marketplace. This collaboration aims to drive advertising revenue into the airports, helping to offset the costs associated with operating their free passenger Wi-Fi networks.

By joining the Ads4WiFi marketplace, these airports can now display targeted advertisements to passengers as they log in to the free Wi-Fi networks. This innovative approach allows the airports to stay in control of their concessions without needing the expertise to broker advertising contracts or deliver campaigns.

Ads4WiFi provides a robust platform that manages the entire process, ensuring a smooth and efficient experience for both the airports and their passengers.

“GoZone’s business model provides a great service to meet the needs of this time-constrained industry. We’re excited and hopeful for the future with this new partnership!” said Anthony Balestrino, Business Development Lead of MWAA Labs. “This collaboration allows us to maintain control over our concessions and focus on delivering a high-quality experience for our travelers.”

One of the key benefits of this partnership is that Ads4WiFi offers the airports the option to use their platform to manage advertising campaigns at no additional charge if they do not have an existing solution. This flexibility ensures that the airports can maximize their advertising potential without incurring extra costs.

“We are proud to support Dulles and Reagan National in their efforts to generate additional revenue through our platform,” said Todd Myers, CEO of GoZone WiFi that powers the Ads4WiFi marketplace. “Our goal is to provide a user-friendly solution that enables airports to earn added revenues without any additional hardware or software fees.”

Passengers at these airports can expect to see a variety of engaging advertisements as they connect to the free Wi-Fi networks, enhancing their overall travel experience while supporting the airports’ operational costs. The Ads4WiFi marketplace enables brands and DooH-focused ad agencies a single source to help broker and facilitate campaign delivery no matter who owns or operates the property.

Airports that are interested can visit https://www.ads4wifi.com/venues/airports. Brands and ad agencies can visit https://www.ads4wifi.com/advertisers for additional information.

About Ads4WiFi
Ads4WiFi, powered by GoZone WiFi, is an advertising marketplace that connects advertisers with aggregated Wi-Fi networks in high-traffic locations such as airports, shopping malls, and public transportation hubs. The platform provides a seamless solution for managing and delivering targeted advertising campaigns, helping their partners generate additional revenue while enhancing the user experience.

About MWAA Labs
MWAA Labs, the technology innovations team of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, has been addressing airport challenges since 2013. Using their two airports as testing grounds, they develop and refine solutions with input from customers and partners. Their notable success includes veriScan, a biometric traveler verification system acquired by Pangiam in 2021. MWAA Labs values community collaboration and specializes in cloud services, AI, IoT, and more to enhance the travel experience. Learn more at mwaalabs.com.

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January 29, 2025

[Press Release]

Wi-Fi Alliance® statement on the nomination of Olivia Trusty to the FCC

Austin, TX and Washington, D.C. – January 20, 2025– Wi-Fi Alliance^® congratulates Olivia Trusty on her nomination to serve as a Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Her extensive experience in telecommunications policy and public service will be instrumental in shaping the future of connectivity in the United States.

As the FCC continues to play a pivotal role in advancing connectivity benefits, Wi-Fi Alliance looks forward to working with Ms. Trusty and her colleagues to ensure that Wi-Fi^® remains an essential enabler of the U.S. digital ecosystem — powering industries, public services, and next-generation applications such as healthcare, education, smart infrastructure and beyond.

Wi-Fi Alliance stands ready to collaborate with Commissioner-designate Trusty and the FCC to promote policies that foster investment, innovation, and connectivity for all Americans.

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.

Follow Wi-Fi Alliance:
wi-fi.org/beacon
wi-fi.org/signal
facebook.com/wificertified
twitter.com/wifialliance
linkedin.com/company/wi-fi-alliance
youtube.com/wifialliance

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