The newest version of the rapidly expanding 802.11 family, which was approved by the IEEE in January, brings a lot to the table. Speed is king, and 802.11ac has it. In theory, it is capable of delivering 1 Gbps by broadening bandwidth to 160 MHz.
The new standard makes good use of advances in antenna technology that have been made in parallel with research on WiFi. Keys are multiple in multiple out (MIMO) and beam forming antennas.
MIMO and beam forming antennas - which direct the power in a specific direction - can be used to dedicate a signal to a specific device at a specific point in time and deliver higher throughput and cleaner signals. On the receiving end, MIMO can take multiple signals from a device and process them using sophisticated algorithms to generate a signal that is stronger and cleaner than any of its composite elements.
It is potent technology, and 802.11ac - along with the new antenna techniques - are expanding rapidly. Earlier this month, Infonetics released a report that found that access point (AP) penetration using “ac” is almost doubling on a quarterly basis and is starting to cut into 802.11n sales.
Last week, Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) laid out its plans for 802.11ac. As if to reinforce the importance of the new spec, the bigger announcement of the week - Apple’s introduction of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus - included the news that the Apple devices will support 802.11ac. The message is clear: The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus announcement is proof positive of the traffic hikes for which operators must prepare, said Eric Shaffer, Comcast’s vice president and general manager for data and mobile. “[802.11ac] is future-proofing the home gateway,” he said.
However, the industry’s move to 802.11ac is far from uniform. Broadband Technology Report contacted the top 10 MSOs via email and asked a series of questions related to their current use of 802.11ac and their plans.
- Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) responded that it has not deployed at this time and has no deployment plans. The email said it will look at the technology in the future.
- Bright House Networks said it has tested 802.11ac “in limited areas” but has not yet begun to deploy it.
- WideOpen West hasn’t rolled out the technology. The MSO’s plans are to be determined.
- Charter pointed to an April press release that said it planned to roll out “a fully-managed dual-band concurrent 802.11ac wireless router” in mid-May. The router, which is built by Netgear, has capabilities of more than 100 Mbps to end users, according to the release.
- Cox also is making a significant commitment to 802.11ac at this point. “We have a diverse network that includes a combination of 802.11n and 802.11ac devices,” the company said in an emailed response to the questions. “While we have primarily focused on 802.11ac hotspots in indoor environments, as more 802.11ac capable handsets, tablets and computers become available, and additional spectrum becomes available, we expect to increase the number in our network.
Cox also is using 802.11ac to support its commercial customers. “Recently, Cox Business launched Cox Business Internet Gateway that combines a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem and a WiFi-enabled 802.11ac router (enabling the fastest WiFi speeds) into one device. This simplifies device management and delivers the fastest ‘in-office’ WiFi experience available today.”
Business Services Next Up
Comcast went into significant detail about its rollout. The company said its initial 802.11ac device - the DPC3941IT Xfinity Wireless Gateway - is a Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) unit that supports 3 x 3 MIMO antennas, 80 MHz channels and offers 256-QAM modulation. 802.11ac operates in the friendlier 5 GHz bandwidth that first opened up with the introduction of 802.11n.
Shaffer said the initial rollout is the operator’s New England region, a process that will continue throughout the winter, with the rest of the Comcast footprint targeted for next year.
Shaffer said the testing of the device by independent testing firm Allion Engineering Services indicated that the system delivered data at a speed of 700 Mbps using three transmit and three receive antennas. A hallmark of the 802.11 family is that systems are backward compatible.
Naturally, the ability to access the speeds promised by 802.11ac requires the end point device to be using it as well. Access points, Shaffer said, will first look for 802.11ac and, where it isn’t present, will send data in the most recent version of the protocol that is.
802.11ac also will serve Comcast’s business customers. Shaffer noted that commercial and consumer routers have different feature sets. The commercial versions of Comcast’s 802.11ac routers will begin rolling out in a couple of months, he said.
Carl Weinschenk is the Senior Editor of Broadband Technology Report. Contact him at [email protected].
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