Wi-Fi Alliance® recently hosted a panel on Wi-Fi®’s unforeseen influence at the Americas Member Meeting in Austin. The panel explored the profound impact of Wi-Fi across industries, from advancing patient care and enhancing events to supporting NASA in space exploration and discovery. Read on for key insights from our panelists:

Wi-Fi enables advancements in healthcare

Ali Youssef, Director of Medical Device and Emerging Security Tech at Henry Ford Health, shared his perspective on how Wi-Fi supports healthcare facilities, from providing basic connectivity set-ups to empowering the robust networks that support mission-critical applications. Wi-Fi has assumed an indispensable role in modern healthcare, enhancing patient outcomes by supporting high-bandwidth lab simulations, enabling near-instantaneous transfers of medical files for real-time diagnoses, and connecting medical devices and sensors in a complex Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. Wi-Fi’s backward compatibility also allows for the integration of legacy medical devices into modern Wi-Fi networks while protecting patient data in a fast-paced environment. “We rely on Wi-Fi to make your care experience, to customize it to your particular needs,” Youssef said.

Wi-Fi delivers the next generation of event experiences

Doug Peterson, Partner at Prestige Global Meeting Source, discussed the crucial role of Wi-Fi in the events and hospitality industry. Wi-Fi has become an essential utility that guests demand, and they expect peak performance whether they’re connecting from a remote luxury vacation in the Maldives or a massive convention in Las Vegas. The need for superior connectivity in high-density environments has brought new challenges to venues, including hotels, airports, and stadiums, and advancements like Wi-Fi 6 have delivered heightened speeds and greater reliability to support increasing bandwidth requirements and multi-device streaming. Wi-Fi has revolutionized the events industry, providing opportunities for brands to foster new levels of interactivity and community-building that connect attendees before, during, and after the event. “At the starting point, wireless technology has really expanded the idea of human connection,” Peterson said, “and it's made events more powerful and in a very profound way.”

Wi-Fi forges connections between Earth and space

The panel also featured Chatwin Lansdowne, an Engineer at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Chatwin serves as subsystem manager for the IEEE 802.11-based External Wireless Communications system on the International Space Station (ISS) and supports standards development for lunar exploration. Lansdowne discussed his role in spearheading the introduction of wireless networks in space, including integrating Wi-Fi into space missions like the Artemis program and working to establish Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® as a standard for space missions through collaboration with multiple space agencies.

Lansdowne described the diverse applications of Wi-Fi in an environment that is literally out of this world, including facilitating communication between astronauts and mission control, accessing and monitoring vehicle systems, and supporting wireless cameras on spacecraft. Despite some initial skepticism regarding Wi-Fi’s suitability for networking in space and the need for rigorous testing in a harsh environment, Wi-Fi’s adaptability and cost-efficiency have made it a key ingredient across multiple missions, allowing for greater agility in terms of execution and budget. “We can think of a new thing now, and it doesn't take a lot of time to implement it,” Lansdowne explained. NASA currently requires Wi-Fi 6 for the Artemis program and is exploring future uses of Wi-Fi 7. 

Wi-Fi lays the foundation for the future 

Wi-Fi is more than a connectivity method – it is a catalyst for innovation and human connection across industries and environments. Today’s advancements will pave the way for future technology as Wi-Fi’s decentralized nature and use of unlicensed spectrum allow it to support the next generation of complex use cases. “Over the past 25 years, Wi-Fi has created a sense of freedom, which lets people be free to do their thing – whatever their thing might be,” said moderator Claus Hetting of Wi-Fi NOW. “Amazing things happen.” 

Stay tuned to our blog and podcast to learn more about Wi-Fi’s unique impact across industries as we celebrate 25 years of connectivity.

Left to right: Moderator Claus Hetting, Chatwin Lansdowne, Ali Youssef, Doug Peterson

RUCKUS Networks demonstrated how Wi-Fi 7 supports today’s connected enterprise at the Wi-Fi Alliance® Asia Member Meeting in Singapore. As today’s workplace continues to evolve, enterprises must ensure their networks can support the applications that empower communication and collaboration, including immersive presentations, 8K video conferencing, and more. Attendees saw how Wi-Fi 7’s heightened speeds, low latency, and increased capacity bring simplified network management and a new class of connected devices to enterprise scenarios. 

Demonstrated devices and capabilities  

The demonstration showed how the RUCKUS R770 enterprise-class Wi-Fi 7 Access Point (AP) uses the advanced capabilities of Wi-Fi 7 and RUCKUS® patented innovations, including RUCKUS AI™, to enhance Wi-Fi 7 networks and deliver superior performance. Devices and applications showcased in this demonstration included: 

• RUCKUS Wi-Fi 7 AP R770 
• RUCKUS One, an AI-driven converged network assurance and business intelligence cloud controller platform 
• ICX Switch (ICX8200) 

The demonstration began by connecting a cellular modem router to a RUCKUS Wi-Fi 7 AP R770. In parallel, a venue was created on the RUCKUS One (R1) cloud controller, a centralized management platform that allows network administrators to access their networks anywhere. The R770 AP was then added to the venue by entering its serial number and other user-configurable parameters such as name and description. Onboarding was completed quickly due to RUCKUS’ firmware logic which allows for seamless pairing – the R770 AP will always look for the R1 Controller, allowing for the AP to be onboarded and managed by the R1 in a matter of minutes. 

Once the network was brought up, the team configured an SSID to connect to a smartphone. While a smartphone was attempting to connect to the SSID, the R1 Client Connection Diagnostics feature documents the process of a wireless client connecting to the network to give users more insight into the process and additional details if a connection fails, expediting troubleshooting and providing further understanding of the efficiency of the network. 

The team demonstrated how the RUCKUS-developed Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning (AI/ML) firmware proactively monitors the networks and takes action through decisive troubleshooting when issues are reported. For example, users can proactively set up a test through a scheduler that runs every hour, day, or week to validate the veracity of the network by simulating a wireless client experience connecting to the network, such as testing speed or predicting whether the traffic is taking an expected path. These test results can then be delivered to all relevant stakeholders via email – a helpful measure for IT managers who want to start their day with a quick review of their networks. The demonstration also included the rich reporting features that provide users with the tools to dissect the vast volume of stored data to find a specific piece of information to better understand the efficacy of a network’s performance. 

The future of enterprise  

Wi-Fi® will continue to evolve at a breakneck speed. With every Wi-Fi amendment and subsequent major release, users experience heightened throughput speeds and substantial enhancements in security, the efficiency of interaction between the Wi-Fi devices, and the addition of various Wi-Fi enabled devices in the growing Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. 

AI/ML plays a significant role in providing the capabilities to efficiently understand and execute an all-encompassing network. This allows users to run their applications on reliable and scalable networks, such as fully automated manufacturing warehouse and logistics, driverless automobiles, high definition video and audio streaming, AR/MR/VR/XR, and more importantly, addressing the rudimentary yet vital operational requirements that result in significant cost savings. 

Conclusion

Wi-Fi 7 enables a host of advanced applications that will support the evolution of today’s workplace. By utilizing AI and machine learning powered by the cutting-edge features of Wi-Fi 7, network administrators can simplify the complexity that encumbers modern networks, allowing IT teams to quickly react to incidents in challenging environments and ensure their networks are scalable and efficient as enterprises continue to evolve.  

In today's episode, we welcome James Kimery, VP of Product Management at Spirent Communications to the podcast to discuss Wi-Fi 7 for network operators and service providers. James shares his insight on Wi-Fi testing and tells us about some of the specific test challenges for Wi-Fi 7. We also talk about the increased demand for video-based IoT devices and how the ubiquity of Wi-Fi enables reliable connectivity for users. Listen to this episode to learn more about Wi-Fi testing.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7™: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-certified-7 
For Wi-Fi Alliance: https://www.wi-fi.org 
For Membership Info: https://www.wi-fi.org/membership 
General Contact: https://www.wi-fi.org/contact-us

Wi-Fi 7 brings advanced Wi-Fi® performance to the next era of connected devices. In this new blog series, we’ll explore how Wi-Fi 7 enables innovation across various market segments. 

Wi-Fi 7, the most recent advancement in wireless technology standards, was designed to address several challenges faced by its predecessors and offers significant advancements in speed, capacity, and efficiency. But with any new technology, new risks and challenges arise. To benefit from all Wi-Fi 7 has to offer, organizations need to prioritize offerings that include comprehensive security and AI-powered IT operations tools.  

The many advantages of Wi-Fi 7 in enterprise environments  

One of the primary challenges Wi-Fi 7 tackles is the increasing demand for higher data rates. With the proliferation of bandwidth-intensive applications, such as 4K video streaming and multi-user collaboration tools, Wi-Fi 7 provides blazing-fast data transfer speeds reaching up to multiple gigabits per second to deliver faster downloads, seamless streaming, and low latency connections. These ensure a positive user experience, even in environments with many connected devices.  

Wi-Fi 7 addresses network congestion and enhances overall network performance through improved channel and spectrum utilization. New multi-link technology allows concurrent connections and data to use multiple channels across single or multiple frequency bands, aggregating bandwidth for greater performance. This allows items such as videoconferencing systems to keep low power association on 2.4 GHz while potentially leveraging other bands for high data throughput. It is also vital in helping to address some of the challenges of operational technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) convergence in the modern campus. 

“Puncturing” is another Wi-Fi 7 technology designed to improve transmission channel usage. It allows a Wi-Fi 7 access point to transmit in portions of a channel that aren’t in use, even if the channel is being used by others. This also allows for more efficient use of spectrum in environments experiencing interference from other devices. By pairing this with Multiple Resource Unit (MRU) capabilities, the same client device can still leverage this “split” channel. This becomes even more important as Wi-Fi 7 can support a 320 MHz channel, which is double the width of Wi-Fi 6.  

While Wi-Fi 7 isn’t the first standard to incorporate enhanced security features such as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA3™, any technology change that leads to device updates is positive. As older devices age out, improved authentication mechanisms and encryption algorithms will become more prevalent to ensure a more secure wireless communication environment, safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access and potential cyber threats.  

Deploying Wi-Fi 7 alone isn’t enough 

The advantages of Wi-Fi 7 are critical for today’s businesses, especially those that rely on connected devices and bandwidth-hungry applications. But it’s essential to remember that few technological advances can be deployed without impacting other legacy systems. While assessing Wi-Fi 7 advantages, remember that it may be necessary to upgrade your network to support the new wireless standard.  

First and foremost, the exponential growth in data consumption and the proliferation of bandwidth-intensive applications necessitate a network that can handle higher data transfer speeds. Wi-Fi 7, with its ability to deliver multi-gigabit speeds, requires that the underlying network can keep up with the escalating demands of data-intensive tasks. This is particularly crucial for healthcare, financial services, and educational industries, where large datasets and real-time applications are integral to daily operations. 

At the same time, the increased device density in modern workplaces—primarily driven by the adoption of IoT and mobile devices—calls for networks with enhanced capacity. While Wi-Fi 7 enables more efficient handling and higher bandwidth of numerous concurrently connected devices, the rest of the network must also be able to handle that additional load. This is especially vital for organizations where network reliability directly impacts productivity and operational efficiency.  

Reduced latency and improved channel utilization result in faster response times, benefiting applications for videoconferencing, cloud-based collaboration tools, and other latency-sensitive processes. But those advantages can be made less effective if the rest of the network cannot keep up. 

Is your network security fast enough? Probably not 

Decrypting and inspecting encrypted traffic is the Achilles’ heel of most security devices, and increased traffic speed and volume will only make matters worse. And as threats become more sophisticated, new issues like inspecting rich media and streaming video to detect deep fakes or embedded malware are beyond the capacity of nearly all the cybersecurity appliances on the market that have not yet been augmented with custom processors.  

Staying ahead of today’s threat actors requires deploying robust security measures on devices designed to meet new performance and throughput demands. High-performance network security devices, like advanced hybrid mesh firewalls, are crucial to safeguarding sensitive data, ensuring optimal user experience, and maintaining the trust of clients and partners. 

Wi-Fi 7 must be part of a larger strategy 

Networking infrastructure must keep up with the performance benefits of Wi-Fi 7 and the increased demands of today’s applications. Switches and related technologies within your network should not become a bottleneck once Wi-Fi 7 is in place. 

In today’s business environment, upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 is a strategic imperative for organizations looking to stay competitive and resilient in a digitally driven world. The advantages of higher speeds, increased capacity, network efficiency, and enhanced security collectively position Wi-Fi 7 as a transformative technology that aligns with the evolving needs of modern businesses. Organizations must ensure the rest of their networks, especially security solutions, can keep up. 

Learn more about Wi-Fi 7 from Fortinet here.  

In today's episode, we're discussing the impact of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E on the enterprise WLAN market with Brandon Butler, Research Manager at IDC. Brandon tells us that Wi-Fi remains a critical technology to deliver connectivity in the enterprise, which has experienced high growth rates in 2023. Brandon tells us that Wi-Fi 6 has cemented itself as the de facto standard for new Wi-Fi purchases of access points and controllers with approximately 80% of the dependent access point revenues, and Wi-Fi 6E is quickly gaining adoption as well, driven by emerging high capacity use cases. Listen to this episode to learn more as we dig into the data.

IDC: Strong Wi-Fi 6 Results Increase Enterprise WLAN Revenues to $3B: https://www.telecompetitor.com/idc-strong-wi-fi-6-results-increase-enterprise-wlan-revenues-to-3b/

For Wi-Fi Alliance: www.wi-fi.org

For Membership Info: https://www.wi-fi.org/membership

General Contact: https://www.wi-fi.org/contact-us

This article originally appeared in Spiceworks on September 20, 2023. 

Wi-Fi® – particularly Wi-Fi 6E – plays a critical role in transforming enterprise connectivity. As the first choice for wireless indoor connectivity for a growing number of users and increasingly complex business applications, Wi-Fi is also a complementary technology that supports the performance of 5G applications. The convergence of the two technologies allows for seamless connectivity as users move from place to place throughout the day, providing coverage from the conference room to the parking lot and everywhere in between.  

Wi-Fi 6E in enterprise settings 

Wi-Fi is responsible for carrying most internet traffic generated by both businesses and consumers, according to a 2021 report from Analysis Mason. As the latest Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 6E unlocks the unlicensed 6 GHz spectrum band to deliver the capabilities needed to support the high-bandwidth applications enterprises around the world depend on every day, including cloud computing, telepresence, and the sophisticated Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensors that power daily operations like factory and inventory monitoring. With the lower latency and higher throughput the 6 GHz band provides, Wi-Fi 6E is poised to keep up with the rate of information exchange and virtual collaboration of today’s workplace – and innovation is only expected to accelerate. According to IDC’s latest enterprise WLAN market report, Wi-Fi 6E revenue increased by 14.1% from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023, constituting 10.4% of dependent access point revenues in the enterprise market. Currently, there are more than 980 devices certified for Wi-Fi 6E, and an estimated 473 million Wi-Fi 6E devices are expected to ship in 2023.  

Part of Wi-Fi’s success is attributed to its affordable and sustainable nature. Wi-Fi connectivity requires minimal external infrastructure, making Wi-Fi implementation cost-effective and less invasive to the surrounding environment compared to the installation and maintenance of cellular towers. As a low-power technology, Wi-Fi does not require the heightened power levels of 5G and other cellular solutions in order to penetrate heavy, insulated exterior walls. Still, some emerging enterprise applications require the support of both cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity to deliver seamless broadband coverage.  

Utilizing Wi-Fi with private 5G  

Beginning with a strong foundation of Wi-Fi connectivity supports enterprises’ continuously evolving digital needs, many of which occur indoors. While 5G is often implemented to facilitate outdoor connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E and 5G may be paired together in enterprise settings to ensure seamless, cost-effective coverage for critical applications such as chemical leak detection and factory management.   

Implementing Wi-Fi and 5G together enables optimized connectivity even when users are transitioning between indoor and outdoor locations, which is especially useful in large industrial campuses. In an interview for The Signal, Kelly Burroughs, Solutions Director for Enterprise at iBwave, shared that network designers should utilize data to better understand their connectivity needs and determine where private 5G might best support various use cases, “turning the technology into more of a roadmap.”   

Layering 5G into existing Wi-Fi networks is a key component to building highly efficient networks that support smart cities, allowing for increased reliability in outdoor applications. Smart city devices like water level monitors used to prevent flooding, traffic monitoring hardware, and smart street lighting rely on a private 5G network or carrier-grade Wi-Fi to report data back to city planners. Meanwhile, smartphone users and low-power IoT devices are best suited to remain on a reliable Wi-Fi network.   

The future of enterprise connectivity 

Internet connectivity is an essential socioeconomic function, and the capabilities of Wi-Fi 6E through the 6 GHz band offer increased capacity, faster speeds, and decreased latency. As enterprises and the technologies that empower them continue to advance, it is up to IT and network leaders to design and implement networks that provide reliable, secure, and efficient connectivity for users. With the ​​standard for enterprise connectivity rapidly evolving, it is vital for businesses to prepare future-forward networks that will further equip their companies for rapid growth and expansion, and this starts with a collaboration between Wi-Fi 6E and 5G.