The Time to Deploy 802.

11ac is Now
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Featured Presenters
Our knowledgeable speakers today are:

Craig Mathias

Gregory Martin

Robert Crisp

Principal Farpoint
Group

Director of IT
Operations
Royal Caribbean
Cruises

Vice President of
World Wide System
Engineering
Meru Networks

802.11ac: The Time is Now

Craig Mathias, Principal

Farpoint Group
Copyright 2014 all rights reserved

The Shift from Wireless as Convenience

to Essential
Essentially all users and all applications in every
organization
All applications - data, voice, video
All devices notebooks, handset, tablets, and more
Application awareness and support

The focus is now on capacity, not throughput alone

Scalability, driven by BYOD demands
Flexible deployment options
Management capabilities - essential to WLAN success

Theme: sufficiency
802.11ac brings sufficient performance
Shifts focus up the protocol stack to Layer 7

WLANs Key Requirements

Performance

Throughput
Time-Bounded

Reliability

Integrity
Fault-Tolerance
Spectral Analysis

Scalability

Growth
Coverage
Non-Disruptive

Management

Unified Wired/Wireless
Analytics

Capacity

BYOD/CoIT
Throughput
Rich Media
Application-Awareness
Identity Management
Guest Access
Easy Onboarding
Service Discovery and Access

Policy
Flexibility
Security
Minimize TCO

Whats Next?
Upper-Layer
Firewall
IDS/IPS

Application
Awareness

Automated Performance
Optimization

Substitute CapEx
for OpEx

Location
and Tracking

Location-based
services, etc.

Source: Farpoint Group

Its Not Really About Throughput

Its About Capacity
Dense Deployments
Driven by BYOD
Time-bounded traffic (streaming video; voice)
Maximize channel efficiency
Maximize throughput/reliability by minimizing range

RF Management Techniques
Beamforming
Beamsteering
Bandsteering
Auto channel/power selection
Spectral analysis
Traffic prioritization/Airtime fairness
Load balancing
Source: Farpoint Group

802.11ac Breaking the Gigabit Barrier

7-28 Gbps?
802.11ad
538%
433/866/1300 Mbps
802.11ac
288%
(to 6.93 Gbps)
Gratuitous clipart - Please ignore

<1 Mbps
Proprietary
1989

1-2 Mbps
802.11
100%
1997

11 Mbps
802.11b
550%

300/450/600 Mbps
802.11n
54 Mbps
833%
802.11g/a
490%

2009
1999

2013

2013

2003
Source: Farpoint Group

802.11ac Key Technologies

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
256-QAM Modulation

Modulation + Coding Rate +

Spatial Streams +
Channel Width + Guard interval
New Modulation and
Coding Schemes (MCSes)
(from 6.5 to 866.7 Mbps/Stream)

20, 40 MHz.

AP

80-, 80x2-, and 160-MHz. Channels

Multi-User MIMO (Wave 2)
Beamforming
Source: Farpoint Group

802.11ac Barriers to Adoption

Standard Not Finished
Historically the case
Wi-Fi Alliance interim specification
And it really is done

Few 802.11ac Clients Today

Will improve over time
Improved .11n client performance
regardless
802.11n Deployments Not Complete
Depreciation/financial impacts
Can substitute 802.11ac APs in .11n mode
Wave 2
Does not obsolete Wave 1
Continual improvements
expected regardless
Consequence of waiting
is more .11n
Source: Farpoint Group

10

Wider Channels = Fewer Channels

IEEE channel #
20 MHz

New shared channels

36
40
44
48
52
56
60
64
68
72
76
80
84
88
92
96
100
104
108
112
116
120
124
128
132
136
140
144
149
153
157
161
165
169
173
177
181

Currently available channels

40 MHz
80 MHz
160 MHz
U-NII-1

U-NII-2

5250
MHz

U-NII-2
5350
MHz

5470
MHz

U-NII-3
5725
MHz

5825
MHz

U-NII-4
5925
MHz

U-NII = Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (FCC Part 15-407)

Source: octoScope/FCC/Farpoint Group

11

802.11ac Deployment Options

Wait for Wave 2
Continue 802.11n deployment
Deploy Now Overlay
Initial augmentation
Power user hot spots
High density/demand areas
Greenfield option

Deploy Now Rip and

Replace
Not as common
Important to optimize 5 GHz.
Still need .11g/n at 2.4 GHz.
Assurance Only
Possible future cutover to access
Assurance is always required
Prevent unauthorized activity
Integrated or Overlay
Source: Farpoint Group

12

Getting Ready for 802.11ac

Budgetary Analysis
Wired Network Audit
Interconnect/backhaul
802.3at PoE
Dense Deployments
Capacity
Rates vs. range
Management
Console upgrades
Operations
Assurance

Coexistence, Migration, and

Channel Planning
Minimal (if any) site survey
Non-disruptive, gradual
upgrade strategy
Source: Farpoint Group

13

WLAN Architecture: Meeting

Contemporary Operational Challenges
IT is almost always overburdened and under-resourced
Not enough people, growing user/application/device basis, not
enough time, not enough money do more with less

Simplicity, flexibility, and ease-of-use are thus essential

from Square One
Key architectural requirements

Integration with existing network systems and applications

Identity Management for BYOD (authentication)
Security (WPA2, IPsec, SSL, etc.)
Assurance functions (like spectral analysis)
Flexible controller/management deployment options (local, virtual,
cloud, etc.)
Extensibility to any application
Scalability
Increasingly - unified wired/wireless management
14

Architecture Matters: The Planes Model of

Enterprise WLAN Systems
Increasing data rate/
duty cycle

Data
Control
Management

Distributed
Direct Forwarding
Centralized
Distributed
Centralized
Virtual/Cloud
OS traffic flow
Radio resource management
Policy Implementation
Centralized
Planning
Configuration
Deployment
Administration
Security
Integrity
Monitoring
Logging, Reporting, Compliance
Troubleshooting
Alerts, Alarms, Exceptions
Assurance

Source: Farpoint Group

15

802.11ac Timeline
Critical mass clients

First 802.11ac
products

Critical mass
Enterprise infrastructure

First enterprise-class
products

2012

2013

2014

2015

2018

Initial Wave 2
Products
First embedded
products

Standard
ratified

Replacement of
802.11n

Wi-Fi Alliance
interim certification

Source: Farpoint Group

16

Conclusions
Its important to select a WLAN with an
architecture that emphasizes capacity, scalability,
and support for all applications
WLAN system architecture is the key element in longterm success
Gradual consolidation to include a wide variety of
mobility features and services

No end in sight for demand for capacity

Driven by BYOD, fundamentally-wireless devices, and
Wi-Fi as primary/default access
Both consumer and mission-critical applications

It is all about the app(lications)!

802.11ac the time is now!
17

Poll 1
On a scale of 1 - 5 (with 5 being the highest), please rate
your need for better performing Wi-Fi?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

18

802.11ac: The Time is Now

Gregory Martin, Director of IT Operations

19

Oasis of the Seas & Allure of the

Seas

20

Royals Wireless Challenges

Legacy autonomous access points on over half of
our fleet
Management of Wireless Infrastructure was a
challenge
Limitations with other Wireless Vendors
Inherent problems with microcell architecture (cochannel interference, client device issues)
Costly $$ Wireless Site Surveys

21

2010 Merus Success Story

Azamara Journey 1st pervasive wireless
deployment w/119 AP301 and MC4100
controllers
Ships are compartmentalized steel cages
Meru developers enhanced the IOS for ship
environment
Single channel, virtual wireless technology
worked!! Allowed us to move to the next level in
wireless designs and deployments
Meru won the opportunity to upgrade legacy
autonomous wireless infrastructure
22

Meru 2014
Meru standard wifi deployment as part of our
newbuild and revitalization efforts
600+ Aps per ship - ~20 ships
Voice / Video
2.4 / 5

Meru new AC technology

Gigabit speeds over wifi
Deployed on Navigator of the Seas
Deployed in our shoreside call center
Plan to install on newbuilds including Quantum of the
Seas

23

Poll 2
On a scale of 1 - 5 (with 5 being the highest), please rate
the difficulty of providing network access to the growing
number of devices on your network?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

24

802.11ac: The Time is Now

Robert Crisp, VP of World Wide Systems Engineering

25

Wi-Fi Spectrum is Becoming Precious

212

BUT FEWER CHANNELS

11ac

BILLION

INTERNET OF
THINGS BY 2020

11n

11b/g

26

Simplifying Coverage

Others
Others Need Minimum
3 Channels for Coverage
42

42

106

58
42

106

58

58

Meru MobileFLEX Architecture Needs

Only 1 Channel for Coverage

58
58

106

58

58
58

58

58
58

58

58
58

27

The Fastest 802.11ac Solution

Connection Speed Depends on Wi-Fi Standard, # of Streams and Channel Width
Standard

# of Stream

Channel Width

Unrestricted Channels

Max Connection Speed

11n, 5GHz

20 MHz

217 Mbps

11n, 5 GHz

40 MHz

450 Mbps

11ac Wave 1

40 MHz

600 Mbps

11ac Wave1

80 MHz

1.3 Gbps

11ac Wave 2

160 MHz

3.33 Gbps

Others

ONLY Meru Can Consistently Deliver Gigabit Speeds Enterprise-wide

28

3x Capacity and Segmented Applications

Others
Others Need Channels
to Avoid Interference
42

MERU MobileFLEX Architecture Uses

Channel Layering for Up to 3X Capacity
58

106

58

58
42

106

58
42

58

58
106

58

58
106

106

58
106

106
42

42

58
106

106
42

42
42

58

106
42

42
42

42
42

1 Layer
3 Layers
29

Network in Control

Client in Control

Client Decides When to Roam Resulting

in Poor User Experience

Network in Control

Meru Decides When Clients Move from

One Access Point to Another for Best
Possible User Experience

Others

30

Deployment Considerations

1. Ensure hardwired network data rate support to

maximize the benefit of an 802.11ac investment, make
sure the hardwired cabling can support 1 Gbps data rates
(CAT6 or CAT6a)
2. Plan for 80 MHz wide channels the driving design
criteria for 802.11ac was higher data rates. Using the
802.11n channel widths prevents you from maximizing
your ac investment.
3. Utilize PoE to minimize deployment costs Merus
802.11ac solution only requires standard PoE to run fully
featured. Other vendors require PoE+, often adding cost
to switch upgrades
31

Great with 802.11ac Wave 1

SINGLE CHANNEL
ARCHITECTURE +

2.5X

2 11AC RADIOS =

2.5X

OTHERS

CAPACITY*

* There are only two 80 MHz unrestricted 11ac channels (non-DFS) in US forcing all major vendors except Meru to recommend 40 MHz channel width.

32

Customers are Benefiting

True Enterprise
Gigabit Wi-Fi
Meru solution is deployed across
500 acres
Improved wireless performance
in residence halls and high
density satellite building

Experience
Uninterrupted
Learning
Meru supports 1:1 iPad and
BYOD initiatives across 25 acres
Highly mobile 1,800 students
and faculty, indoor and outdoor

Intelligent Wi-Fi
Sets Sail
Up to 8,000 passengers
and 24,000 clients per ship
Challenging all-steel
environment

35

Contact Information

1. Robert Crisp rcrisp@merunetworks.com

2. Craig Mathias craig@farpointgroup.com

3. Gregory Martin gmartin@rccl.com

36

Thank You!
www.merunetworks.com/GigabitWiFi

Questions?
Submit questions to the presenters via the on-screen text box

Craig Mathias

Gregory Martin

Robert Crisp

Principal Farpoint
Group

Director of IT
Operations
Royal Caribbean
Cruises

Vice President of
World Wide System
Engineering
Meru Networks

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