We also saw increased reliability of an 802.11a/g client's connection across the farther distance locations, at 80 and 130 feet. In the 2.4-GHz band, the 1250 access point maintained 20.8 Mbps as a minimum throughput, whereas the 1240 stepped performance down to 14 Mbps at the edge. In the 5-GHz band, minimum performance was 15.7 Mbps vs. 11 Mbps for the 1250 and 1240, respectively. So even if your clients are mainly legacy a/b/g, an 802.11n infrastructure will still deliver a performance boost thanks to MIMO. If voice over WLAN is on your agenda, this will translate into much higher quality and coverage.
Our last measured performance metric, increased range, is one of the most heavily touted advantages of 802.11n. Although we won't burst that bubble--our testing and experience with Cisco's 1250 found slight enhancements over Cisco's 1240--understand that boosting range is, in itself, not a reason to upgrade.
We used AirMagnet's Survey Pro 5.1 with a Cisco CB21AG client card to perform walkabouts, measuring signal strength values around our 390-by-150-foot test facility. In the 5-GHz band, the 1250 outshone the 1240AG in a few areas but exhibited a similar max range. In the 2.4-GHz band, we found coverage between the 1240 and 1250 nearly identical, with a measurable improvement over 5 GHz only at the very extremes, where numerous heavy walls provided challenging conditions.
Cisco recommends a 1:1 access point replacement strategy of 802.11n to 802.11a/g APs and employing the same microcellular approach as previous AP generations. Although in theory one could install a slightly fewer number of 11n APs to deliver the same aggregate performance as a denser 11a/g setup, we recommend continuing today's microcellular deployment approach to future-proof for tomorrow's bandwidth requirements.
THE POWER PROBLEM
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
As we move closer to fully realizing the potential of Wi-Fi 7, it becomes evident that the RF, signaling, and throughput tests are not merely procedural checkpoints but the pillars of excellence in wireless communication.
With low earth orbit (LEO) satellites fast becoming the norm and 3GPP unifying telecom standards around the globe, the satellite IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) sector ought to be looking at a bright horizon. But is this the case?
