Month: November 2019

When was the last time you paid thought to the value of your devices’ antenna?

Do you know exactly what it does or why it matters?

Have you considered its placement and how it impacts your experience?

“Antennas are undervalued and poorly understood elements in WLAN networks.” – Don Cook, 7Signal

Recall Apple’s “Antennagate”

Apple’s antennagate scandal of 2010 was the result of poor antenna placement and design on the iPhone 4. When people would hold the phone in a specific way, signal would weaken.

During the scandal, Steve Jobs was sure to comment that antenna problems are not unique to the iPhone or Apple. However, many people were upset with this issue and suggested there should be a massive recall.

Check out the video below for a full recap:

Problems With Antennas To Avoid

As seen with the iPhone 4, Wi-Fi performance can be hugely impacted by the position of an antenna. However, the more network leaders are of these concerns, the more equipped they will be to prevent them.

Explore antenna placement warnings below:

Thick Walls

When access points with omni-directional antennas are placed next to a thick wall, half of the antenna’s gain can be lost as the antenna will try to pick up signals from the wall.

High Ceilings

Issues can arise when access points with standard omni-directional antennas are placed on a high ceilings above 13 feet.

Ceiling Panel Placement

Don’t place antenna on top of a ceiling panel made of unknown material with ɛr > 1.

Placement Above Metal

You should never place access points integrated omni-directional antennas above or around metal air ducts, grids, and large lamp reflectors.

Metallic Paint

It is a bad idea to paint antennas with metallic paint as signals can be disrupted due to the conductive surface.

Terminal Placement

Be mindful of metal. When laptops and other devices are placed in metal enclosures, the proximity of the conductive material causes antenna detuning.

Detuning

Avoid sticking antennas partially through a small hole in a metal ceiling panel, AP cover, or metal grid.

Contact CORE Cabling

Contact Core Cabling today to learn more about how antennas should be installed.

Wi-Fi 6 is the next-generation standard in WiFi technology by Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi 6 is the same Wi-Fi we’ve always used, just faster and more efficient.

Wi-Fi Versions

• Wi-Fi 4 is 802.11n (2009).
• Wi-Fi 5 is 802.11ac (2014)
• Wi-Fi 6 is the new version, also known as 802.11ax. (2019)

Why do we need Wi-Fi 6?

Demand

Wi-Fi 6 was built in response to the growing number of devices in the world. In addition to phones and computers, we now require access to VR equipment, video gaming systems, streaming 4K movies, etc. Therefore, a more robust, faster Wi-Fi is in demand.

Crowded Areas

Wi-Fi 6 is also better equipped to perform in crowded tech areas. For example, you may have noticed your Wi-Fi signal slows at concerts, amusement parks, convention centres, airports, sports stadiums, and other venues where everyone seems to be trying to connect.
With Wi-Fi 6, this won’t be an issue.

Target Wake Time

Wi-Fi 6 has also led to a new “target wake time” (TWT) which will allow Wi-Fi-enabled devices to have longer battery life as it can preserve energy.

‘When the access point is talking to a device (like your smartphone), it can tell the device exactly when to put its Wi-Fi radio to sleep and exactly when to wake it up to receive the next transmission. This will conserve power, as it means the Wi-Fi radio can spend more time in sleep mode. And that means longer battery life.” – @chrisbhoffman

How fast is Wi-Fi 6?

According to C-NET’s testing, Wi-Fi 6’s download speed with be roughly 1,000 faster than the current download speed.

Wi-Fi 6 Devices & Updating Networks

Companies are beginning to develop Wi-Fi 6 routers and devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy S 10, iPhone 11. However, these devices aren’t able to unlock their full capacity as internet providers across North America haven’t all made the update yet.

For example, most homes aren’t yet able to support Wi-Fi 6. So, even if you have an iPhone 11, you won’t be able to use the increased download speed until your home network is updated.

So, what’s the point then?

It’s important that the groundwork and foundation for Wi-Fi 6 compatibility is laid now, even if we can’t all use it, so that in the future, when updates have been made, everything works smoothly.

How can I tell if something is Wi-Fi 6 compatible?

If a device is up-to-date with Wi-Fi 6, it will have a symbol on the packaging indicating it is Wi-Fi 6 certification. Wi-Fi 6 certification began on September 16, 2019.

Contact CORE Cabling

Contact Core Cabling today to learn more about the future of Wi-Fi 6 and how you can prepare for the future.