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Wi-Fi Frequencies: An Overview

With all of the current and future Wi-Fi frequencies and technologies are really getting confusing, with that in mind theres actually more than you realise. So let’s take a look at what’s out there and what’s coming up, as well as trying to make it as simple as we can.

There are two common well known dominant Wi-Fi frequencies used by 802.11a/b/g/n systems, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Almost all modern Wi-Fi devices are made to operate in one or both of these frequencies. These frequencies now dominate most of our homes.

The same basic OFDM technology used by 802.11a in 5 GHz is also used in a 4.9 GHz public safety band. This band is 50 MHz wide it requires a license and is only available in some regulatory domains. There are specific and limited purposes for this band so you won’t see a lot of commercial interest or attention here.

The FCC also opened up 50 MHz of bandwidth in a 3.6 GHz licensed band. OFDM is used here as well. In the US this band requires a license but usage is not limited to certain technologies, so the band will be shared.  There aren’t many benefits to this frequency band and the interference avoidance requirements represent a moderate R&D requirement without much ROI.

You’ve most likely heard about this PHY spec in development. It builds on 802.11n MIMO technology in 5 GHz and seeks to expand on the HT PHY with a few developments that are a natural next step. 802.11n gave us 40 MHz bonded channels. 802.11ac will give us 80 MHz channels and, likely, 160 MHz channels.. 80 MHz bandwidth will get us past the gigabit rate threshold. MIMO will also be expanded to 8×8, but since client devices aren’t adopting that type of power hungry radio anytime in the near future (or ever), 8×8 will be used for MU-MIMO. MU-MIMO allows an AP to transmit simultaneous downlink frames to multiple users (MUs).

VHT 60 GHz (802.11ad) — This PHY opens up a fresh use case for Wi-Fi in the form of very high throughput at short range. There are a lot of challenges getting the kind of range that would be useful to enterprises. We’ll see short-range, high bandwidth applications, but there are still failings to see the exciting benefits that have been touted in the press.

White-Fi (802.11af) — The TV whitespace frequencies between 50 and 600 MHz have also created some exciting buzz in the past several months. There are many articles out there discussing the limitations and benefits of this band. The main issue with this frequency is that contiguous bandwidth is in short supply, so we see a handful of 6 MHz-wide channels, which will yield lower transmission rates than 802.11a/g. The merits of a low frequency are fairly well known; that is, despite the throughput-deficient bandwidth, the range and coverage is advantageous. Rural broadband applications are the evident winner with this technology where coverage is more important than bandwidth and high user density.

It is also worth mentioning 900 MHz. Back in the 1990s, 900 MHz was a popular pre-802.11-Wi-Fi frequency. It is an unlicensed ISM band. This is a semi-popular broadband frequency with decent range and limited throughput. Many vendors use proprietary PtP and PtMP solutions here for wireless distribution, but they are not defined by 802.11 and they are not designed for client access.

Wi-FI frequencies in brief:

  • 50-600 MHz TV Whitespace — Good range, low capacity.
  • 900 MHz — Proprietary PtP and PtMP. Decent range, slow rates.
  • 2.4 GHz — Well-known and used.
  • 3.6 GHz — Little-used, licensed band.
  • 4.9 GHz — Licensed public safety band.
  • 5 GHz — Well-known and used, the future of Wi-Fi.
  • 60 GHz — Short range, very high throughput.
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Coffee shop cyber-security – how high is the risk?

It’s fair to say that the media has a way of taking an idea and running with it, which can often create hysteria.  This week we’ve been reading a lot of stories about internet security in public spaces and have been questioning the findings.

 

Ipass have just published their 2017 security report and the findings have been interesting.  Coffee shops have been flagged up as public networks where hackers can most easily access other people’s data.  The findings stated that CEO’s present the greatest security risk to businesses as they are often working remotely and therefore connect to public wi-fi which could pose a risk.  Of course, CEO’s are in possession of valuable information and so the risk to a business could be colossal. Interestingly, the report states that many organisations have stepped up their security measures and don’t allow employees to connect to public networks due to concerns about internet safety.

 

These findings have not only raised questions for businesses but have also raised questions about our everyday safety and how reliable public wi-fi really is.  However, there are ways to ensure that you are always secure.  VPN’s can help to create a safer connection by encrypting information travelling to and from a device.  Using a VPN can inhibit these attacks and keep your information safe so we thoroughly recommend looking into that as an option.  The reports are interesting and raise valid points about cyber security.  However, it’s always worth bearing in mind that there are ways to reduce your risk.  Get in touch to find out more!

 

Read the full report here:

https://www.ipass.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/iPass-2017-Mobile-Security-Report.pdf

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Battle of the best connection

This week, our interest in maintaining incredible internet connection has lead us to finding out which countries Wi-Fi is performing best.

 

And the results have been interesting…

 

Rotten Wi-Fi’s latest findings show that the UK is surprisingly quite far behind other countries in terms of interest speed.  Public Wi-Fi has become a pretty essential part of everyday life for most of us and the demand has certainly increased in recent years.  Interestingly the UK falls behind countries such as Lithuania and Switzerland when comparing the average download speed.

 

Although we do come in behind Lithuania, Singapore, Denmark and Switzerland in terms of internet speed, we are placed ahead of the USA and Germany.  In fact, the USA and Germany haven’t been doing so well in recent years and their internet speed hasn’t made the top 20 until this year.  The latest findings show that countries such as Latvia, Hungary and Estonia are still ahead of Germany and the USA in terms of download speed.

 

Lithuania tops the charts with the fastest public Wi-Fi, followed closely by Denmark.  Fast and effective public Wi-Fi is hugely important in the modern day and we’ll be interested to see if the UK can develop their Wi-Fi speed to keep up with the demand in the coming years.
Data source: www.rottenwifi.com; November 2016

Image Credit: Alto Digital

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Dreaded Dead Spots

We’ve all been there.

 

You’ve set out to do some work in a coffee shop and after ordering your coffee and finding the perfect corner to settle down in you realise the Wi-Fi doesn’t work there.  ‘Typical’ you think as you pace around with your device in hand trying to find a connection.

 

This week we’re trying to discover what it means to have a Wi-Fi dead spot and how to avoid these cursed spaces.  

 

There can be so many reasons for these dead spots but the main ones are building interferences ie – thick walls or awkwardly placed Wi-Fi access points that can’t reach certain areas.  With that in mind, it can be quite easy to fix these mysterious dead spots which makes it all the more frustrating when you come across one.

 

If you find a dead spot in your home or business space the first thing you can do to try and close up these dead spots is to re-position your access point.  Often central locations suit access points best, where they can get away from thick walls or fire exits which can all interfere with signal.   

 

That brings us to our second suggestion – removing obstructions and ensuring that your access point is free of any interference.  Often clients don’t realise how easy it can be to eliminate these obstructions from the area.  If you identify anything near the access point that you think could be causing problems then remove it and see if the dead spot remains – in most cases dead spots require a trial and error approach. Other electronic devices and thick metals can be a source of interference that often go overlooked but it’s worth getting to the bottom of the issue and ensuring that you try removing as many obstructions as possible to see if that affects the dead spot.
If you need more advice on how to avoid these frustrating dead spots then don’t hesitate to get in touch.  It’s always helpful to get an expert opinion if the problem persists.

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Wearables wreaking havoc

This week at Geekabit we’re talking about wearables.

Wearables are the newest fitness craze and it seems that social media is full of people uploading their data.  Everyone is tracking their heartrate and their steps these days and we’re not complaining.  Wearables are a great advance in technology that can benefit health so we’re all for the latest craze.

However, we are not for the congestion that has inevitably increased since wearables became a ‘thing’.  Wearables are often Wi-Fi enabled, however ones that aren’t can really cause problems since the Bluetooth that they operate off of uses the same 2.4Ghz frequency as most Wi-Fi services.

The initial cause of disruption is just the fact that people have gone from having one device to having two or three which puts pressure on the network.  Not only that but as we previously mentioned, there is the danger that your 2.4Ghz band will get congested by wearables operating using Bluetooth.  As people become more and more attached to their wearables and start to take their data seriously, it is becoming hugely important to have a Wi-Fi service that can handle the demand.

Luckily we know a few tricks that can help solve these issues and make sure that your customers don’t get frustrated by the congested W-Fi.  An easy way to solve the congestion is ensure that fewer devices are operating on the network, as every device is using up bandwidth.   It might pay to get a separate network for personal use or for employees if your network is based in a place that is used by both customers and employees.  As always with these things, a survey is a great idea.  A Wi-Fi survey will tell you exactly what is going on with your network and how much it can take vs what pressure is being put on it.  This is hugely helpful to any business experiencing Wi-Fi problems which have potentially come about by increased pressure on the network from wearables.

If you think that your network is being affected by  wearables then don’t hesitate to contact us to gain some useful advice on how to solve these issues.

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Hotel Wi-Fi: Why doesn’t it work?


We have all experienced the frustrations of hotel Wi-Fi.  It seems that despite hotel Wi-Fi being an essential these days, it’s rare that hotel networks actually work efficiently.

 

Incorrect channel plans are the main source of interruption and in some ways the easiest to control.  In most cases channels 1, 6 and 11 are appropriate channel plans and work well in most countries.  Difficulties arise when hotels have each adjacent AP connected to the next available channel.  This causes adjacent channel interference whereby your device connects from channel 1 to 2 to 3 and so on as you move around the space.  As previously mentioned, channels 1, 6 and 11 work well in most countries and using these channels appropriately can significantly improve your network.

 

The other common error is trying to connect to 2.4GHz instead of 5GHz.  As we’ve discussed in previous blogs 5GHz is the more appropriate bandwidth in most cases, yet hotels still connect to 2.4GHz, which as we know is overcrowded and somewhat of a junk space.  Turning off 2.4GHz will help to reduce this interference.

 

Access point placement is also crucial to hotel networks and can sometimes be the downfall.  Client devices need to be in clear range of the AP without things like smoke detectors, exit signs or thick walls getting in the way.  Again, this is easily solved by finding the areas where signal is experiencing interference and relocating the AP’s to more appropriate areas.  Often hotels can try to do the job cheaply and thereby place AP’s in convenient places which turn out to be rather ineffective.  


Those top three hotel Wi-Fi fail are the reason for lots of customer frustration and complaining which could be easily avoided.  If you, or a business you know needs help with hotel Wi-Fi then be sure to put them in touch!

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Wi-Fight against external antennas?

Internal antennas are used for ordinary access points and the chances are you are no stranger to those.  However, most people haven’t considered external antennas for fear that they will be too costly and time-consuming to set up.  Often people are unaware of the benefits of external antennas so this week we’ve been looking at the advantages and disadvantages of external antennas and have found some interesting info.  External antennas are great for use outdoors and can have a huge impact on the overall network performance by increasing directional accuracy.

Firstly, let’s brush up on what types of external antennas are out there.  Omni-directional antennas are useful for outdoor spaces that are large in size and cater to big numbers.  However, semi-directional antennas do exactly what you would imagine.  They direct the network to different areas and range in degrees which mean they can cover a specific area.  The downside of semi-directional antennas is that they are not so great for large areas since they are highly focused and often come out of something like a dish.  They have a very small range but can be powerful.

An Azimith antenna pattern is what you can expect to use with an external antenna.  Understanding this alongside knowing how the WiFi signal moves around the space you are working with and being able to mentally visualise it will hugely help in the deployment of the outdoor antenna.  It is essential to mount the antennas properly and take the time to get the right angle.  It’s also crucial to consider the spacing between antennas to avoid connecting two antennas to one access point.  The exception to this rule is if you are using a DART connector which can handle it but for the average external antenna avoid this at all costs.

Wi-fight against external antennas? Hopefully this blog post has given you a bit of insight into external antennas so you can learn to love them like we do!

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Wi-Fi – it’s not rocket science!

Here at Geekabit we are passionate about good Wi-Fi.  Increasingly we have found that clients think of us as wizards who have fallen upon some secret knowledge about Wi-Fi – this is not true.  This blog is all about sharing the easy tips and tricks that will help you get the most out of your Wi-Fi.

Firstly, we need to mention the importance of 5GHz band vs 2.4.  As you probably know 5GHz is way more effective as a primary band and delivers 8 times the capacity of 2.4GHz.

Secondly, a useful tip is to put APs near users.  It sounds so simple, but so often Wi-Fi fails are caused by APs that are located in bizarre and hard to reach places.  Client performance will significantly increase if you place APs in rooms where users are and avoid hallways and staircases as AP sites.

Our next tip is about coverage.  Coverage should always be tailored to the building or facility that you are in.  Radio frequency obstructions should be assessed before you get fitting APs and you should always consider the correct antennas and orientation for the location.

Another way that you can improve your connection is by disabling 2.4 GHz Radios since there are fewer available channels and they can cause interference which is unnecessary.

To increase efficiency you may also want to disable low data rates.  Low data rates can impact the networks overall performance and disabling these will give a reduction in traffic which will improve your connection.

Once you have done the hard work, it is important to check that what you are doing is working in practise and not just in theory.  Validate and check the design using actual client devices to see for yourself how client performance is affected.  You could also use a RF site survey to check how your improvements are working.

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MU-MIMO: What is it and why do I need it?

It comes as no surprise that the as the number of wireless clients has increased there has been advancements in technology that aims to ease congestion.  It’s fair to say that the 802.11 wireless standard brought with it a few problems, one being the restriction of one way communication from access point to device.  This week we are fascinated by the new standard MU-MIMO which stands for Multiple Input- Multiple Output.  It has the potential to solve some of these issues and ease congestion that many of us see on our networks daily.

MIMO offers a practical solution to the problems of congestion by enabling more than one data signal to travel over the same radio channel at one time thereby creating multiple pathways and easing the congestion which slow networks down.  AP’s and devices are therefore able to transmit data back and forth in this new way which increases the speed of connection.  MIMO therefore relies on multiple radio/antenna chains where each spatial stream is transmitted from a different antenna in the same frequency.

MU-MIMO is an advancement again on the above, and ensures that omni-directional antennas come into play.  All antennas are transmitting data streams at different times with MU-MIMO which increases the range and eases congestion.  Due to this addition of radio chains/antennas the access point is now able to control where the signal is strongest and weakest and can transmit to multiple devices at one time without overcrowding.  Speed and efficiency is therefore acheived without altering bandwith or any other factor.

We are pretty obsessed with MU-MIMO this week and think it’s going to be an essential over the next few years as network pressures increase and the number of devices available to consumers skyrockets.  

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What is 802.11ac and why should i upgrade to it?

Recently we’ve been hearing an uproar of praise for the newest Wi-Fi advance – 802.11ac wireless routers.  This week we set our minds to finding out whether we need to be recommending this new upgrade and what advantages it may have to our clients.

802.11 is nothing new.  Pretty much every model of router made within the last 5 years will be part of this family and most routers support 802.11n.  This wireless standard was introduced in 2007 as an upgrade on the 802.11g which was standard at the time.  It can transfer around 56 Megabytes per second and has long been considered the sufficient standard.  Until now.

802.11ac looks to be the newest contender providing double the throughput of the 802.11n.  Of course, on paper is seems like a better deal offering much speedier access.  However, we’ve been doing some research and we’re not so sure that it’s essential to buy a 802.11ac router just yet.

For starters, most people simply don’t need the speed and throughput that it provides.  The 56 megabytes of the 802.11n is sufficient for most households and we think in most cases the upgrade to an 802.11ac is a little excessive.  Not to mention, most devices don’t support the latest model yet so you could struggle to see the benefits unless you upgrade your device as well which can be expensive and as we mentioned before, pretty pointless.

Overall, the upgrade is an exciting moment for the world of Wi-Fi however we’re not so sure you need to be ditching the classic 802.11n routers just yet!

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