802.

11ac Demystified
Understand the fundamentals of 802.11ac
802.11ac Demystified



Speakers:

Avril Salter, PhD
VP of Faculty
Applied Learning Solutions

Brett Schavey
Sr. Director of Technical Marketing
Meru Networks

2
Avril Salter 2012
Dr. Avril Salters Biography
Began working on wireless LANs in 1992
Held executive and technical positions at IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, and
Sprint
Recent consulting assignments
Monetizing next generation carrier-grade hotspots for iPass
Rethinking the small cell business model for Intel
Virtualization in the base station for Intel
Spectrum analysis for MedCo
Next generation Wi-Fi training for Cisco
Cisco CCNA/CCNP wireless certification training videos
HP MASE certification train-the trainer courses
Worked extensively in Australia, Asia, Europe and North
America
Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Reading, UK
http://www.linkedin.com/in/avrilsalter
2012 Avril Salter All rights reserved.
802.11ac Demystified
Everything you need to know about 802.11ac
Dr. Avril Salter
September, 2012
Avril Salter 2012
What we are Discussing
Timelines and industry
forecasts
Key 802.11ac features
Strategic recommendations
Avril Salter 2012
Use Case
Wireless display
Webcam
streaming
Projection to TV
Distribution of HDTV and
other content
Home
Airplane
Remote
medical assistance
Backhaul traffic

Transfer of
large files
Surveillance
Sync and go
Back up
Manufacturing automation
Campus and auditorium
deployments
Tele-
presence


Avril Salter 2012
802.11 Standards
802.11 1 & 2 Mbps, 2.4 GHz RF, infrared (1997)
802.11a 54 Mbps, 5 GHz (1999)
802.11b Enhancements to 5.5 & 11 Mbps (1999)
802.11c Bridge operations, part of 802.1D (2001)
802.11d International extensions (2001)
802.11e QoS enhancements (2005)
802.11F Inter-access point protocol (withdrawn)
802.11g 54 Mb/s, 2.4 GHz standard (2003)
802.11h Spectrum managed 802.11a (5 GHz) (2004)
802.11i Enhanced security (2004)
802.11j Extensions for J apan (2004)
802.11k Radio resource measurements (May 2008)
802.11m Maintenance of the standard.
802.11-2007 New standard release (2007)
802.11-2011 New standard release (Mar 2012)
802.11n Higher throughput (2009)
802.11p Wireless access vehicular environment (2010)
802.11r Fast BSS transition (2008)
802.11s Mesh networking (2011)
802.11T Wireless performance prediction (cancelled)
802.11u Interworking with non-802 networks (2011)
802.11v Wireless network management (2011)
802.11w Protected management frames (2009)
802.11y 36503700 MHz operation in the U.S. (2008)
802.11z Extensions to direct link setup (DLS) (2010)
802.11aa Robust streaming of audio/video (J une 2012)
802.11ac Very high throughput <6 GHz (Feb 2014)
802.11ad Very high throughput 60 GHz (Dec 2012)
802.11ae QoS management (Mar 2012)
802.11af TV whitespace (J un 2014)
802.11ah Sub 1GHz (May 2015)
802.11ai Fast initial link setup (Mar 2014)
Official IEEE 802.11 Timelines 2012-08-10
Avril Salter 2012
Wi-Fi Alliance Certification
Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability programs for Very High
Throughput in 5 GHz (802.11ac) are
In development
Could we see draft ac certified products in the next few
months?
Avril Salter 2012
Comparison with 802.11n
IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11ac
Frequency Band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 5 GHz only
Channel Width 20, 40 MHz 20, 40, 80 MHz
(160 MHz optional)
Spatial Streams 1 to 4 1 to 8 total
up to 4 per client
Multi-user MIMO No Yes
Single Stream (1x1)
Maximum Client Data Rate
150 Mb/s 433 Mb/s*
Three Stream (3x3)
Maximum Client Data Rate
450 Mb/s 1.3 Gb/s*
* Assumes a 80MHz channel
MIMO =Multiple Input Multiple Output
Avril Salter 2012
What the Analysts are Saying
802.11ac chipsets (ABI Research)
Small volumes in 2012
Significant increase in 2013
Most will be 802.11n/802.11ac
dual-band chipsets
802.11ac enabled devices (In-Stat)
Mobile devices will dominate shipments
1B by 2015
800M 802.11ac mobile phones
Mobile hotspots
802.11ac enabled in 2015
Enterprise-grade 802.11ac Wi-Fi equipment (equipment vendors)
Expected to ship early 2013
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Tri-Band
n/ac/ad
Dual-Band n/ac
Dual-Band n
Single-Band n
Wi-Fi Chipset
Shipments (Millions)
Source: ABI Research
Avril Salter 2012
Global Availability of Spectrum Drives Pricing
Shows NA channel plan
1
4
0

1
3
6

1
3
2

1
2
8

1
2
4

1
2
0

1
1
6

1
1
2

1
0
8

1
0
4

1
0
0

1
6
5

1
6
1

1
5
7

1
5
3

1
4
9

6
4

6
0

5
6

5
2

4
8

4
4

4
0

3
6

IEEE
Channel #
20 MHz
40 MHz
80 MHz
5170
MHz
5330
MHz
5490
MHz
5730
MHz
5735
MHz
5835
MHz
1
4
4

160 MHz
Avril Salter 2012
Backward Compatible with 802.11n
OFDM with the same subcarrier spacing as 802.11n
128 subcarriers in a 40 MHz channel
108 data carriers
6 Pilot tones at -53, -25, -11, 11, 25, 53
14 Null tones at -64 to -59, -1, 0, 1, 59 to 63



40MHz
Pilot Pilot Pilot Pilot Null Nulls Nulls Pilot Pilot
OFDM =Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
Avril Salter 2012
Wider Channels mean Higher Data Rates
Bandwidth
(MHz)
Number of
Subcarriers
Number of data
subcarriers
Maximum
data rate
Pilots Nulls
20 64 52 87 Mb/s 4 8
40 128 108 200 Mb/s 6 14
80 256 234 433 Mb/s 8 14
160 512 468 867 Mb/s 16 28
80+80 256+256 234+234 867 Mb/s 16 28
Data rates assumes
1 spatial stream
256-QAM
400ns guard interval
Avril Salter 2012
Optional Client Features
Feature that are also in 802.11n
400 ns short guard interval
Space Time Block Coding (STBC)
Low Density Parity Check (LDPC ) codes
Features not in 802.11n
256-QAM modulation
2 to 8 spatial streams
Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)
MIMO =Multiple Input Multiple Output, QAM =Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
Avril Salter 2012
Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)
Single antenna 802.11ac devices
E.g. tablet, smart phone
433 Mb/s
Same power consumption and battery life as 802.11n 150 Mb/s solution
Wireless Performance Comparison
Antenna Configuration 802.11n 802.11ac
Single Stream (1x1) 150 Mb/s 433 Mb/s*
Dual Stream (2x2) 300 Mb/s 867 Mb/s*
Three Stream (3x3) 450 Mb/s 1.3 Gb/s*
* Assuming a 80 MHz channel
Avril Salter 2012
How Beamforming Works
Consists of several antenna
elements
Each signal has a different gain (g)
and phase ()
A beam is formed by combining
these signals
A beam can be steered by varying
the gain and phase

Does not require the client to
have multiple antennas
Avril Salter 2012
Introducing Multi-User MIMO
Sometimes referred to as virtual MIMO
If two subscribers are spatially separated
Create two beams using the same channel
Increases capacity

2014
Avril Salter 2012
Strategic Question
Should I buy now or later?
Avril Salter 2012
Strategic Recommendations
Measure the growth in your
wireless traffic
Many business exceeding
forecasts
Emerging success factor for
many businesses
When will you need more
capacity
Avril Salter 2012
Strategic Recommendations
Plan, plan, plan
802.11ac substantially Increases
deployment complexity
Wider and few channels
Regulatory variances
Beamforming
RF management and control
essential
Avril Salter 2012
Strategic Recommendations
Get ready for the next
generation of wireless devices
Increased usage of tablets and
smart phones in the enterprise
Rapid replacement of mobile
devices
Avril Salter 2012
Thank You.
Thank You
Attribution: All images licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license
802.11ac Demystified
Market and Meru view of the 802.11ac solution
BYOD 802.11ac Adoption
24 Source ABI Research
MCS Index Modulation 800ns GI 400ns GI 800ns GI 400ns GI 800ns GI 400ns GI 800ns GI 400ns GI
0 BPSK 6.5 7.2 13.5 15 29.3 32.5 58.5 65
1 QPSK 13 14.4 27 30 58.5 65 117 130
2 QPSK 19.5 21.7 40.5 45 87.8 97.5 175.5 195
3 16-QAM 26 28.9 54 60 117 130 234 260
4 16-QAM 39 43.3 81 90 175.5 195 351 390
5 64-QAM 52 57.8 108 120 234 260 468 520
6 64-QAM 58.5 65 121.5 135 263.3 292.5 526.5 585
7 64-QAM 65 72.2 135 150 292.5 325 585 650
8 256-QAM 78 86.7 162 180 351 390 702 780
9 256-QAM n/a n/a 180 200 390 433.3 780 866.7
20Mhz 40Mhz 80Mhz 160Mhz
Single Spatial Stream Data Rates (N
ss
=1)
Why Smartphones and Tablets will Adopt 802.11ac
25
Source IEEE 802.11ac Draft
Why Smartphones and Tablets will Adopt 802.11ac
26
802.11n vs 802.11ac Power Requirements
Source Broadcom
Multi-User MIMO
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Two spatial streams
Two spatial
streams One spatial stream
One spatial stream
Allows a MU-AP to transmit at
high date rates simultaneously
to multiple clients
Maximum 4 stations allowed
per MU-MIMO transmission
Additional streams on the AP
leverage to support multiple
single-stream clients
Provides better channel reuse in single channel, enables higher
client density within any Single Channel
Beamforming
Phased Array Beamforming
Switched or adaptive
Proprietary and unidirectional
Chip-based Beamforming
standards-based
Explicit and Implicit feedback
Supported by APs and clients
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Beamforming Benefits and Challenges
29
Early Test Results
BENEFITS
Standardized approach
Provides better rate at range
Will be leveraged by all access
point and client vendors
CHALLENGES
Implementations will have to
address:
sticky clients
hidden nodes
under served clients
DFS
Not allowed in
Europe
Wider channels: 80MHz and 160MHz
Available Channels for 11ac
4
8

IEEE channel #
20 MHz
40 MHz
80 MHz
5170
MHz
5330
MHz
5490
MHz
5730
MHz
5735
MHz
5835
MHz
160 MHz
3
6

4
0

4
4

6
0

5
2

6
4

1
1
6

5
6

1
3
6

1
3
2

1
2
4

1
2
0

1
0
8

1
0
0

1
0
4

1
2
8

1
1
2

1
6
5

1
6
1

1
5
7

1
4
0

1
5
3

Weather
radar
Not allowed
in North
America
1
4
9

1
4
4

30
DFS = Dynamic Frequency Selection
Including DFS Excluding DFS
Channel Size US EUROPE US EUROPE
40 MHz 8 9 4 2
80 MHz 4 5 2 1
160 MHz 2 2
80+80 MHz 1 2 1
Wider channels means
fewer of them!
Higher Data Rates Require Better SNR
31
Source Broadcom
Deploy 802.11n Today or Wait for 802.11ac?
Configuration 802.11n 40MHz 802.11ac 40MHz 802.11ac 80MHz
Single radio 2x2:2
300Mbps 400Mbps 866.7Mbps
Single radio 3x3:3
450Mbps 600Mbps 1.3Mbps
Dual radio 3x3:3
900Mbps* 1.2Gpbs 2.6Mbps
Tri radio 3x3:3
1.35Gbps* 1.8Gbps 3.9Gpbs
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High Data Rates are available today with current 802.11n products
Sufficient
capacity for
most apps and
use cases
25% Higher
capacity than
11n equivalent
802.11ac Adoption Timeline
33
Innovators
Early Adopters
Early Majority Late Majority Laggards
EOY 2012
2x2:2 Laptops
Some USB
Gaming bridges
2014
2
nd
Gen Enterprise Equipment
160 MHz Channels
MU-MIMO
Additional Streams
Q2 2013
1x1:1 Smartphones
and Tablets
Now
Retail
electronics
H1 2013
1
st
Gen Enterprise Equipment
3x3:3 radios
80 MHz Channels
Beam forming
1.3 Gbps per radio
Impact of 802.11ac on WLAN

Date: October 10, 2012
Time: 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6:00pm GMT

Speakers:

Robert Crisp
VP, Worldwide Systems Engineering
Meru Networks

Craig Mathias
Principal
Farpoint Group


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