Best Practices

Traditional Wi-Fi networks deploy Access Points containing omni-directional radios, providing 360 degrees of coverage, but with limited range, capacity and processing capabilities. Xirrus Wi-Fi Arrays, with multiple directional radios/antennas and an integrated Wi-Fi controller, deliver greater range, coverage, capacity and RF management.

Consider the following when choosing your Wi-Fi architecture:

	Wi-Fi Array	Access Point	Advantage Defined
Range and Coverage	Long Range	Short Range	APs distribute their energy similar to a light bulb in a lamp - Omni-directional and not very far. Wi-Fi Arrays are arranged like multiple flashlights in a circular array pattern and reach further than a lamp. Wi-Fi Arrays with multiple directional antennas offer 2X the range and 4X the coverage of traditional APs.
Deployment	Simple	Complex	Every AP requires a dedicated cable drop, connection to a remote controller, and multiple antennas. Wi-Fi Arrays are self-contained and require 75% fewer devices, cables, switch ports and installation time.
Architecture	Edge Switch Replacement	Overlay	Because of their limited capacity, AP solutions are overlays to an existing wired network. Wi-Fi Arrays provide the performance and intelligence to replace a traditional Ethernet workgroup switch.
Capacity (802.11n)	864Mbps (2Gbps)	108Mbps (300Mbps)	Wi-Fi Arrays integrate 4, 8, or 16 radios that can support dense user populations, power users, and high bandwidth applications just like an Ethernet workgroup switch. APs with one or two radios are easily saturated, won't scale, and will provide a poor user experience compared to a Wi-Fi Array.
Intelligence	Integrated	Dependent	APs forward client traffic to closet-based controllers for processing and forwarding similar to older centrally routed networks. The Wi-Fi Array has an onboard controller, switch, and firewall that puts intelligence closer at the point of network access for better performance and security.
Packet Flow	Efficient	Overhead	APs must encapsulate and then backhaul all traffic to a closet-based controller in the core, increasing core network congestion and application latency/jitter. The distributed architecture of the Wi-Fi Array locally processes and forwards packets, securely and with low latency/jitter.
Security	Dedicated	Time-Sliced	APs must stop service to clients to scan for threats. Wi-FI Arrays have dedicated threat sensors for uninterrupted scanning.

The Xirrus Wi-Fi Array

The Xirrus Wi-Fi Array offers 4, 8, or 16 802.11a/b/g/n Integrated Access Points and a high-gain multi-sector antenna system that delivers 2Gbps of Wi-Fi bandwidth over an extended coverage area. This unique approach increases rate and range in all directions and reduces the number of devices needed in the Wi-Fi network - greatly simplifying deployments while at the same time offering the highest available performance in the industry today.