Ok, I know that recently there has been a lot of marketing FUD around the value of the centralized controller and distributed Wi-Fi network architectures, so let’s try for some objectivity here. To be fair, 3-5 years ago a good argument could be made for either architecture. But at the time, Wi-Fi was primarily an overlay network, localized to hotspot deployments and supporting primarily... Read More »

If you manage a network that includes Wi-Fi services, whether as a primary network or even as ancillary service it is essential to have some visibility into the RF environment. Some of basic information you should have visibility into includes the ability to search for Wi-Fi networks, verify Wi-Fi coverage, detect rogue APs and identify SSIDs. Additional information of value could include the... Read More »

Today, all Wi-Fi technologies are designed to operate in unlicensed wireless band. The two spectrums currently used are around 2.4 GHz, called the ISM (or Industrial, scientific and medical band) and 5 GHz in the UNII (or Unlicensed National information infrastructure band). There are specific differences between the two bands.

Read More »

Gartner said - "By 2015, 80% of newly installed wireless networks will be obsolete because of a lack of proper planning". So what should you take away from that statement? Itís that designing Wi-Fi to support high densities of laptop, tablets and smartPhones is nothing like it was as little as 12 months ago.

Read More »

I constantly get this question and its one of the few times my canned answer of 'it depends' is actually 100% valid.

Read More »

Ok, let’s just forget the marketing and hype for a moment and just focus on the math. When the AP /Controller architecture was first introduced Wi-Fi was a limited use, overlay technology, operating at 11b/g date rates (54 Mbps max) and supporting hundreds of users. Today Wi-Fi is displacing Ethernet as a primary network technology, data rates have increased to 150, 300 and 450Mbps and... Read More »

Hello and welcome to our new corporate blog! My name is Perry Correll and I’ll be a regular blogger here, so I wanted to give you all a little background on who I am, why I’m at Xirrus, and what my tech interests are. I have a pretty extensive networking background that ranges from original Ethernet Thicknet technology, through the switching revolution, and now I am Director of Product... Read More »