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Increasing WiFi Speed: Emerging Wireless Standards

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Few things are more certain in the field of technology than the need for speed. Gigabyte Ethernet, 10 GB, 40 GB and 4G LTE are each performance indicators based on the speed of throughput. The WiFi industry is no exception.

As a sponsoring member of the IEEE 802.11 Standards Committee, I have the opportunity to review many proposed upgrades to wireless networks. Some are concerned with security, quality of service (QOS) management or TV whitespace, but the ones that inevitably get publicity concentrate on increased wireless local area network (WLAN) speed.

IEEE 802.11 is the set of standards for implementing WLAN computer communication. This post examines milestones in WLAN standards for increasing speed, and some of the most recently proposed updates to those standards. 

IEE 802.11 History: Timeline to Track Standards

IEEE 802.11 technology was introduced in 1985 through a Federal Communications Commission ruling. It was released in 1997 with a frequency of 2.4 GHz. From there, multiple amendments to the standard have been made. Some of the most notable include:

• September 1999: IEEE 802.11a — Uses the 5 GHz and in some cases 3.7 frequency band; signals have a smaller effective range and are therefore more affected by attenuation.

• September 1999: IEEE 802.11b — Radio frequency (RF) in the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum; theoretical data transfer speeds of 11 megabits per second (Mbit/s). (Note, I say theoretical because when you allow for forward error correction codes, the real speed was about 6 Mbit/s.)

• June 2003: IEEE 802.11g — Published speed of 54 Mbit/s and actual throughput of about 22 Mbit/s; both 802.11b and 802.11g operate in the 2.4 GHz range, competing with other devices operating in the same range (such as cordless phones, baby monitors, wireless cameras and microwave ovens).

• October 2009: IEEE 802.11n — Operates at both 2.4 and 5 GHz; doubled the channel width from 20 MHz to 40 MHz; can run as high as 600 Mbit/s (but, in real world scenarios, 200 - 300 Mbit/s is likely the highest rate achievable); its major innovation is the addition of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antennas.

New IEEE Standards Promote Speed, at the Cost of Range

Now, two new standards look poised to replace 802.11n — IEEE 802.11ac and IEEE 802.11ad.

A logical progression, IEEE 801.11ac uses the 5 GHz range and is expected to reach speeds of 1 Gbit/s. That’s between three and four times faster than our current standard! The draft standard is due this year and it’s anticipated that IEEE 802.11ac should start rolling out in late 2012. The market research firm In-Stat predicts that, in 2015, one billion devices with the IEEE 802.11ac standard will be sold. However, another standard in development that could disrupt these plans.

Known formally as IEEE 802.11ad and generally as WiGig, this standard promises speeds of 7 Gbit/s — more than ten times faster than the current standard!

At first glance, it looks like a no-brainer: we’d all rather have 7 Gbit/s than 1 Gbit/s. The catch, however, is that IEEE 802.11ad doesn’t run in the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz ranges. It moves way up the spectrum to the 60 GHz range. With a higher signal and shorter range, it becomes more sensitive to attenuation — meaning walls, closed doors or any barriers will have more impact than they would at 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz.

Cells at 60 GHz will be smaller and more prone to disruption. So an IEEE 802.11ad network could either take a whole lot of access points or resemble a chain of high-performance islands with big dead spots around them. While it’s impossible to predict exact cell size, in linear terms, the beam at 60 GHz will travel less than 10 meters — opposed to 30 to 50 meters we see in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

WiGig in Action

Even though WiGig will require wireless network redesign and result in kludgy cells, it will be worth it. Take the following example for home users:

HDTV requires 3 Gbit/s. IEEE 802.11n running at 300 Mbit/s isn’t fast enough; neither is IEEE 802.11ac at 1 Gbit/s. IEEE 802.11ad at 7 Gbit/s will eliminate streaming, choppy video, and all that has prevented us from getting video directly from the Internet. So don’t rush to buy a 3D TV just yet. It will likely be obsolete next year when IEEE 802.11ad-enabled sets begin to hit shelves.   

What to Do in the Meantime?

The good news: manufacturers don’t have to choose between a WiFi network that provides adequate coverage areas and one that provides the speed you need. Next year, we’re likely to see tri-band network devices that will operate in 2.4, 5 and 60 GHz.

You could cover all areas with 60 GHz IEEE 802.11ad, but that will be very expensive. More likely, you’ll design room-sized areas where high bandwidth is needed, including ad standard with IEEE 801.11ac, suggesting that legacy devices using 2.4 GHz will gradually fade away and abandon that frequency to microwave ovens. But don’t count on it. Historically, every time there’s been bandwidth available, someone’s come up with a creative use for it.

Your Thoughts?

With standards held up in IEEE task groups, the promises of 802.11ac and 802.11ad may take some time to come to market. Would your company benefit from increased speed at the cost of range? What are your thoughts?

Bill Cannon is Vice President of Business Development at MCPc, and an IT industry veteran with expertise in networking and telecommunications technology. Connect with Bill on LinkedIn.

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