802.11ac APs: Must-have Features & Nice-to-have Features

Want an 802.11ac access point for your wireless LAN? Are you familiar with the essential features while buying an 802.11ac AP? Yes, do you know how to select while looking for in 802.11ac Access Points? There are some tips you should get before buying the 802.11ac Access Points.

If you have a wireless LAN (WLAN) (and who doesn't today), you're undoubtedly looking at upgrading to 802.11ac (Gigabit Wi-Fi) access points (APs) and related WLAN products based on the recently approved 802.11ac standard. While speeds of up to 1.3 Gbps are driving most of that interest, enterprise buyers should be looking for a lot more than that as they augment and grow their wireless networks using this intriguing new technology.

It can be argued that few individual users really need gigabit speeds, but that level of throughput actually translates to higher capacity for the network overall. This means network professionals can better address the needs of a growing user base armed with a variety of mobile devices that are packed with a multitude of applications.

If access points are on the shopping list, then 802.11ac-based products are providing improved performance for the earlier 802.11n standard (up to 540 Mbps). We've seen 15% to 20% increases (with no changes on the client side), so it's easy to build a business case for 802.11ac. In addition, 802.11ac AP prices are the same as or just slightly higher than those for 802.11n APs. Thanks to innovations like built-in and standardized beamforming, in 802.11ac, range, throughput, reliability, price and performance are all improved.

802.11ac: Must-have Features & Nice-to-have Features
802.11ac Must-have Features
All of that being said, when you're getting ready to buy, it's important to note that not all 802.11ac APs are alike, and not all products offer the same features and performance. Here are a few must-have features and capabilities that are of particular interest to enterprises.

• Nondisruptive scalability. 802.11ac will be installed in most settings as an overlay to 802.11n or even older infrastructures. It's vital that 802.11ac APs be supported transparently -- and perhaps initially in backwards-compatible 802.11n mode or even used just as sensors to detect unauthorized 802.11ac activity. The new APs can later be converted to provision access.


• Dual Gigabit-Ethernet ports. Dual radios are common in APs today, and two 802.11ac radios might indeed swamp a single port. Look for two GbE ports on any dual-radio AP. Still, 1.3 Gbps throughput is unlikely to stress Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch ports because the actual throughput will likely be no more than half of that peak. Note: Vendors usually quote the maximum possible rate, which isn't possible given radio frequency propagation and other radio-transmission issues.


• Support for dense deployments. Some WLAN administrators are under the impression that higher throughput implies that fewer APs will be required. Nothing could be further from the truth. The wider channels (2.4 and 5 GHz bands) and more aggressive radio modulation of 802.11ac access points, coupled with the always-increasing demand for capacity, means that more APs will likely be required. Given the inherent complexity here, control functions should be able to self-configure APs, make key decisions on radio channel and transmit power allocations, and meet other operating parameters automatically.


• Enhanced management functions. Management functions overall will likely be major differentiators of performance and value. To that end, be careful to consider how these innovations can improve not just throughput and reliability, but also IT management productivity and total cost of ownership.

802.11ac Nice-to-have Features
Not necessarily essential, the nice-to-have 802.11ac AP functions include operation on 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) instead of 802.3at or proprietary PoE; support for security functions like intrusion detection or prevention, rogue detection and spectral analysis; and add-on functions like client location and tracking, unified communications, analytics, performance optimization based on application awareness, and identity management for enhanced security.

Compare the Main Cisco Indoor 802.11ac Access Points

Cisco Aironet 802.11ac G2 Series Indoor Access Points	1700 Series	1830 Series(New)	1850 Series	2700 Series	3700 Series
Wi-Fi standards	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Wave 2)	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Wave 2)	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Ideal for	Small and midsize enterprises	Small or midsize enterprises	Small and midsize enterprises	Midsize or large enterprises that require advanced features	Midsize or large enterprises that require mission-critical traffic
Site type	Small and midsize offices, schools, warehouses	Small, Midsize office, or warehouse	Small, Midsize office, school or warehouse	Midsize office, school or warehouse	Large office, midsize, or large warehouse
Application performance profile	802.11ac migration	802.11ac migration	802.11ac migration	High client density environments 802.11ac migration	High client density HD Video/VDI 802.11ac* migration Comprehensive security
Future-proof modularity	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes WSM or 3G Small Cell or 802.11ac Wave 2* Module
Crowded areas				Yes	Yes
Number of radios	Dual (2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz)	Dual (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz)	Dual (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz)	Dual (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz)	Dual (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz)
Max data rate 5GHz	867 Mbps	867 Mbps	1.7 Gbps	1.3 Gbps	1.3 Gbps
MIMO radio design: spatial streams	3 x 3:2	3x3:2 MU/SU-MIMO	4 x 4:4 (SU-MIMO), 4 x 4:3 (MU-MIMO)	3 x 4:3	4 x 4:3
Client count/ClientLink client count	200/-	200/(n/a)	200/(n/a)	200/128	200/128
Autonomous access point option	Yes	With Mobility Express	With Mobility Express	Yes	Yes
ClientLink 3.0	Transmit beamforming with 802.11ac clients	Transmit Beam forming (Tx BF)	Transmit Beam forming (Tx BF)	ClientLink 3.0, adding 802.11ac support for enhanced connectivity with 802.11 a/g/n/ac clients ECBF with 802.11ac clients ClientLink 3.0, adding 802.11ac support for enhanced connectivity with 802.11a/g/n/ac clients	ClientLink and ECBF to 11ac clients concurrently ECBF with 802.11ac clients ClientLink and ECBF to 11ac clients concurrently
CleanAir 2.0	CleanAir Express -- with 80 MHz channel support	Spectrum Analysis*	Spectrum Analysis*	Yes -- with 80 MHz channel support	Yes - 80 MHz channel support
VideoStream	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
BandSelect	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Rogue access point detection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Adaptive wireless intrusion protection system (wIPS)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
OfficeExtend (Integrated- antenna models only)	Yes		Yes*	Yes	Yes
FlexConnect	Yes	Yes*	Yes*	Yes	Yes
Power	802.3af, 802.3at PoE+, Enhanced PoE	802.3at PoE+, Enhanced PoE 802.3af (full radio functionality, disabled USB)	802.3at PoE+, Enhanced PoE 802.3af (1852i: full radio functionality, disabled AUX & USB, 1852e: 5Ghz full radio functionality, 2.4GHz radio shifts to 2x3, disabled AUX & USB)	802.3at PoE+, Enhanced PoE	4 x 4:3 operation: 802.3at PoE+, Enhanced PoE, Universal PoE (UPOE) 3 x 3:3 operation: 802.3af PoE
Temperature range	1700i: 0 to 40°C	0 to 40° C	1850i: 0 to 40° C 1850e: -20 to 50° C	2700i: 0 to 40° 2700e: -20 - 50° C	3700i: 0 to 40°C 3700e: -20 to 55°C 3700p: -20 to 55°C
Antennas	1700i: Internal	Internal only	1850i: Internal 1850e: External	2700i: Internal 2700e: External	3700i: Internal 3700e: External 3700p: External
Limited lifetime warranty	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

*Planned for future support

Reference fromhttp://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/tip/How-to-buy-What-to-look-for-in-80211ac-access-points

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