The IEEE 802.11 committee has developed a new standard for wireless communication, called 802.11n which supports over six times the peak data rate of the current a/g standards, with longer range, and is suitable for use as the primary method of network connection for users of enterprise and educational networks.

New Technology, New Deployment Issues.

It achieves this by using a more sophisticated more efficient MAC protocol, using more wireless spectrum per channel, and using multiple antennae to simultaneously transmit / recieve multiple streams of data.

These advanced techniques bring with them deployment issues which must be understood before implementation. The key issues are:

• backwards compatibility:- in a mixed environment a, b/g clients will slow the n network down
• coverage and channel planning:- more spectrum per channel means less channels for deployment and creates interference issues
• cabled network infrastructure:- higher bandwidths, greater user numbers, and different transmission characteristics require different cabling, topology, and controller architecture

Further background information and implementation strategy briefing is available in our white paper Fulfilling the promise of 802.11n.

Meru Networks Fundamentally Different, Fundamentally Better.

Meru Networks delivers a fundamentally different yet standards compliant wireless network architecture which enables it to support higher user densities, with better performance and guarantee application delivery. Its single channel – managed airspace approach is acknowledged by Gartner as “Visionary” and has seen Meru leap to the position of fourth largest enterprise wireless vendor world wide.

Details of this architecture are available in our white paper Air Traffic Control, the foundation for wireless without compromise.