Other delegates from #MFD10 have already posted and talked about some of the other important announcements Cisco made at this series of presentations.
Namely:
- Cisco Wireless Strategy
- Client Analytics
- Outdoor AP
- AFC in Action
But I’d like to focus on a couple of great graphics… what I mean by great graphics is, when a presenter does their homework, compiles data, then analyzes the data, and finally, presents the data in a compelling set of charts and graphs that leave the audience better informed and yet still asking more questions of the data sets.
In this case I’ll use two Cisco presenters as my examples on how to present useful and pertinent data targeted at your specific audience.
First up, Minse Kim. Minse also reported some of this data previously at #WLPC in Prague last month
Minse started by building his case. First stating there have been over 22 Billion Wi-Fi devices produced by 2022… then moved on to the fact that the majority of stated Wi-Fi issues are actually issues with client devices. Quoting from Robbie Sebille, Sr. Network Manager of PWC, that 75% of issues were caused by Wi-Fi devices.
Now we can see the scope of the problem. (Not that anyone reading this wouldn’t already know this level..)
Cisco has built partnerships with some of the largest client vendors:
And through these client partnerships, and coupled with the Meraki cloud data collection – have found some useful tidbits of data to help continue the storyline…
First up, there is an overwhelmingly large majority of Apple iOS devices that already support Wi-Fi 6 features. (and as a side note, nearly 95% of Meraki networks already have these features turned on)
Additionally, the data shows a MASSIVE adoption of the latest two levels of iOS… 99% of all iOS devices are already supporting of 802.11r, 802.11k, and 802.11v – that is an amazing statistic!
Then one additional bit of information to setup the BIG REVEAL…
There are quite large differences between roaming times when 802.11r is available on the infrastructure side and on the client side. (Remember how many iOS devices support this?)
Now for the big reveal…
This is out of 8.7 million different SSIDs in the Meraki cloud!
What a great way to tell a story, build your supporting evidence, and then lead to a staggering information reveal.
Well done Minse.
This kind of presentation makes you stop and think about YOUR networks… are you helping your Wi-Fi clients to minimize roaming issues by turning on 802.11k/v/r?
What might be holding you back?
Next up is another Cisco presenter, Nicholas Swiatecki – a leader in the product manager team.
Nicholas started by setting the groundwork, what is the needed for 6GHz to be a viable alternative for our current 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums?
We are still working through the regulatory issues, so we’re not quite ready on that front. But we are moving forward. Hopefully we’ll have AFC working well in the United States soon, and perhaps we may even get a globally harmonized 1,200 MHz of 6GHz spectrum across the world in the future. But for now, we are a bit hamstrung by the regulatory bodies and the 6GHz spectrum.
Apple just announced their latest iPhone 15 Pro models with 6GHz built-in, following some higher-end Android devices that have boasted 6GHz for awhile now. Yet, we are still in the <10% penetration in most areas for 6GHz capable clients.
And finally, the infrastructure players are mostly all on board with 6GHz capable access points available in their product mixes.
Yet we need all THREE to be hardy, and well developed to hit the sweet spot of what 6GHz has been teasing us with ever since it was first announced.
Yet we see hope and light at the end of the tunnel… we are closing in on this sweet spot.
It was great to see Cisco show their data for how client Wi-Fi devices prefer 6GHz in their algorithms. This tracks well with my own research. In just the last year, my testing has shown clients have changed and updated to be more 6GHz focused.
As part of their #MFD presentation, Cisco announced a new access point… see details below:
So, it seems all three sides are getting closer, and the sweet spot is getting larger.
We are getting much closer with Wi-Fi 6E and 6GHz spectrum with not only the infrastructure side, but the client side, and slowly the regulatory body side. Good news for all of us.
But in Nicholas’ final slide… he dropped a nice truth bomb about the state of Wi-Fi 7… OK, I don’t even feel right in writing those words together… since there IS NO Wi-Fi 7! Not certified from the IEEE, and not either from the Wi-Fi Alliance.
I 100% agree with this final graphic!
Your thoughts about 6GHz readiness, and the potentials from a yet-to-be-certified Wi-Fi 7?
