What is Wi-Fi 6E ?

What is Wi-Fi 6E ?

With new Wi-Fi 6E, access points come new chipsets. Client devices need new hardware to use 6 GHz. We must replace existing access points with 6 GHz capable hardware. The FCC approved the long-awaited unlicensed frequency use in the 6 GHz spectrum. Opening up a large amount of spectrum increases Wi-Fi’s potential.

But the real big question is, will we finally see the full potential of Wi-Fi? With less interference in 6 GHz, we should see faster speeds, higher protocol efficiencies, and less congestion.

The major differentiators between vendors will fall into a few areas:

- Chipset used

- Quality of hardware and software

- Dashboards functionality and usability

- Cost

Below is a table comparison of Wi-Fi 6E access points from various vendors. We’ll continue to update the table as newer access points are released. There are no best practices or deployment guides from the vendors as there are little-to-no real-world deployments.

What’s New

The primary chipsets used are from Qualcomm or Broadcom.

Tri-Band

Most of the access points will physically be larger. These access points are tri-band. There are multiple radios, more than we’ve previously had before Wi-Fi 6E. Although larger in dimensions, there is support for devices of previous Wi-Fi generations, which is essential for backward compatibility as we transition to Wi-Fi 6E.

Power-over-Ethernet Requirements

With more radios and capabilities comes higher Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) requirements. Currently, Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 access points use up to 30W or 802.3at. Wi-Fi 6E will push those limits up to 60W for some access points, thus using the 802.3bt PoE standard.

More PoE supports additional functionality from our access points, such as USB ports or Zigbee radios. Switching infrastructure will need to be scrutinized further as part of your Wi-Fi 6E transition.

Link-Aggregation

There will be the capability for link aggregation. Higher bandwidth through 80 MHz wide channels will exceed 1 Gbps Ethernet links. Some access points will also have dual multi-gig Ethernet ports.

Plan to Test

Before a mass rollout, perform testing with 6 GHz capable devices to understand roaming characteristics, realize real-world throughput, and identify any issues/bugs. Obtaining Wi-Fi 6E access points is challenging with availability and supply chain issues. Samsung released the Galaxy S21 Ultra mobile device supporting 6 GHz, which will be our first test device.

Transforming to 6 GHz

As soon as mobile devices and laptops support 6 GHz, we will see a transitionary period. Enterprises will support primarily 5 GHz with newer devices joining to 6 GHz. With more spectrum available, channel planning will be necessary. We must perform a Wi-Fi design to avoid band hopping or unnecessary Wi-Fi drops. And consider band-specific SSIDs.

Wi-Fi 6E access points will be highly beneficial in high-density areas, with applications needing lower latency and mission-critical applications requiring less interference.Security must be part of the transition plan. WPA3 is a requirement in Wi-Fi 6E. There is no backwards compatibility with WPA2. But not all devices support WPA3, and it is not yet widely used.
https://mobileinfoworld.com/wi-fi-6e/

Network operators are searching for ways to automate with the adaption of the cloud. And it’s clear to see this with the latest feature releases coming to Meraki.Meraki is evolving their cloud architecture to meet changing workforce demands. Hybrid options are desired by 47% of employees and 13% are more productive when working from home.

Managing a full-stack network in the cloud brings productivity and efficiency improvements not seen with the Cisco Catalyst infrastructure. But now, customers will be able to manage their Catalyst switches and access points in the Meraki Dashboard.

To start, Meraki is supporting the following switches:

- C9200

- C9300

- C9500

It will require DNA Advantage or Essentials licensing. The difference between the two licenses is Application Visibility. The minimum firmware version required is IOS-XE 17.3 and higher.

Network administrators will be able to add these Catalyst switches to the Meraki dashboard for ease of monitoring (and soon - configuration).

C9500 Catalyst switch monitored in the Meraki dashboard

If you’re looking for the Catalyst line of access points to join the Meraki dashboard, the following are supported:

- CW9162

- CW9164

- CW9166

These new access points, prefixed with CW-, will provide 6 GHz support and are highly flexible.

Catalyst wireless access points can be configured to join a Cisco wireless LAN controller or to the Meraki cloud dashboard, giving you full flexibility based on your preference and existing network environment. Customers can easily plan their migration from on-premises controllers to cloud-managed.

Thoughts

Cisco has always provided many options to their customers, allowing for flexibility in their deployments. The popularity of the Meraki cloud has Cisco focusing on merging other infrastructure to the cloud.

While it will not displace DNA Center, we do believe Meraki cloud management to gain wider adoption due to simplicity and cost.

 
https://mobileinfoworld.com/integrating-catalyst-meraki-cloud/

Xiaomi India has unveiled its new 4K Smart TV X Series.

Smart TV X Series comes in three sizes - 43", 50" and 55", with support for Dolby Vision, 30-speakers and more.

With the announcement of the Xiaomi Smart TV X Series, Xiaomi India today added a new range of TVs to become a part of their already big TV presence in India. Xiaomi says that the new Smart TV X Series slots in between their 5A and 5X Series, with more premium offerings like the Q1 and OLED TVs on sale as well.

Xiaomi Smart TV X Series Availability & Price

As for the availibility, Xiaomi says you can purchase the new TVs from mi.com, Flipkart, and offline retail stores. The price for the smaller Smart TV X 43" variant is kept at Rs 28,999, with the bigger options - Smart TV X 50" and Smart TV X 55" coming in at Rs 34,999 and Rs 39,999 respectively.

Xiaomi Smart TV X Series Specifications

When it comes to the display technology, all three TVs support Reality Flow MEMC, Xiaomi’s tweaked Vivid Picture Engine, Wide Colour Gamut, 94% DCPI-3 color gamut, HLG and HDR 10. The resolution stays 4K across the board.

Audio is often subjected to neglect when it comes to mid-range TVs but Xiaomi is claiming to solve this by offering 30-watt speakers on all three models. In addition, the TVs also carry the support for DTS Virtual X and Dolby Atmos (through HDMI pass-through only).

During the briefing conducted by Xiaomi, it was also confirmed that the Smart TV X Series does not come with any ‘real’ gamer-friendly features. There is no support for technologies like VRR. However, the maximum refresh rate stands at 60 fps and gamers can expect 5 m/s response time and Auto Low Latency Mode or ALLM, which isn’t bad for playing console games.

Moreover, the Xiaomi Smart TV X Series features a quad core A55 CPU, 2GB RAM, 8GB ROM, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and I/O including two USB A ports, 3 HDMI (eARC x 1), ethernet port, 3.5mm audio jack and optical out for audio.

The Bluetooth TV remote supports the Google Assistant considering Xiaomi Smart TV X Series is based on the Android TV 10 platform.

The new Smart TV X Series comes in three sizes - 43", 50" and 55" and features a new Patchwall 4 UI with support for YouTube integration and changes that allow the content to be displayed more intuitively on the home screen. The new Patchwall 4 UI will be rolled out to other Xiaomi TVs as well. In addition to 75+ free live channels and Universal Search across 30+ OTT platforms, PatchWall 4 comes with IMDb ratings for every movie.
https://mobileinfoworld.com/smart-tv-x-series-launched-by-xiaomi/

Brands like Xiaomi, Realme and Oppo have limited the growth for the domestic industry in India and reports suggested the Government wanted to put a break on their momentum.

Reports says Indian government could stop Chinese brands from selling smartphones under Rs 15,000 in the country. Xiaomi, Realme, Vivo and Oppo come in this segment and would have faced massive issues running their business in the country. But now the Government has finally clarified that it has no plans to impose such bans on these companies.

The Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology said, There’s no such proposal. It’s the government’s obligation and duty to build Indian brands. If due to unfair trade practices, there’s an exclusion of Indian brands, we’ll intervene and resolve it.

The report from Bloomberg suggested that banning Chinese brands in this price bracket will allow Indian brands to reignite their focus on local production in India. But Chandrasekhar refuted such claims and suggested that the Government wants these Chinese brands to set up shop in India and export their products to other countries from here.

The likes of Karbonn, Lava and Micromax have been unable to compete with the products from Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Realme and Oppo.

“We are asking foreign brands to choose India as a global base and export from here. The PM’s vision is of a robust, vibrant, and innovative electronics ecosystem consisting of foreign majors and viable Indian brands,” he added.

From these statements it is clear that none of the Chinese brands face operational issues in India, but recent events suggest the Ministry is closely monitoring their businesses and how they manage their revenues earned in the country.

They have dropped down the market share charts in the past few years, not even making it to the top 10 in India. It is believed that the government wants to give them a fair chance to rekindle their business but we are yet to see that materialise.
https://mobileinfoworld.com/govt-is-about-banning-affordable-chinese-phones-in-india/

What is WPA3

- Wi-Fi 5 & 6 access points to obtain certification through the Wi-Fi Alliance, they must support WPA3.

- Wi-Fi 6 will bring enhanced security to Wi-Fi users with Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3), the successor to WPA2.

- WPA3 provides the latest security protocols, robust authentication, It builds upon and improves WPA2, which was released around 2004.

- We’re still waiting for widespread support from device manufacturers.

- Newer devices with Wi-Fi 6 capability must support WPA3.

Why Use WPA3

It is mandatory to support WPA3 in Wi-Fi 6/6E. There are a few enhancements in WPA3 that improve Wi-Fi security.

Protected Management Frames

We’ve seen quite a few deauthentication attacks from spoofed access points which result in devices disconnecting from the Wi-Fi network.Protected Management Frames (PMF) or Management Frame Protection (MFP) is now mandatory. PMF is not new. In fact, it is optional in previous Wi-Fi generations. PMF provides protection against deauthentication attacks, honeypots, and evil twin attacks.

Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE)

SAE is not new. It was introduced in 802.11s for mesh networking and is robust against passive attacks and dictionary attacks.The predecessor, WPA2, had vulnerabilities attacking the way cryptographic keys were processed. Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) improves the security of password-based authentication and protects the 4-way Handshake.

Encryption

Critical for keeping data private over Wi-Fi is the use encryption. WPA3-Enterprise introduces 192-bit encryption mode. The benefit is having much stronger cryptography.

WPA3 modes

Not all devices currently support WPA3. There is a transition configuration to allow both WPA2 and WPA3 devices.

Those two transition modes are:

- WPA3-Personal Transition

- WPA3-Enterprise Transition

In a transition mode, we are ensuring WPA3-supported devices connect to Wi-Fi using WPA3. And clients that do not support WPA3 connect to Wi-Fi using WPA2.

The WPA3-only modes:

- WPA3-Personal

- WPA3-Enterprise

The the latter two modes, we eliminate the use of legacy and deprecated security functions.

WPA3 configuration in the Mist dashboard

When Should You Migrate

You can start transitioning today with WPA3 transition mode. This will enable both WPA2 and WPA3, allowing unsupported devices to continue to connect and allowing WPA3-capable devices to move on to the next iteration of Wi-Fi security.

Device support will dictate how quickly we can move away from WPA2.

By using a transition mode, you can broadcast a single SSID, instead of provisioning a second.

Take inventory of your devices to understand what security functions they support. Ideally, it is better to migrate to WPA3 to strengthen your Wi-Fi security posture but not at the expense of stranding unsupported devices.

See how to configure WPA3 in the Mist dashboard

https://youtu.be/ifl3ig6CAtY
https://mobileinfoworld.com/what-is-wpa3-encryption/