Ruckus on 802.

11ac
April 2013

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

802.11ac - An Overview
Optimistic Specs
o Breaks gigabit barrier o Max of 6.9 Gbps o Gimmick specs that drive data rates very high o Many features not practical for real-world enterprises
5G

5 GHz Only
o Encourages 5G adoption

2.4G

80/160 MHz channels

o Very wide channels

2 0 4

160

0 8 0

o Focuses on capacity-rich, low-interference spectrum o Benefits entire Wi-Fi ecosystem

o Primary reason for 11acs very high data rates o Ineffective use of spectrum in multi-AP environments

o Decreases total capacity

Up to 8 spatial streams
o N-fold efficiency improvement

A P

256-QAM
o More efficient modulation

Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO)

o Simultaneous downlink Tx to single-stream clients o Multiples network capacity o Key differentiator from 802.11n

o Increases radio complexity, power draw, and cost o Requires client-side support o Not possible today
2

o 33% data rate gains

o Very short ranges only o Requires 11ac clients

RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

5 GHz Only
o 11ac supports 5 GHz frequencies only
o Dual-band devices will support 11n in 2.4 GHz 480 MHz 25 channels

o Focuses on spectrum with more bandwidth, less interference, and better scalability and capacity o Encourages client device suppliers to adopt 5 GHz, to benefit from 11ac marketing, leaving 2.4 GHz as best effort spectrum

Capacity

83.5 MHz 3 channels

RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

80 and 160 MHz Channels

OVERVIEW Pros
o Max data rate is more than doubled o Boosts throughput in networks with few APs o Improves backup, file transfer speeds

o 11ac devices must support 80 MHz channel width o Optional support for 160 MHz
o Contiguous or non-contiguous (80+80)

Cons
o o o o Sub-optimal spectral reuse in multi-AP deployments Max of 5 non-overlapping 80 MHz channels Increases neighbor interference and contention Likely decreases aggregate capacity in enterprise
5730 5735 MHz MHz UNII-2e 100 104 108 112 116 120 124 128 132 136 140 149 144 5835 MHz UNII-3/ISM Total 153 157 161 165

o Boosts maximum 802.11ac specs o Appeal is for consumers with 1 AP

5170 MHz UNII-1 36 40 44 48 52 UNII-2 56 60 64 5330 MHz 5490 MHz

802.11a/b/g 20 MHz 802.11n

925
38 46 54 62 102 110 118 126 134 142 151 159

40 MHz 80 MHz

412
26 0 2

42 50

58

106 114

122

138

155

802.11ac

160 MHz 160 MHz (80+80)

2 1

DFS
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RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Red channels are not permitted in some regions

Spatial Streams
802.11ac defines up to 8 spatial streams 802.11n defined up to 4 spatial streams Flagship devices today support up to 3SS Enterprises often prefer cost/performance of 2x2 APs

Real-World Barriers
o Business
o o o o Increases AP/client cost Increases AP/client size Decreases aesthetic appeal 2x2 APs often meet the business need

Bandwidth
20 MHz 40 MHz 80 MHz

1ss
78 180 390

2ss
156 360 780

3ss
260* 540 1170

4ss
312 720 1560

8ss
624 1440 3120

256-QAM, 800 ns GI

Artificially bloats max data rates of 802.11ac

o Technical
o Short range for 4+ streams o More streams require RF differentiation (difficult with 4+ streams) o Adds power draw on APs (PoE power budget) and clients (battery life) 8x8:8 (MIMO) 8x8:8 (MIMO)

RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

256-QAM
100% gain (2x)

o 256-QAM improves efficiency by 33% o Higher-order modulation adds complexity, which requires higher SNR
o Beneficial near the AP
0

BPSK

QPSK

01 1 00

11

o Efficiency gain from modulation does not increase linearly o Requires 802.11ac AP and client
100% gain (2x)
16-QAM

10

50% gain (1.5x)

64-QAM

33% gain (1.3x)

256QAM

RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)

o Transmit simultaneous downlink frames to different receivers o Significant capacity enhancements in environments with many singlestream devices (tablets, smartphones) o Requires 11ac client(s) with TxBF feedback/support o Creates new challenges related to signal steering and isolation
o How to get
o DataA to StaA o DataB to StaB o No DataA to StaB o No DataB to StaA

Single-User MIMO
Single downlink Tx at a time
4x4:4 Access Point

Multi-User MIMO
Multiple downlink Tx at same time
4x4:4 Access Point

RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Large(r) Frame Size

Why throughput does not equal data rate
Overhead
Interframe Space Random Backoff PHY Header MAC Header

Effective
Payload

Overhead
Interframe Space ACK

Overhead
Interframe Space Random Backoff PHY Header MAC Header

Effective
Payload

Overhead
Interframe Space ACK

Overhead
Interframe Space Random Backoff PHY Header MAC Header

Effective
Payload

Overhead
Interframe Space ACK

Time

*Note: Diagrams are not to scale and are conceptual only

Max Bytes (Layer 2) 2,304 2,304 Max Bytes (Layer 1) ~2,336 ~2,336

PHY

Aggregation N (fragmentation often used) N

The Solution: increase payload size

o Every data frame in 802.11ac is an A-MPDU o Better spectrum efficiency enables larger frame sizes without adverse impact from interference o Use of large frames depends on high rates

11b 11a/g

11n
11ac
8

Y
Y

7,935
11,454

65,535
1,048,575

RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

FAQ
Q: A: Q: A:
Is it be backward compatible with 11a/n? Yes. 11ac is fully backward compatible with 802.11a/n, using protection mechanisms with 11a/n frame formats.
What about 2.4 GHz? Initially, dual-band APs will be 802.11n in 2.4G and 802.11ac in 5G. 11ac may eventually be introduced to 2.4G for benefits from added spatial streams or 256-QAM.

Q: A:

Will it require new hardware? Yes. For every supplier, all APs and clients will need new hardware, whether complete AP replacement or modular radio add-ons. Controllers or management software may be software upgradeable.

RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

11ac in Waves
Wave 1 Q3, 2013
256-QAM 80 MHz channels 3 spatial streams
33% gain at very short range Twice the capacity of 40 MHz 802.11n
(but not recommended for multi-AP deployments)

Already supported by 802.11n (3x3)

Net gain

Slight efficiency improvement, most benefits are for 802.11ac devices

Wave 2 Late 2014

Wave 1+ 80 / 160 MHz channels 3+ spatial streams MU-MIMO
Includes all Wave 1 features, with additional chip improvements Twice the capacity of 80 MHz 802.11ac
(but not recommended for multi-AP deployments)

Likely 4 spatial streams. N-fold throughput gain for high-end clients, more flexibility/capacity for MU-MIMO Up to 4x capacity boost, multiplies aggregate capacity

Net gain
10

Multiples aggregate network capacity and efficiency, ALL devices benefit

Better 11ac with Ruckus

Making the most of next-generation Wi-Fi

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RUCKUS WIRELESS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Maximizing 256-QAM
Them
BPSK DPSK 16-QAM 64-QAM 256-QAM

Us

o With per-packet adaptive antenna control, polarization diversity, and active channel selection techniques, Ruckus APs maximize the potential of 256-QAM with 11ac
o Greater SNR/SINR increases the useful downlink range of 256-QAM o Adaptive PD-MRC and higher uplink receive sensitivity increase uplink range of 256-QAM o APs select channels with more capacity and less noise and interference
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RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

BeamFlex-Enhanced MU-MIMO
3x3 MU-MIMO
Antenna 1 to Client 1 Antenna 2 to Client 2

Antenna 3 to Client 3

3 clients concurrently communicate with AP, each on a dedicated spatial stream (and antenna)

Standard MU-MIMO All clients hear all antennas o Poor signal isolation per client o Lower SNR per link = lower data rates o Marginal benefit to capacity
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RUCKUS PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

MU-MIMO enhanced with BeamFlex Directional antenna element for each client o Better signal separation o Higher sustained data rates o Increased AP capacity