1. Introduction Today, Wi-Fi plays an important role with connecting users to the digital world. While it remains as the most popular technology for networking, it is crucial to understand the limit of certain wireless protocols and how it works in different situations. The most recent Wi-Fi protocol that this report will focus on is, 802.11ac, also known to be the next generation for wireless networks to be equipped with new technologies that could provide faster speeds, capacity, and range. The predecessor, 802.11n, wireless protocol had lower limitation of its full potential to keep the ever growing need of today’s wireless demand. 802.11n lacked the support of the increasing number of devices on the same network, as well as, supporting each device 's high usage of bandwidth. This includes, but not limited to, gaming, higher quality video streaming, more advanced client devices, data backup, and VoIP. As 802.11n was the standard wireless protocol to supporting everyday devices and applications, the ratification of 802.11ac has progressed in technology and its impact in wireless networking. Within just three years after the ratification of 802.11ac, this technology has become the new advanced Wi-Fi standard in the wireless ecosystem. Due to it being the most advanced standard available in today’s market, there is still a lack of insight on its capabilities of its rate vs range. This report will explain and evaluate how the latest advance in Wi-Fi, 802.11ac, performs in the wireless ecosystem where rate and range directly affect each other. 2. IEEE 802.11ac In essence, IEEE 802.11ac is very similar to 802.11n except it’s latest improvements in speed compared to its range.
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As quoted in ExtremeTech, “[t]he theoretical max speed of 802.11ac is eight 160 MHz 256-QAM channels, each of which are capable of 866.7 Mbps, for a total of 6,933 Mbps” in order to provide a higher transfer rate. In today’s real world environment, the true throughput capacity is limited from the client device and not the access points. Current high end products with 80 MHz, 3x3 spatial stream, and 256QAM have max data rate of 1300 Mbps and a throughput of 910 Mbps. This suggests that clients are not receiving the advertised speed by manufactures. 2.1 Compatibility Although 802.11ac has been around for three years, there are still many routers and client devices that require the use of legacy protocols, such as the 802.11b/g/n protocols. One important feature is that 802.11ac offers backward compatibility to devices that use legacy protocols. This allows the support of devices that consumers have been using for many years. 2.2 Technology While 802.11ac had a major improvement in speed performance, the Wi-Fi range did not show a substantial increase (Forbes). One breakthrough of this standard is the implementation of “beamforming”. Beamforming is a feature that converts omnidirectional signals into smart unidirectional signals that increases signal strength specifically in the direction of the client. With this feature the performance of 802.11ac is maintained better at longer ranges than previous standards. 3. Rate versus Range To prove that there is a direct correlation between the rate and range within 802.11ac, we must further understand and evaluate the impact of throughput based on the signal strength. For this test, we used Megabits Per Second (Mbps) as the measurement of rate to demonstrate the speed at which data is transferred between devices. Using this uniformed measurement provides an easier way to visualize the performance of the signal. The RSSI, or the “Received Signal Strength Indicator”, is the common logical measurement to determine the range of the signal level from the access point. While the physical distance of the client from the access point can play a role in determining the signal strength, in reality, the RSSI provides an accurate measurement of the signal strength. 3.1 Assumptions Based on the research conducted, our logical hypothesis is that the 802.11ac RSSI signal strength will directly affect the rate performance. Another assumption is that the signal strength will maintain higher throughput rate at lower signal strength with a sudden drop near the maximum received signal; due to the implementation of “Beamforming”, this feature can change the focus of the power to the direction of the client. The chart in appendix A shows that our assumption
As quoted in ExtremeTech, “[t]he theoretical max speed of 802.11ac is eight 160 MHz 256-QAM channels, each of which are capable of 866.7 Mbps, for a total of 6,933 Mbps” in order to provide a higher transfer rate. In today’s real world environment, the true throughput capacity is limited from the client device and not the access points. Current high end products with 80 MHz, 3x3 spatial stream, and 256QAM have max data rate of 1300 Mbps and a throughput of 910 Mbps. This suggests that clients are not receiving the advertised speed by manufactures. 2.1 Compatibility Although 802.11ac has been around for three years, there are still many routers and client devices that require the use of legacy protocols, such as the 802.11b/g/n protocols. One important feature is that 802.11ac offers backward compatibility to devices that use legacy protocols. This allows the support of devices that consumers have been using for many years. 2.2 Technology While 802.11ac had a major improvement in speed performance, the Wi-Fi range did not show a substantial increase (Forbes). One breakthrough of this standard is the implementation of “beamforming”. Beamforming is a feature that converts omnidirectional signals into smart unidirectional signals that increases signal strength specifically in the direction of the client. With this feature the performance of 802.11ac is maintained better at longer ranges than previous standards. 3. Rate versus Range To prove that there is a direct correlation between the rate and range within 802.11ac, we must further understand and evaluate the impact of throughput based on the signal strength. For this test, we used Megabits Per Second (Mbps) as the measurement of rate to demonstrate the speed at which data is transferred between devices. Using this uniformed measurement provides an easier way to visualize the performance of the signal. The RSSI, or the “Received Signal Strength Indicator”, is the common logical measurement to determine the range of the signal level from the access point. While the physical distance of the client from the access point can play a role in determining the signal strength, in reality, the RSSI provides an accurate measurement of the signal strength. 3.1 Assumptions Based on the research conducted, our logical hypothesis is that the 802.11ac RSSI signal strength will directly affect the rate performance. Another assumption is that the signal strength will maintain higher throughput rate at lower signal strength with a sudden drop near the maximum received signal; due to the implementation of “Beamforming”, this feature can change the focus of the power to the direction of the client. The chart in appendix A shows that our assumption