5 main advantages of Wi-Fi networks over wired networks

by Marketing Team | Jul 18, 2017 | Classic Hotspot, Networking, WiFi Networks

5 main advantages of Wi-Fi networks over wired networks

Let’s discuss in this post the main benefits of Wi-Fi networks over wired for small deployments.

Small networks, such as home and small business LANs deployments, can be set up relying on both wireless and wired technology. In this post, we discuss the main reasons why you should consider building your network using the Wi-Fi technology instead of Ethernet.

1. Cloud-based Wi-Fi easy setup

Firstly, Ethernet cables need to reach all computers to work. Accordingly, it becomes tricky when more computers are required for your deployment and are positioned in different areas, as you might need to pass through walls or under the floor to reach them. On the contrary, Wi-Fi is less time-consuming and easier to setup, especially if you operate your wireless infrastructure in the cloud, like Tanaza. Indeed, cloud-based management allows you to remotely install your access points and configure your network, with no need for an IT expert on-site. Furthermore, the most innovative cloud-based systems, such as Tanaza, are characterised by zero-touch deployment tools, meaning that also the provisioning and the first configuration of your network is performed remotely through the cloud. No matter where you go, thanks to cloud-based Wi-Fi management, you can manage and control your network anywhere, saving a huge amount of time and money.

Read this article to know how to cloud-manage your first Tanaza powered access point.

2. Wi-Fi is fast enough

Thanks to the new standards, Wi-Fi has become increasingly fast over time, to the point that the difference between Ethernet and Wi-Fi regarding speed is not so relevant anymore. Indeed, the latest WiFi 5, also known as 802.11ac, standard provides a speed of up to 3200 Mbps, making Wi-Fi enough good performing for the majority of tasks. Also, latency is not a big issue either: it is true that with Wi-Fi there is a higher delay when signals travel from a wireless device and a wireless router, but this does not prevent a good performance if you use your network to browse online, stream videos and listen to music. On the other hand, being less affected by latency, Ethernet connections are a better choice for online gaming and VoIP calls.

Read these instructions to discover how Tanaza helps you to remotely improve your Wi-Fi speed.

3. Wi-Fi uses encryption to protect data

Using Ethernet cables, wired LANs are more secure than wireless. On the other hand, with Wi-Fi data travel in the air, which increases the likelihood that your sent and received data can be intercepted. Nevertheless, nowadays the majority of Wi-Fi networks use encryption to protect data. In particular, WPA2 is currently the most recommended encryption mechanism for Wi-Fi secure connections.

If you want to know how to protect your SSIDs using WPA2-PSK with Tanaza, click here.

4. Wi-Fi is versatile

Thanks to Wi-Fi, businesses achieve faster client onboarding: indeed, instead of providing Ethernet cables, it is only necessary to provide a password or to use a system that allows the BYOD policy, like Tanaza. The Tanaza software also allows you to successfully connect to your Wi-Fi network devices with no Ethernet port, such as Es smartphones. Furthermore, Wi-Fi networks allow more user to use the same connection at the same time, remotely, simplifying files access and data sharing and transfer. Tanaza Wi-Fi, for instance, allows an unlimited number of concurrent users to browse online. Also, on the Tanaza Cloud dashboard, you can check the number of people connected to your wireless network anytime. Not to mention that thanks to Wi-Fi, people are free to move around a location and access the network anywhere within coverage range, instead of being constrained in the place where the router is physically located.

Click here to learn how to create a new network in Tanaza Cloud.

5. People love Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is the ideal choice for small businesses located in public areas, such as cafes and bars. Indeed, Wi-Fi has become an expected service among people and can be therefore leveraged by businesses to increase their revenues. Furthermore, customers can enjoy wireless internet connection using any type of Wi-Fi-enabled device, including smartphone, tablet, wearables, sensors, etc.

If you are curious to know how to start a business in the Wi-Fi market, read this article.

3 RF basics you should know to better design your WLAN

by Marketing Team | Jul 10, 2017 | Classic Hotspot, Networking, WiFi Networks

3 RF basics you should know to better design your WLAN

If you want to design an effective WLAN deployment, you first need to understand 3 very useful radio frequency concepts.

In order to design and implement a successful Wi-Fi network, you need to be familiar with the following 3 RF fundamentals.

1. WIRELESS CHANNELS

The first thing to know is that all Wi-Fi devices communicate through a channel. Each channel is characterised by a number, which corresponds to a precise radio frequency. The 2 main frequency bands used among WLAN access points are 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Worldwide there are 14 channels using the 2.4 GHz band, whose availability varies from country to country (for instance, channel 14 is only available in Japan). It is good to know that the only 3 channels where signals don’t overlap are the number 1, 6 and 11. Nevertheless, especially in highly congested spaces such as working environments, all channels are used. As a result, signals invade other channels’ bandwidth and end up creating interference. A solution to this is to opt for channels operating on the 5 GHz band. In fact, 5 GHz is less congested, as the majority of Wi-Fi devices such as computers, Bluetooth devices, cellular and cordless phones operate on the 2.4 GHz band. Furthermore, 5 GHz provides a higher number of frequency channels, of which 23 do not overlap: all access point operating on the 5Ghz band usually support channels 36, 40, 44, 48, 54, 56, 60 and 64. Lastly, it is useful to point out that, in the 2.4 GHz band, active Wi-Fi signals are 20-22 MHz wide, whereas in the 5 GHz band signals can be 20, 40, 80, up to 160 MHz wide. In general, 20 Mhz channel width is recommended for high-dense enterprise deployments, while 40 MHz works well in areas with medium-low crowded Wi-Fi networks.

Read this article to know how to pick the right channel for your Wi-Fi deployment.

2. RF PROPAGATION

Radio frequency propagates through space with different behaviours: reflection, absorption, refraction, diffraction and scattering. Being aware of how RF moves around a particular space is relevant to understand why, when positioning an access point in a location, radio frequency waves can or not reach certain places within a room and neighbor areas.

Under reflection, RF signals bounce to another direction when they hit reflecting materials that are larger than the wave, i.e. metals; reflection highly occurs in indoor WLAN deployments.
Absorption occurs when RF signals are converted to heat and absorbed by certain materials, such as concrete or water.
In the case of refraction, RF signals change direction when they pass through a material with a different density; refraction mainly occurs in outdoor WLAN deployments, which are affected by changes in atmospheric conditions and air temperatures.
With diffraction, RF waves change direction when they move around an object of a certain size, shape or material.
Scattering can be intended as “many reflections of the RF wave”, and occurs when the wavelength of the RF signal is larger that the one of the medium/material/object the signal is passing through.

Knowing how radio frequencies react depending on the material they come into contact with, helps you avoid possible interferences caused by physical obstacles, i.e. water, bricks, trees, microwaves, etc. In this way, you will know better where to design your WLAN and where to place your access points.

Read this article to learn how to position your Wi-Fi router properly.

3. RF MEASUREMENTS

In order to understand how strong the RF signal of your WLAN is, you need to know how to measure it. We measure RF power levels through milliwatts (mW) and decibel-milliwatt (dBm): a mW is an absolute unit corresponding to 1/1000th of a Watt, and a dBm is a decibel relative to a milliwatt. In general, it is more convenient to use dBm than mW: as we use very low output power levels, generally comprised between 0 and 1 mW, it is easier to say that your access point transmits X dBm rather than saying it transmits 0.0000X mW. The table below shows the relation between mW and dBm.

1 mW = 0 dBm

10 mW = 10 dBm

100 mW = 20 dBm

1 W = 1000 mW = 30 dBm

Keeping in mind this table, you can now measure RF power levels with the rule of 10s and 3s, according to which:

For every gain of 3 dB, the power in mW is doubled
For every loss of 3 dB, the power in mW is halved
For every gain of 10 dB, the power in mW is multiplied by 10
For every loss of 10 dB, the power in mW is divided by 10

In this article, you can learn how the rule of 10s and 3s works together with an example of its application.

HOW-TO: Choose channel, TX Power and configure radio settings

Spectrum WiFi – How unlicensed spectrum boosts the development of WiFi

by Marketing Team | Jun 13, 2017 | Classic Hotspot, Cloud Management, Networking

Spectrum WiFi – How unlicensed spectrum boosts the development of WiFi

What are the differences between unlicensed and licensed spectrum? And what is the relation between unlicensed spectrum WIFI and the benefits Wi-Fi brings to society? Let’s answer these answers below.

The term spectrum wifi refers to all the radio frequencies, from 3 kHz to 300 GHz, available for wireless communications. There are two types of radio spectrum established by the Federal Communication Commission: licensed and unlicensed. Licensed spectrum consists of frequencies made available to companies for a specific use, i.e. cellular companies connecting people through wireless phone services that work transmitting data over the air. Spectrum licenses provided by the FCC are always needed for mobile operators, i.e. Verizon and AT&T, and establish conditions such as fees and charges and other parameters such as the frequency band – in general between 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz – and network coverage they can use: indeed, mobile carriers providing 3G and 4G mobile services can’t operate on the same band at the same time and with the same geographical reach. In this respect, the FCC regularly checks on its spectrum dashboard “how spectrum bands are allocated and for what uses, and who holds licenses and in what areas”.

On the other hand, unlicensed spectrum wifi is publicly owned, has light rules to follow and is free, meaning no paid license is needed for those who want to use it. Wi-Fi is the most popular technology taking advantage of the affordable unlicensed spectrum in order to deliver high-performing connectivity, and it can carry more data traffic than other wireless solutions. For this reason, unlicensed spectrum is an extremely valuable benefit for people, who more and more rely on Wi-Fi as the main resource for accessing the internet. Let’s see the main advantages unlicensed spectrum brings to technologies such as Wi-Fi and, consequently, to society as a whole:

Unlicensed spectrum is an open door to innovation: by relying on an affordable access to airwaves, innovators operating on unlicensed spectrum, i.e. companies and organizations belonging to the Wi-Fi industry, have the opportunity to develop new applications to facilitate connectivity and equip devices with more capabilities, i.e. the possibility to receive notifications on smartphones about the level of energy users are using, the opportunity to manage your device remotely, etc.
Another advantage of unlicensed spectrum is related to the greater demand for mobile services. Indeed, the increasing development of devices – especially smartphones and tablets – and the related big data demand imply a larger need for spectrum in order to have more capacity. Nevertheless, licensed spectrum is already congested by wireless carriers and other telecommunication operators, which paves the way for unlicensed spectrum to be a widely used and much cheaper alternative to face future user needs. In this respect, Wi-Fi is the unlicensed spectrum-based technology with the right requirements to handle the growing demand for connectivity, as it can increase the capacity of mobile networks and can carry large amounts of data traffic.
Being broadly adopted by innovative wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, the unlicensed spectrum has a positive impact on the whole society. Indeed, it represents a cost-effective solution for both urban environments and rural areas. For instance, thanks to unlicensed spectrum, Wi-Fi solution providers have the possibility to: empower communities deploying free Wi-Fi in public areas; improve public transportation by using Wi-Fi on buses and trains, as a way to encourage more people to switch from private to public means of transportation; facilitate rural health care, by enabling patient of rural areas to use their Wi-Fi network to reach doctors remotely.

Unlicensed spectrum wifi is a highly valuable resource, which can be smartly leveraged by wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi in order to boost innovation and find effective ways to bring improvements to the whole society.

4 Wi-Fi cloud-based services you should offer to SMEs

by Marketing Team | May 11, 2017 | Classic Hotspot, Cloud Management, Networking

4 Wi-Fi cloud-based services you should offer to SMEs

Let’s find out in this post the main 4 Wi-Fi cloud-based services MSPs should provide SMEs with, in order to add value to their offering.

Nowadays, more and more small and medium-sized companies rely on cloud-based services to grow their Wi-Fi businesses and improve their productivity. According to the Worldwide Semiannual Public Cloud Services Spending Guide from International Data Corporation (IDC), the overall spending on public cloud services will grow from $70 billion in 2015 to $141 billion in 2019 at the worldwide level. Specifically, from a company size point of view, SMBs counting less than 500 employees will count for more than 40% of the total expenditure. Accordingly, MSPs should leverage cloud computing to offer valuable cloud-based services to their customers.

In parallel to the overall growth of the cloud computing market, we’ve seen that an increasing number of manufacturers and software companies in the Wi-Fi space has started delivering cloud-based services to manage and monitor Wi-Fi networks, replacing hardware controllers with virtual cloud-based network controllers.

Here is a list of 4 much-sought Wi-Fi cloud-based services in the small and midsize markets, which MSPs should offer to add value to their services.

1. Cloud-based Wi-Fi zero-touch deployment

Small and medium-sized companies can gain greater flexibility from managing their Wi-Fi networks on the cloud, as they can run their businesses from anywhere, anytime. Furthermore, thanks to remote management enterprises do not have to take total control over the infrastructure anymore, which allows them to dedicate more time to other activities. Accordingly, you should provide a serviceable to make things easier both for you and your customers: the Wi-Fi cloud-based management offered by Tanaza, for instance, ensures 100% remote deployment, configuration, firmware upgrade, and troubleshooting. In this way, you won’t have to go on-site to reboot a broken access point, and you will be able to configure all aspects of your clients’ networks directly from the Tanaza Cloud Dashboard: this will save a lot of time for both of you!

2. Wi-Fi cloud-based monitoring

Cloud-based monitoring is a very useful service to offer, as it allows companies to save time and easily monitor their deployments located in one or more places worldwide. MSPs can rely on Tanaza, the easy-to-use, and affordable cloud-based software for remotely monitoring small or large networks of access points, in real-time. Furthermore, it gives the possibility to set up customizable instant alerts, i.e. through emails or SMS, if the system is experiencing issues, such as capacity overloads or faults.

3. Wi-Fi cloud-based content filtering and malware protection

The possibility for companies to filter web content based on their business needs is a must-have service. Through a cloud-based filtering solution, network administrators can block certain content, i.e. pornography and other distasteful or illegal websites, on the basis of a set of different categories. In this way, users can access only a selected range of domains while navigating online. Tanaza provides an effective and easy-to-use web content filtering system, which allows hotspot providers to check online content and effectively secure public Wi-Fi hotspots from very common cyber threats, such as malware and botnets.

4. Cloud-based Wi-Fi analytics

Your customers collect a broad range of useful data when users authenticate before accessing their Wi-Fi networks and want to leverage it to enhance their competitive advantage. Accordingly, it is smart to offer them the opportunity to collect this information and analyze it for their statistics and marketing purposes. Thanks to Tanaza, you can provide your customers with the right solution: a multi-tenant cloud-based platform for Wi-Fi users’ data analytics. The network admin can see different data stored on the user-friendly Tanaza Dashboard, i.e. the number of sessions, the number of new and returning users, and the number of Likes collected through Wi-Fi. Also, Tanaza allows filtering and segmenting data according to a variety of parameters, such as age range, gender, location, and login flow.

Basic concepts of the Networking Industry

by Marketing Team | May 9, 2017 | Classic Hotspot, Networking

Basic concepts of the Networking Industry

In this article, we define some terms that are useful in the Wi-Fi and Networking industry.

What are the different types of networks?

There are a lot of types of networks but in this article, we will focus only on the LAN, the MAN, the WAN. If it sounds gobbledygook, read the following definitions.

LAN: Local area network, it is a network with connected devices over a relatively short distance. For example, a network in offices, a university, a restaurant… a LAN is usually managed and controlled by a single person, the network administrator.
MAN: Metropolitan area network, it is a network designed for a city, a town. In terms of surface, a MAN is bigger than a LAN and is characterized by a very high-speed connection.
WAN: Wide area network, it is a multiplication of LANs on a wide geographic area like, for example, the Internet spans on the Earth.
The LAN is connected to the WAN thanks to the router.

What is about a WLAN?

WLAN stands for Wireless local area network, it is a local area network based on a Wi-Fi wireless network technology.
The WLAN is a LAN that uses high-frequency radio waves to communicate between nodes, instead of wires.

What is the definition of Wi-Fi?

The Wi-Fi is the wireless version of a wired Ethernet network. This kind of network is usually deployed in a local area (offices, restaurant, university…).

What is the difference between wired and wireless?

A wired network is a network connected through ethernet cables that allow the network to be extremely reliable. (ex: Ethernet network)
On the contrary, a wireless network is based on a wireless signal, there are no cables to bring the internet signal. (ex: Wi-Fi network)

What should I know about creating a WLAN?

First, the process of creating a WLAN (design process) is usually divided into four phases

– requirements definition (through a site survey)

– design

– installation / deployment

– inspection of the network (through a site survey)

People usually confound the terms “design process” and “site survey”, and tend to use the with the same meaning.
The fact is that a site survey is part of the WLAN design process, it is not the actual design.

The WLAN design process is the fact to plan the infrastructure of a WLAN, design it according to performances we are looking for. The WLAN design process has four steps.

The first one is about defining the requirements (bandwidth and throughput).
The second one is the design itself when requirements fit the area to cover.
The third one is the deployment of the WLAN (mounting all access points, configuring the controller etc).
The fourth and last step is the validation of the WLAN: the site survey, an inspection of the network in the covered area.

The aim of the site survey is to determine if your access points are at the best positions, to localize the potential sources of interferences and be sure that your WLAN performs as it was planned.

There are three types of site survey: the passive, the active and the predictive one.

The passive: the passive site survey is when a software tool collects all radio-frequency (RF) data from all access points in the area to cover.

The active: the active site survey is likely the same as the passive one but here we collect RF data about each access point one by one in the cover area, instead of having a global overview.

The predictive: the predictive site survey is a simulation done by a software of the radio-frequency environment.

After a site survey, you know if your WLAN fits with your design requirements and if it will perform as planned.

Find out more information about Tanaza’s application

Related articles:

https://www.classichotspot.com/blog/throughput-and-bandwidth-estimate-your-needs-for-your-wi-fi-network/

https://www.classichotspot.com/blog/how-to-calculate-wi-fi-bandwidth-need/

https://www.classichotspot.com/blog/power-indoor-outdoor-wifi-devices-with-tanaza/

5 things you should know about Wi-Fi speed and distance covered

by Marketing Team | Mar 17, 2017 | Classic Hotspot, Networking, WiFi Networks

5 things you should know about Wi-Fi speed and distance covered

In this post, we are going to provide the main reasons why distance covered affects your Wi-Fi speed, together with some suggestions to improve your Wi-Fi network’s performance.

When setting up your Wi-Fi hotspot you should consider one of the main aspect affecting your Wi-Fi network’s speed: distance. Indeed, you may experience that the speed of Wi-Fi-enabled devices (i.e. smartphones, laptops, tablets) varies according to their distance from your installed wireless access point.

The further you move from your router the lower your Wi-Fi signal and, accordingly, the lower your network’s speed. Let’s answer the following questions to know the main reasons why this occurs.

1. Can I cover a large area with a 802.11n access point?

The 802.11 standard your access point is based on is relevant to determine the area your device can cover: for instance, the maximum Wi-Fi signal range your access point is able to reach under the current 802.11n standard is 230 feet (70 metres), whereas under the newer 802.11ac the covered range is similar but the maximum throughput is greater – 1.33 Gbps VS 600 Mbps. Furthermore, it is useful to know that, when using the traditional 2.4 GHz band, Wi-Fi access points generally reach the signal up to 150 feet (45 metres) indoors and 300 feet (91 metres) in open areas. Nevertheless, keep in mind that when you are 150 feets away from your access point, even if you can connect, you will never have an outstanding Wi-Fi experience because Wi-Fi can be slow.

2. Can I trust the speed and coverage written on my access point’s box?

You should know that it is basically impossible to get from you Wi-Fi access point the maximum speed written on the box. Here is why:

The maximum speed and coverage of any Wi-Fi access point are theoretical, as they are affected by many external factors, as well as the capabilities of the connected device.
Wi-Fi speed and coverage are inversely proportional, by means of which it is impossible to have maximum speed and maximum coverage at the same time. For instance, if the maximum coverage of your access point is 300 feet, in that point you will never get the maximum speed.

It is also relevant to point out the following factors, which stumblers don’t generally consider:

Number of simultaneously connected users and their Internet usage – light, medium or heavy.
The amount of bandwidth and throughput Wi-Fi users are using >> if you want to know how to calculate your Wi-Fi bandwidth need, have a look at this article
Interferences given by the simultaneous presence of many devices in the same network
The presence of physical obstacles lowering the propagation of your network’s Wi-Fi signal, such as wood, reflecting surfaces, construction materials, glass and water.
The possibility that the network admin set a particular network configuration, limiting the band at which the network transmits radio signals per SSID, per user profile or per single user.

>> Do you want to estimate your WiFi network bandwidth need? Try our free Access Point Selector!

3. How can I check what’s the speed of my Wi-Fi network?

Online you can find many free Wi-Fi connection tests to check your network’s average and maximum speed: even if these tools are sometimes unreliable, as they don’t consider all the factors potentially affecting your Wi-Fi, you can use them to check your Wi-Fi speed in a specific moment in the different areas covered by your signal. You can also rely on stumbling and surveying tools available on the market, as a way to detect how strong your Wi-Fi network’s signal is. Here, for instance, you can find the best 17 Wi-Fi stumblers for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS, according to Tanaza. In this way, you will be able to gain insight of your network’s Wi-Fi coverage and detect where Wi-Fi devices get the best signal.

4. One powerful access point that covers a large area, or multiple access points?

The choice is easy. Install multiple APs if you want to set up a Wi-Fi connection in a large area, as relying only on one access point is generally not enough. Indeed, there is the risk that people connecting their devices far from your Wi-Fi access point get bad signal, or, if outside the router’s Wi-Fi range, get no signal at all. A way to overcome this issue is to invest in some additional access points, so that the area covered by your signal can be effectively expanded and users can access your Wi-Fi hotspot connection. Furthermore, it is recommended to use the 5 GHz band when hotspots areas are deploying more than one access point: indeed, the 5 GHz frequency has a shorter range, which makes the channel it uses less crowded compared to the traditional 2.4 GHz band. Accordingly, it is less affected by interferences coming from other devices connected around you.

5. Should I invest in AC models?

Among the existing 802.11 standards, routers relying on 802.11ac provide the best connection and benefit from the farthest range. Accordingly, consider equipping your Wi-Fi hotspot with an AC device in order to enjoy a higher-quality Wi-Fi experience. For instance, Tanaza includes a wide range of AC devices among supported indoor and outdoor access points.
Now that you know more about the relation between distance and your overall Wi-Fi network performance, you are ready to start setting up your public Wi-Fi hotspot properly!

>>See the list of the best affordable 802.11ac access points supported by Tanaza

Check out the list of supported access points