The Wi-Fi Alliance has introduced Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband, a certification program aimed at improving utilization of Wi-Fi network resources and enabling networks to better adapt and balance loads as network conditions change.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband

The program is aimed at both static and mobile use cases of Wi-Fi. “Today’s Wi-Fi delivers connectivity to services and content for many devices in different environments,” said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance in a press release. “Wi-Fi Agile Multiband brings new capabilities that increase network and device performance and ultimately provide a better Wi-Fi user experience.”

 

 

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband is based on a number of standards, including IEEE 802.11 k, v, u, r, and Wi-Fi Alliance defined technologies. It offers several benefits, including dynamic monitoring; intelligent steering and fast network transitions. The Wi-Fi Alliance provided information on the main attributes of the new certification program:

• Dynamic monitoring is “constant, parallel network information exchange about the Wi-Fi radio environment [that] enables client devices to evaluate the best access point (AP), band, or channel connection, avoiding issues with devices that stick to a particular AP longer than appropriate.”
• Intelligent steering mechanisms that “allow APs to intelligently guide clients to less congested or recommended APs, frequency bands, and channels to balance network traffic and meet other management needs.”
• Faster network transitions enable “faster, secure roaming while traversing a network,” thereby delivering “improved mobility and better experiences with latency-sensitive applications such as voice-over Wi-Fi and mobile video streaming.”

The first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband products will form the test bed for interoperable certification. They are:

• Broadcom BCM4361 11ac STA Reference Design
• Intel® Home Wi-Fi Chipset-based 802.11ac 4-stream Concurrent Dual Band Router
• Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
• Marvell 802.11ac Wave2 Wi-Fi Test Bed Evaluation Kit
• MediaTek MT7621A+MT7615 802.11abgn/ac Ref. AP
• Ruckus R710 Access Point
• Ruckus ZoneDirector™ 1200 Controller
• Qualcomm® mobile Wi-Fi AC2 chipset