» Migration concerns: Many early adopters of Wi-Fi are now working with second-generation designs, and almost everyone is thinking about the future, considering strategies for migrating to new standards and also for scaling their environments to meet future bandwidth requirements. Some have moved away from older smart AP designs in large part because they aren't adaptable. It's clear that vendors capable of delivering a strong message about investment protection are best positioned to win new business. Nobody wants forklift upgrades.
» The vendor decision: Every person we spoke with has a clear sense of the dynamics of the Wi-Fi market, which is essentially made up of three sectors. First are the moderately successful, legacy smart-AP wireless vendors, such as Enterasys, Intermec, Proxim and 3Com. These vendors have considerable field experience and are working both to solidify their bases and to expand to new markets. Athough their products sometimes lack features, third-party overlay systems often make them viable.
Next are WLAN start-ups, including Airespace, Aruba, Chantry, Meru and Trapeze, companies that provide sophisticated wares but introduce some element of risk related to long-term vendor viability. the risk element is real, but many IT managers we spoke with feel that the "we try harder" phenomenon is at work, with smaller vendors being more focused on addressing customer needs, often making product changes based on buyer input.
Finally, there's Cisco Systems, which continues to dominate in market and mind share. Although Cisco has fallen behind in technology, its modular-radio AP product offerings are perceived as upgrade-friendly and rock-solid reliable. It's also a very comfortable business relationship for companies whose wired infrastructures are Cisco.
Here then, in alphabetical order, are our top three picks for best practices:
Organization: Dartmouth College
Pending 6GHz spectrum availability, faster speeds, and private wireless access use drive FWA forward.
The new HPE Aruba 730 series Wi-Fi 7 access points tout high performance, enhanced security, location tracking capabilities, and more.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
