The Beacon

The advantages of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage™

by
Mark Hamilton & Dennis Huang

Wi-Fi® is rapidly exceeding its initial origins as a 'best-effort' wireless endeavor as it evolves into a deterministic networking technology that frequently mirrors characteristics found in cellular networks, at a fraction of the deployment costs and operating complexity. This is due to operators who view Wi-Fi as a managed network to leverage and increase consumer expectations for ubiquitous Wi-Fi that is both fast and reliable.

However, Wi-Fi wasn’t originally designed to optimize performance beyond the access point (AP) and the devices connected to it. This is precisely why Wi-Fi Alliance® introduced its Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage™ and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage Release 2 programs, which makes it easier for users to select network devices that provide the best Wi-Fi experience in airports, stadiums, offices, campuses, retail locations, and service provider-managed residential networks.

Indeed, Wi-Fi Vantage™ devices offer features that provide secure, light touch access to Wi-Fi networks, as well as mechanisms for efficient use of spectrum and network resources in densely populated, dynamic environments. This means Wi-Fi network administrators using certified Wi-Fi Vantage products can deliver an optimal user experience with seamless and secure connections, increased throughput, and more devices operating on the same network.

In simple terms, Wi-Fi Vantage can be thought of as a quality of service (QoS) certification, analogous to the automotive world’s introduction of the automatic transmission, to make Wi-Fi network infrastructure easy to manage. It smooths the workings of balancing client load on APs and on specific frequency bands. Wi-Fi Vantage also standardizes how AP and client communication can shift to another band or AP and formalizes client steering between cellular and Wi-Fi networks.

Wi-Fi Vantage is playing a major role in helping Wi-Fi transition from a ‘best-effort’ endeavor to a deterministic wireless technology that is now the de-facto medium for internet connectivity. This is why we are proud to be an active part of the Wi-Fi Vantage community – and even more excited to announce that Wi-Fi Alliance has certified our T811 access point and SmartZone 100 network controller, making them among the industry’s first products certified for Wi-Fi Vantage Release 2, which include new features that further enhance Wi-Fi performance in managed networks. New features were added to the Wi-Fi Vantage certification program last year, and were intended to help network operators deliver higher network efficiency, as well as ensure networks were easy to set-up and deliver quality Wi-Fi connections even in congested carrier environments, such as those found in airports, train stations, stadiums, campuses, and community Wi-Fi networks.

Consumers now expect ubiquitous Wi-Fi that is fast and reliable wherever they go. At Ruckus, we develop technology that delivers seamless connectivity and great user experiences no matter how challenging the environment. Our recent Wi-Fi Vantage Release 2 certifications illustrate how Wi-Fi Vantage can successfully meet operator demand to improve wireless performance in dense and crowded locations and consumer demand for consistently fast and reliable Wi-Fi.

The statements and opinions by each Wi-Fi Alliance member and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions or views of Wi-Fi Alliance or any other member. Wi-Fi Alliance is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information provided by any member in posting to or commenting on this blog. Concerns should be directed to info@wi-fi.org.

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Mark Hamilton & Dennis Huang

Mark Hamilton is a Networking Standards Director for Ruckus Wireless, which is wholly owned by ARRIS, Inc.  In this role, he is responsible for Wi-Fi standards related to Ruckus’ enterprise-grade infrastructure equipment, and is active at the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wireless Broadband Alliance and IEEE 802 working groups.  He currently is a member of several task groups in Wi-Fi Alliance, and holds a leadership position in many of the groups, including Chairman of the Wi-Fi Agile Multiband Marketing Task Group.  Prior to Ruckus, Mark was a senior leader at SpectraLink Corporation, with over 15 years of Wi-Fi experience on wireless VoIP clients.

Dennis Huang has more than 15+ years of experience in product development, product marketing, and business development, and specializes in creating enterprise and consumer wireless networking equipment, IoT offerings, and online services. As the enterprise wireless product marketing lead at Ruckus, he is responsible for the development of product/solution marketing, strategic planning, business planning, go-to-market planning, channel, and field marketing for their APs, IoT, SmartZone, ZoneDirector and Unleashed products.​