Clear To Send: Wireless Network Engineering

Coming back from WLPC we feel highly motivated. But we also took the time to reflect on the conference, the content, and the people we connected with. In this episode, we talk about the lessons we’ve learned from WLPC Phoenix. Those lessons are: * Not as many real world Wi-Fi 6E presentations * Wi-Fi 7 is coming sooner than we think * MLO seems to be the biggest feature of Wi-Fi 7 * You can transfer data through bananas and get PoE * Lots of presentations from people that work for vendors. * We need to ask more questions * We need to listen more closely * Hearing about different people coming from different perspectives can be really important * Why having a community is really important * More eyes on WLPC

https://youtu.be/YP_AQXx0nbo In a big surprise to us, HPE has announced they will be acquiring Juniper Networks. We’ve been working with Mist Systems since Juniper Networks acquired them. We’re hoping the acquisition doesn’t impact Mist negatively but we can see why HPE wanted the MistAI technology. In this episode, we’re going to provide our opinions on the acquisition, what impact this has on the customers, and how partners navigate this acquisition in the coming years.

https://youtu.be/Q9SFPY2Xzpw Network Access Control (NAC) has always been a challenging technology to implement. It usually meant utilizing someone with an expert level certification to come in and deploy it on your network. I remember when I was a systems administrator and watched a seasoned network engineer struggle to get it working the right way. Today, Juniper Networks shows us how implementing a cloud-native NAC can help secure your Wi-Fi and wired networks easily without the hassle of on-premises hardware. The goal is to provide a seamless and scalable way to utilize the benefits of NAC using the Mist dashboard. Juniper Networks is emphasizing their commitment to eliminating on-premises infrastructure components, managing upgrades, and ensuring flexibility while maintaining simplicity in configuration. Dive into this episode with our guests, Wes Pervis and Slava Dementyev from Juniper Networks alongside with Bryan Ward of Dartmouth. We talk about how devices can be onboarded, certificates, policies, insights, and more. Resources * Mist Access Assurance Documentation: https://www.mist.com/documentation/category/mist-access-assurance/ * Password vs Certificates for 802.1X: https://www.mist.com/documentation/passwords-vs-certificates-for-802-1x/ * Mist Access Assurance Configuration Guides: https://www.mist.com/documentation/category/configuration-mist-access-assurance/ * SecureW2 solution: https://www.securew2.com/products * Microsoft intune: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/intune/fundamentals/what-is-intune * Considerations and known issues when using Credential Guard: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/credential-guard/considerations-known-issues

Rowell and Jussi discussed the use of 3D modeling for Wi-Fi design and validation using Hamina. Jussi demonstrated the tool they use, showing how it can predict signal behavior in a warehouse environment. They also discussed the importance of 3D modeling for validating project details like shelf heights and the construction of walls. There’s immense value of this tool for collaboration with non-Wi-Fi professionals. 3D modeling is useful in a stadium environment using slopes and raised floors. Jussi explained how the simplicity Hamina allows for complex designs. The importance of the material of the raised floor was also highlighted. Jussi goes into how Hamina will be used to perform a validation survey. At Hamina, they developed a mobile app and hardware for this purpose, which stores data locally and uploads it to the cloud when an internet connection is available. The device, which can host four Wi-Fi 6E adapters and includes a USB-C connector for data, supports optional spectrum analysis. Jussi confirmed the device’s battery life is not affected by its size and it can last half a day before needing a charge. Going into the various survey methods, specifically Point Survey, Line Survey, and Continuous Survey. Jussi explained that Point Survey is a simple method that collects data intermittently, whereas Line Survey collects data continuously but provides a bit more relaxation time between clicks. As far as functionality goes, Jussi confirmed that the app continuously saves measurements to prevent data loss and can detect the vendor of the Access Point automatically. The app’s analysis features include primary and secondary coverage, channel interference, and the ability to view data for specific frequencies or SSIDs. Resources https://www.hamina.com/

In this episode, we discuss the evolution of the Wi-Fi access point form factor. You may have noticed that the size of Wi-Fi access points is increasing. Why is this happening? We provide some answers in this episode. We also talk about the challenges vendors face in providing directional antennas on the 6 GHz band, and how some are able to solve this issue for low-power indoor access points. We invite you to watch this episode on YouTube to see the different AP models we shared during the episode. Let us know what you think and share your AP beauty shots with us on Twitter. Enjoy! Resources Here a few datasheet of Wi-Fi 6E access points we covered during this episode: * Cisco Catalyst C9166D(1) → https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/catalyst-9166-series-access-points/catalyst-9166-series-access-points-ds.html * Juniper AP45 → https://www.juniper.net/content/dam/www/assets/datasheets/us/en/access-points/ap45-datasheet.pdf * Juniper AP24 → https://www.juniper.net/content/dam/www/assets/datasheets/us/en/access-points/ap24-access-point-datasheet.pdf * Ruckus R760 → https://webresources.ruckuswireless.com/datasheets/r760/ds-ruckus-r760.pdf * Aruba AP650 → https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/ds/DS_AP650Series.pdf * EnGenius ECW336 → https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/cloud-managed-6-ghz-4×4-indoor-tri-band-wireless-wifi-6e-access-point/ * Actiontec WF-196 → https://fccid.io/SFKWF196/User-Manual/User-Manual-Rev01-6123937.pdf

https://youtu.be/z-DsCKoUSMc In WLPC Prague 2023, there were a lot of great presentations. It’s a must-attend Wi-Fi conference where you can connect with smart Wi-Fi people. You’re guaranteed to leave feeling inspired and you’ll have ideas of what you will want to do next with your Wi-Fi network or even your career. In this episode, we’re going to highlight some of our favorite presentations. We have listed them down below for your viewing pleasure. Few presentations to highlight: Wave Antenna → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkEr45DXS9g&list=PLXJsNZqZEF9Y8CWiynffBgnZfjPpSkkSZ&index=12&pp=iAQB Jim Palmer’s session on 6 GHz devices and AFC → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC3WKR61XwA&list=PLXJsNZqZEF9Y8CWiynffBgnZfjPpSkkSZ&index=41&pp=iAQB Evolution of Wi-Fi Beacons – Jean Macq→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuNT1LkgGuw&list=PLXJsNZqZEF9Y8CWiynffBgnZfjPpSkkSZ&index=13&pp=iAQB The different versions of 802.1X – Karsten Iwen → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiAFcSLa0EE&list=PLXJsNZqZEF9Y8CWiynffBgnZfjPpSkkSZ&index=20 Thought Provoking presentations: Warehouse Wi-Fi is possible without external antennas – Oguzhan Eren→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-_WmZ0LGEc&list=PLXJsNZqZEF9Y8CWiynffBgnZfjPpSkkSZ&index=34&pp=iAQB Off with the offset → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gboMeL9SDk&list=PLXJsNZqZEF9Y8CWiynffBgnZfjPpSkkSZ&index=3&pp=iAQB Will AI make site survey a thing of the past – Drew → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezNbouWVfGY&list=PLXJsNZqZEF9Y8CWiynffBgnZfjPpSkkSZ&index=26&pp=iAQB Tools Presentations Hamina announced their Nomad tool and their partnership with Oscium Sidos gave more information about how they tool works WLAN Pi integrated new services (including Grafana) Intuitibits announces full Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 support for Wi-Fi Explorer & Wi-Fi Explorer Pro for Windows Tool introduced by Timo to do surveys differently (SpectQ). Does a Lidar Scan and a Wi-Fi / 5G scan at the same time. Gives you additional set of data for analysis. Aaronia spectrum Analyzer Fun Presentations Wi-Fi X in 10 minutes → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jquMBdxnUU&list=PLXJsNZqZEF9Y8CWiynffBgnZfjPpSkkSZ&index=6&pp=iAQB

Rowell and François discussed their experiences with deploying OWE and WPA3 on a higher education Wi-Fi network. Rowell noted that the adoption has been slow due to device compatibility issues, particularly in higher education where many devices are personal and outside of their control. They opted for a slow rollout strategy to monitor and gather information, emphasizing the importance of planning. Rowell admitted that their strategy was a hope for the best, as they couldn’t be certain about the device updates. This episode is sponsored by WiFi Scanner. Different SSIDs are used for OWE and eduroam with WPA3. Device compatibility was tested with the new mode and addressed potential user concerns. There was also a consideration for the need for educating the team about the new configuration and verification process. Rowell discussed the method he used to gather statistics and troubleshoot issues related to the use of OWE. He mentioned that he rolled out the change silently to a few buildings and decided not to notify the end users about the change to avoid an increase in tickets. Rowell also explained that they transitioned to Mist and chose to roll out the OWE change per site, limiting it to specific buildings. What about Wi-Fi 6E and WPA3 deployment? Rowell explained that they initially had issues with devices supporting 6 GHz, leading to connectivity problems. The transition to WPA3 was largely successful, with no complaints from users, and they are now using 8 buildings with OWE transition mode and WPA3-Enterprise only. The discussion concluded with a brief mention of an issue with meeting room devices connecting to Wi-Fi.

In this episode, we are having the pleasure to welcome Greg Ennis on the show. Greg is the author of the book called Beyond Everywhere, How Wi-Fi Became the World’s Most Beloved Technology. Greg is one of the founders of the Wi-Fi protocol. He has worked with organizations such as the IEEE and the Wi-Fi Alliance to create and democratize this technology. Having had the privilege of witnessing the creation and success of Wi-Fi, he decided to write a book about its history, using his own story as a foundation. Here is how the author describe what the book is about on his website: Billions of people rely upon Wi-Fi every day. With 18 billion Wi-Fi devices around the globe, and with 4 billion more sold every year, it supports over half of all internet traffic. But we all simply take it for granted — our ever-present companion, so prevalent as to be virtually “beyond everywhere”, working exactly the same in Cairo, Beijing, and Tierra del Fuego, in planes and cars, hotels and shops, connecting laptops, cellphones, TVs, cameras, thermostats and just about everything else. How did this come to be? Beyond Everywhere tells the entire dramatic Wi-Fi story, spanning two decades and three continents — its origins including an FBI sting operation, the intense battles among rivals as the standard was being developed, to its final explosive success all over the globe. Written by one of Wi-Fi’s key players, this is the definitive inside story of how Wi-Fi became the world’s most beloved technology. The book is really good and I would encourage you guys to read it. Working in the Wi-Fi industry, you will find it very interesting. Resources * Greg Ennis’ website: https://www.gregennis.net/ * Get the book from amazon (US): https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Everywhere-Became-Beloved-Technology/dp/B0CCCS2G48/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3J49QOYF6TMIU&keywords=beyond+everywhere&qid=1695416778&sprefix=beyond+everywhere%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1 * Get the book from amazon (CA): https://www.amazon.ca/Beyond-Everywhere-Became-Beloved-Technology/dp/B0CCCS2G48/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SK4QJPBKN2UZ&keywords=beyond+everywhere&qid=1695416857&sprefix=beyond+everywhere%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1 * Listen on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Beyond-Everywhere-Audiobook/B0C95GD88H?eac_link=DjKffjsaC0kH&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0C95GD88H&qid=BCqx867mzU&eac_id=143-0773183-1063462_BCqx867mzU&sr=1-1 * Greg’s Fun Facts: https://www.gregennis.net/wifi-fun-facts-2

This episode is sponsored by Arista. In this episode, we are welcoming Sriram Venkiteswaran, Director Product Management at Arista. The focus of this episode is to talk about Arista’s NAC solution called AGNI (Arista Guardian For Network Identity). Here are the topics discussed during this episode: * What is Arista’s AGNI and what does AGNI bring to Identity Solutions now? * Connections between the APs and AGNI over RadSec * Modes of authentications supported by AGNI * Integration of AGNI with Cloud Vision and the rest of the Arista products * The use of UPSK to handle access based on identities * Network segmentation using UPSK Check out the YouTube video if you want to see a demo of the AGNI environment. Documentation Community central AGNI Resources * AGNI Brief Solution: https://www.arista.com/assets/data/pdf/Arista-AGNI-Solution-Brief.pdf * AGNI Product Page: https://www.arista.com/en/products/network-access-control * AGNI Documentation: https://arista.my.site.com/AristaCommunity/s/global-search/%40uri#q=AGNI&t=All&sort=relevancy

https://youtu.be/r_5PCGM83h0?si=fAgwG5au7cq0_QFx We had the pleasure of having Kevin Robinson, President and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance Services, on the show with us. He introduced the new Wi-Fi Alliance subsidiary called Wi-Fi Alliance Services and discussed the AFC services they offer. Wi-Fi Alliance Services was announced on August 3rd. The subsidiary is currently focused on providing AFC services to their customers, such as OEMs, Service Providers, and software solution providers. Here is an excerpt from their launch press release: Wi-Fi AFC delivers many benefits: * Scalability: utilizes dynamic, predictive, and targeted scaling policies to support anticipated (or unanticipated) device growth * *High performance: allows for ***continual optimization of frequency evaluation and data management to improve latency and throughput * Latest security: offers compliance with the latest industry benchmarks for data at-rest and in-transit * *Advanced modeling: employs ***site-specific information for improved calculation accuracy and incumbent protection to ensure Wi-Fi networks receive optimal access to spectrum * Highly extensible: supports implementation of value-added features to meet evolving customer needs, such as integration with existing cloud systems, and can rapidly enter new markets as 6 GHz availability grows Wi-Fi Alliance Services is currently focused on serving the U.S. and Canadian markets, but is prepared to quickly adapt and scale Wi-Fi AFC globally to serve Wi-Fi equipment vendors and service providers as the regulatory landscape evolves around the world. Wi-Fi AFC is based on the platform developed by Open AFC, a software group within the Telecom Infra Project and hosted on leading cloud platforms. Open AFC is a dedicated open-source community led by well-established industry leaders for the design, development, and testing of AFC software for unlicensed services (e.g., Wi-Fi) in the 6 GHz band. Resources * Press Release: https://www.wi-fi.com/news-and-media/introducing-wi-fi-alliance-services-driving-broad-adoption-of-6-ghz * Wi-Fi Alliance Services: https://www.wi-fi.com/ * AFC Specifications from Wi-Fi Alliance: https://www.wi-fi.org/file/afc-specification-and-test-plans * Open AFC: https://telecominfraproject.com/open-afc/

https://youtu.be/ITICeKmOZW0 Shownotes Chris Grundemann joins the show to talk about what the goal is of Network Automation Forum. It’s an event to discuss everything about automation, orchestration, and observability. The Network Automation Forum will bring together people to further the discussion and help the community discover, design, develop, and deploy more software enhanced and autonomous networks. The event will be hosted in Denver, CO in November 2023. Be sure to check out Network Automation Forum and help contribute to the Wi-Fi portion! Resources * Chris Grundemann LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgrundemann/ * NAF website: https://networkautomation.forum/

https://youtu.be/oEj-q2LpsWk Wi-Fi Alliance defines three modes of operations for WPA3-Enterprise: * WPA3-Enterprise only * WPA3-Enterprise transition mode * WPA3-Enterprise 192-bit mode This Episode is sponsored by WiFi Scanner Download your trial today at WiFiScanner.com Specifications WPA3-Enterprise Only Here are the important specifications: * An AP and STA shall enable at least AKM suite 00-0F-AC:5 (IEEE 802.1X with SHA-256) * An AP and STA shall not allow AKM suite 00-0F-AC:1 (IEEE 802.1X with SHA-1) * An AP and STA would support & use MFP * a STA shall not enable WEP and TKIP WPA3-Enterprise Transition Here are the important specifications: * An AP and STA shall enable at least AKM suite 00-0F-AC:5 (IEEE 802.1X with SHA-256) and 00-0F-AC:1 (IEEE 802.1X with SHA-1) * An AP and STA must support MFP WPA3-Enterprise 192-bit Here are the important specifications: * PMF must be required by both the AP and STA * Limited set of EAP cipher suites are allowed: * TLS ECDHE ECDSA with AES 256 GCM SHA384 * TLS ECDHE RSA with AES 256 GCM SHA384 * TLS DHE RSA with AES 256 GCM SHA384 Beacon Frames WPA3-Enterprise Only WPA3-Enterprise Transition Comparison between WPA3-Enterprise and WPA3-Enterprise Transition mode: Resources * Wi-Fi Alliance WPA3 Specifications → https://www.wi-fi.org/system/files/WPA3%20Specification%20v3.1.pdf * WPA3 Enterprise by Rasika (mrncciew) → https://mrncciew.com/2020/08/17/wpa3-enterprise/ * Configure JumpStart for Mist → https://www.mist.com/documentation/jumpcloud-for-radius/

https://youtu.be/XfVjpdHShys This episode is sponsored by Arista Networks We’re taking a dive into how a multi-function radio can help network engineers with many tasks. A multi-function radio is an additional radio not used for client access. It’s mostly used in listening mode. These are the six functions of the multi-function radio: * Packet Capture * WIPS Detection and Prevention * RRM Scanning * Spectrum Analysis * Client Locationing * Client Simulation and Network Assurance An advantage of a multi-function radio is to perform various tasks without having to go off-channel. When a client serving radio has to perform these functions it needs to stop serving clients for a set of time and return to a client serving mode. The beauty of the multi-function radio is it can always perform these functions without any gaps in time serving clients. Get more information about Arista Networks’ multi-function radio on the podcast or video episode for more details.

https://youtu.be/mjePCRkNb00 In this episode, we’re diving into WPA3-Personal and understanding what is different between previous Wi-Fi security, such as WPA2. WPA3 has been around since 2018 but we’re barely implementing it in our networks because of 6 GHz. As we see more compatible 6 GHz compatible devices and access points we will see 6 GHz networks. It is mandatory to use WPA3 when deploying a 6 GHz network. This Episode is sponsored by WiFi Scanner Download your trial today at WiFiScanner.com We highly recommend testing this out with your devices as some still do not support the latest security methods. Below are some screenshots of what is different with WPA3 and we’ve included PCAP files for you to inspect. You can download the WPA3 specification from the Wi-Fi Alliance here: https://www.wi-fi.org/download.php?file=/sites/default/files/private/WPA3 Specification v3.1.pdf WPA3 Beacon: WPA3 Transition Mode: Differences between WPA2 and WPA3: Resources * Packet capture WPA3-Personal Only * Packet Capture WPA3-Personal Transition mode

Kelly Burroughs, our special guest from iBwave, joins the podcast to discuss the shifting landscape in Enterprise from a ‘one and done single technology’ solution view to an agile ‘one and what’s the next technology’ roadmap view that includes Wi-Fi, LTE, IoT, 5G, etc. Different use cases require the right technology to be implemented and enterprises are beginning to see that. But there still remains an educational piece to it in understanding how these technologies fit into the bigger picture. Resources * iBwave eBooks * Follow Kelly on Twitter * Follow Kelly on LinkedIn