The Digital Experience Podcast

Wireless Device Connectivity 101

Organizations spend millions of dollars on their wireless devices but few "play nicely" on the Wi-Fi network. Understanding how to find the root cause of wireless device connectivity issues will ensure a better end-user experience, especially roaming problems. In this episode, and we'll put you in the know.

Endpoints we'll discuss:

• Handhelds and barcode scanners (Zebra, SpectraLink, Honeywell and more)
• Mobile phones and tablets (Windows, Android)
• Laptops (Windows, MacOS, Android)

Understanding External WLAN Antennas

External antennas are undervalued and poorly understood elements in WLAN networks. Even areas like carpeted offices, conference rooms, and lecture halls can benefit from them. If you are considering using external antennas in your WLAN then don't miss this episode. Join 7SIGNAL Solutions Engineer Mike Graham as he shares some practical tips on how to get started with (and get the most out of) external Wi-Fi antennas.
 
Topics we'll cover:

• The costs and benefits of external antennas
• External antenna usage in different environments
• Tips on antenna placement and positioning
• External antenna manufacturers

How Captive Portals Punish Your Guests

This topic covers all the reasons captive portals (guest Wi-Fi) cause headaches and frustration for your customers and visitors and how to eliminate them. We've got a full agenda of topics that will even dispel some of the myths around their necessity. Our host will be Jim Vajda, 7SIGNAL's Chief Wireless Officer and CWNE #183. 
 
We’ll cover:

• How captive portals break normal connectivity
• How increases in security have made the problem worse
• The painful end-user experience
• The legal opinion of a network engineer
• Strategies to get your organization’s approval to disable your guest Wi-Fi captive portal

Wi-Fi Security 101 - The Basics

There are existing vulnerabilities in Wi-Fi security protocols and hardware components that are introduced by manufacturers. These include poorly secured administrator access and vulnerable services. Understanding the basics of wireless LAN security can help keep your wireless network safe and prevent downtime.  

Topics we'll discuss:

• Security threat actors
• IEEE 802.11 original standard (WEP)
• IEEE 802.11i, WPA & WPA2
• IEEE 802.11r, IEEE 802.11w, IEEE 802.11s
• WPA3
• Wireless Intrusion Detection System
• VLANs, VPNs
• And more!

Wi Fi KPIs That Deserve More Attention

Wi-Fi performance is vital to business. Whether you have employees relying on it to complete their assignments, customers who expect reliable internet service while visiting, or mission-critical devices that continuously transfer data, you need internet functioning at high levels. Establishing wireless key performance indicators (KPIs) helps this process, creating a baseline to measure efficiency and stability. What KPIs matter most?  This is the episode for you.

Key takeaways:

• Establishing a baseline
• Our favorite KPIs
• Micro & macro KPIs
• Going beyond throughput, MOS and latency
• And more!

Don’t recommend a router for remote workers (until you listen to this)

With the massive shift to remote work, many employees are still relying on home equipment that’s not up to the task, including antiquated routers supplied by cable companies. It’s more important than ever to make sure you or your employees’ devices can keep with the productivity and performance demanded by modern work applications.

Key takeaways:

• Understanding home router features
• Packaging spin vs reality
• Router speed vs ISP speed
• What is a mesh system
• How to monitor your digital workforce
• QOS for remote networks

Wi-Fi 101: Getting to the root causes of Wi Fi issues

Everything you wanted to know about WLAN but were too afraid to ask. 

Organizations spend millions of dollars on their wireless networks, but very few understand how they really work. With Wi-Fi 6/6e and network refreshes starting to become more popular, it's now to time your entire team understands how WLAN really works and why it should be monitored and secured. This extends to the home networks of your ever-growing remote worker population as well. Watch 7SIGNAL's VP of Customer Success, Eric Camulli and we'll put you in the know.  

Topics you'll learn about:

• How Wi-Fi works
• Root cause of Wi-Fi issues
• Licensed & unlicensed bands
• Channel planning
• Types of interference
• And more!

Understanding IEEE 802.11bh – Randomized and Changing MAC Addresses (RCM)

Join 7SIGNAL as we discuss IEEE 802.11bh and the importance of randomized and changing MAC addresses (RCM). David Halasz, CWNA and former 802.11i and 802.11ah Task Group Chair, will lead this week's discussion. You'll leave understanding the current and future state of RCM and why it should be part of your Wi-Fi network.

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

• The MAC address and how it is used in Wi-Fi networks
• Reasons you need random value for the MAC address
• Why IEEE 802.11bh is doing further work on MAC address randomization
• And more!

When mediocre Wi-Fi isn't enough in high density areas

In high user density Wi-Fi environments, a multitude of issues can arise to negatively impact the digital experience of your users. Join us for this week's episode, where we'll uncover the common problems that can arise from these environments and how you can outline proactive strategies to prevent them.

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

• How problems are presented to the end users and Wi-Fi administrators
• Common problems in high density environments
• Effective strategies to prevent these issues
• Real use cases
• And more!

The Rumors of 2 4 GHz Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Join special guest Lee Badman, CWNE #200, as we discuss the future of 2.4 GHz. The 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi space gets a bad rap at times. The more vocal critics have even gone so far as to declare it “dead”, but there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to Wi-Fi’s oldest and busiest spectrum. This episode will impact your future buying decisions. Don't miss it!

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

• Why does 2.4 GHz get dragged through the mud by WLAN professionals?
• What is the real story behind how this space is used in Wi-Fi today?
• Why this spectrum isn’t going away, and why we shouldn’t want it to.
• And more!