The Digital Experience Podcast

Grudge Match: Wi-Fi 6 vs, Wi-Fi 5 (The best data wins)

For this episode, we are joined by special guest, Keith Parsons! Let’s talk a bit beyond the marketing hype of Wi-Fi 6...what is real, and what might be a bit premature? In this session, we will take a deep dive into the differences and capabilities of Wi-Fi 6 compared to Wi-Fi 5 with real use cases to uncover which provides the best data. Come enjoy a lively discussion with supporting test results.

Here are some topics we will cover:

• Is Wi-Fi 6 more efficient than Wi-Fi 5?
• Does 802.11ax perform better than 802.11ac today?
• What can we expect in the future?
• Should you buy Wi-Fi 6 infrastructure or devices?
• And more!

POE & the Future of APs

For this episode, we are joined by special guest, Devin Akin!

Does the ridiculous pace of change in Wi-Fi technology make it difficult for you to plan for future infrastructure and client device upgrades? Do you ever wonder if there are some really painful gotchas that nobody has mentioned to you? Join 7SIGNAL and Divergent Dynamics in an enlightening episode covering the future of Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), infrastructure data cabling, RF spectrum, and Wi-Fi access points. This detailed look at where Wi-Fi and its supporting technologies are going will enable you to avoid costly purchase mistakes and unnecessary legal risks. 

Some topics we'll cover:  

• The future of Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)
• The future of structured data cabling
• The future of license-free RF spectrum
• The future of Access Points (APs)

Is Technology delivering on its promise to allow "Work From Home"?

Join 7SIGNAL's Jim Vajda, Director of Global Wi-Fi Solutions, CWNE#183 and special guest Keith Parsons, Managing Partner at Wireless LAN Pros, CWNE#3 as they discuss technology and its role in the new normal - "Work from Home".  On this episode, you'll learn how the Covid pandemic has changed our world and Jim and Keith will explore how technology has been helping and hurting progress.

Topics we'll cover:

• Portability and mobility importance
• The evolution of remote work
• Is work from home here to stay?
• What additional changes in technology do we need?
• Travel restrictions & industry conference changes
• Changes in work culture
• And more! 

Troubleshooting Home Wi-Fi & Wireless Devices for Remote Employees

Covid-19 has caused a significant disruption to our lives on so many levels. With network engineers and IT professionals directing attention away from corporate networks to home networks, troubleshooting has become more complex. Learn the tips and tricks on this webinar that will help you support the employee at-home digital experience that has become your new normal. 

On this webinar you'll learn how to:

• Give help desk and level 1 support visibility into network performance, no matter where your clients are
• Give end-users actionable advice to improve their home network performance
• Validate end-to-end connectivity to critical application servers
• Validate that home networks meet your application requirements
• And more!

Wireless Network Monitoring as a Design Tool

Real access points and real clients don't always behave the way we assume they will, and that has implications for design, capacity planning, validation, and application performance. Insights from a Wireless Network Monitoring system can be used in place of the usual assumptions to improve the accuracy of WLAN design and support ongoing operations.

Wi Fi Channel Utilization 101

Organizations spend millions of dollars on their wireless networks but very few people understand how they really work. Understanding how Wi-Fi channel utilization works will help you troubleshoot and diagnose wireless issues faster.

Topics you'll learn about:

• Basics of Wi-Fi channels
• Co-channel interference
• Channel planning
• Channel utilization
• And more! 

10 Huge Wi-Fi Antenna Mistakes You Need To Avoid

Antennas are undervalued and poorly understood elements in WLAN networks. Many times, antennas are the root of Wi-Fi performance problems. But if you understand RF, then there are common sense things we can follow and avoid. Let's consider 10 common antenna mistakes and their impact on the end user Wi-Fi experience. 

Some topics we'll cover:

• Sources of antenna interference
• Poor antenna placement examples
• What not to do with antenna placement
• And much more! 

Understanding Bluetooth Low Energy, Cellular, and Zigbee

Understanding common non-Wi-Fi protocols and how they work together and interfere with one another will make it easier to find and fix wireless issues. With this knowledge you can get to the root cause of Wi-Fi issues faster and ensure a better end user experience. 

Topics we'll discuss:

• Bluetooth (BLE)
• Cellular solutions (LTE, LTE-U, 5G & CBRS)
• Zigbee 

What you'll learn on this webinar:
Understand common non-Wi-Fi protocols in the enterprise, their use cases, the spectrum they use, and how they work together.

How Multicast and Broadcast Are Handled on Wi Fi Networks

The different methods of traffic flow and data transfer in IP Networks can greatly influence the digital experience of your users. This week, let's dive in to the basics of Multicast and Broadcast and how they are handled on Wi-Fi networks.

Some topics we'll cover:

• The definitions of Multicast and Broadcast traffic.  
• How are these used on Wi-Fi Networks?
• How are unicast packets acknowledged on Layer 2 vs. Ethernet?
• Real use cases.
• And more!

Mike Complains About Site Survey Documents

In this episode, Mike Graham, Solutions Engineer, and Jim Vajda, CWNE #183, discuss site survey reports. We'll dive into the pains and uses of site survey documents - and how they can be improved. 

Topics we'll cover:

• Audiences for these reports
• Report elements that each audience needs
• Report elements that are often omitted
• Common report writing practices
• Real use cases
• And more!