By Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman
Not sure of what multi-AP architecture is best for ISP-managed home Wi-Fi? A new paper by Plume compares and contrasts Plume’s own ‘Adapt’ solution (based on OpenSync) with the Wi-Fi Alliance’s standardised ‘EasyMesh’ approach. In the end the right choice – says Plume – should be based on which of the two architectures delivers the best Wi-Fi quality of experience to the end user. According to Plume, it’s no contest.
Numerous solutions and architectures exist for ISPs to manage and control multi-AP Wi-Fi networks inside the home. Many are proprietary and a handful are based on open source software. Two of the most popular open source platforms for multi-AP management are Plume’s ‘Adapt’ and the Wi-Fi Alliance’s standardised ‘EasyMesh’ – and both are designed to deliver Wi-Fi management capability and interoperability between CPE (and mesh Wi-Fi) vendors for multi-AP home Wi-Fi.
But there are major technical differences between the two as well as big differences in the Wi-Fi end-user experiences and ISP benefits they deliver, respectively, says Plume in a new paper titled ‘A comparison of Plume’s Adapt™ and EasyMesh®‘. While the Adapt controller resides in the Cloud and delivers a service via OpenSync residing in the CPEs or mesh units (from various vendors), EasyMesh’s approach involves a local controller and agent, usually connected to a distinct Cloud for each CPE & mesh vendor.
“Adapt encompasses both the CPE and the cloud service definition, facilitating a harmonized experience across all enabled CPE vendors,” Plume says in the paper. The Adapt architecture permits the use of ”multidimensional data’ (from devices, applications, and consumer behaviour) to be collected by OpenSync after which the data can be used to feed the Wi-Fi optimisation and management algorithms in the Cloud. This leads to both intelligent and predictive Wi-Fi optimisation decisions, Plume says.
Selecting the right architecture for multi-AP management and Wi-Fi optimisation within the home is critical for ISPs intent on delivering the best whole-home Wi-Fi quality of experience. For more on the comparison between Plume’s Adapt and EasyMesh download the full paper by Plume here.
/Claus.
