By Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman
Now that AFC services are approved and in operation (also read more here), enterprise Wi-Fi solution providers – and the FCC – have been busy churning out FCC certifications for standard power Wi-Fi 6E & Wi-Fi 7 access points. Here’s an overview of what’s happened over the past few weeks. The list is not exhaustive but intended to represent the vendors that we are in contact with or work with closely as partners of Wi-Fi NOW.
Cisco announces standard power certifications for all Cisco Wi-Fi 6E APs
Cisco has arguably been the first Wi-Fi solution provider to fully embrace Wi-Fi 6E and now the company is also among the first to offer FCC certified standard power Wi-Fi operation for their 6 GHz APs. In fact, Cisco now says all Cisco Wi-Fi 6E APs are certified for standard power with AFC.
The Cisco portfolio includes six indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi 6E AP models within the Catalyst 9100 family while Meraki offers an additional six Wi-Fi 6E APs, also both for indoor and outdoor deployments. Also read this blog on the Cisco Wi-Fi 6E standard power solutions. Federated Wireless announced its AFC partnership with Cisco in February of 2023. No word yet on when Cisco Wi-Fi 7 APs will be released.
Purpose-built stadium Wi-Fi 6E standard power APs from Extreme
Not to be outdone Extreme Networks followed suit last week with the announcement that its AP5050 series of APs has been certified for standard power operation in the 6 GHz band. This series of APs is unique and unusual in that it has been specifically designed for stadium deployments including installation under the seats or on poles, Extreme Networks says (for more read here). Extreme Networks is of course well known for being the ‘Official Wi-Fi Solutions Partner’ of both the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) in the US.
Extreme Networks also recently launched its first Wi-Fi 7 AP in the form of the AP5020. Extreme Networks is using Wi-Fi Alliance Services to deliver the needed AFC solution.
Ruckus: World’s first Wi-Fi 7 standard power AP
Also not to be outdone CommScope/Ruckus’ R770 Wi-Fi 7 AP received standard power certification by the FCC on April 16, the company says in a blog here. To our knowledge this is the first Wi-Fi 7-capable AP to be certified for standard power. Ruckus is partnering with sister company Comsearch for AFC services. Ruckus has been involved in a number of Wi-Fi 7 firsts including the first public Wi-Fi 7 network service at this year’s CES and the first stadium Wi-Fi 7 deployment.
HPE Aruba Networks launches new ‘ultra tri-band’ Wi-Fi 7 APs
Last week HPE Aruba Networks launched its new 730 series Wi-Fi 7 access points featuring ‘ultra tri-band’ (UTB) hardware, meaning sophisticated filtering which “fully utilises the 5GHz and 6GHz bands to automatically and continuously eliminate wasteful contention between the bands,” HPE Aruba Networks says. HPE’s UTB solution won the Wi-Fi NOW Award for Best Enterprise Wi-FI Solution in 2023 – you can read more about it here. For more about the Wi-Fi 7 AP release read here. As far as we know HPE Aruba Networks has not yet announced availability of standard power 6 GHz services on their APs. The company has chosen Federated Wireless for AFC services.
Wi-Fi 7 APs by EnGenius, NETGEAR, and Zyxel Networks
Note also that some of the first networking equipment makers to announce Wi-Fi 7 solutions are three of our highly valued partners: EnGenius, NETGEAR, and Zyxel Networks. EnGenius was one of the first suppliers to announce a Wi-Fi 7 AP in August last year while Zyxel Networks unveiled its first Wi-Fi 7 product in October of last year with a second entry-level Wi-Fi 7 AP launched just last month. NETGEAR Business also launched its first Wi-Fi 7 solution last month as did Cambium Networks. We will issue an update as soon as we know when standard power solutions are available.
/Claus.
