Articles
Internet of Things: Why GHz Matters
Enterprise IT continues to play a critical role in the Internet of Things (IoT). A large part of IT’s role is understanding and anticipating what new device types will hit the network, when and how to optimally connect them. Beyond the obvious applications and services, an often-overlooked factor is…
Welcome to the Network: Wi-Fi Wearables
It’s no surprise that wearable devices are increasingly Wi-Fi enabled. With Apple’s recent announcement of Wi-Fi support for Apple Watch and rumors that Google will bring Wi-Fi capabilities to Android Wear, wireless connectivity will continue to drive changes in the way we work and play. As more em…
Unleash True Mobility with an Innovative IT Infrastructure
There’s an influx of conversation focused on Bring Your Own Device, the consumerization of IT and how organizations can cope in today’s multi-device environment. IT and business leaders are being asked to securely connect thousands of devices competing for network resources; both wired and wir…
Introducing the NBase-T Alliance – Redefining Access Networks
Today, Cisco, Aquantia, Freescale and Xilinx announced the founding of the NBase-T Alliance. Key goals of the alliance are as follows: Promote collaboration and dialogue for developing technology to enable speeds greater than 1Gbps on existing Category 5e and Category 6 cabling infrastructure. Wor…
Winning Back the Weather Radio Channels Adds Capacity to 5GHz Wi-Fi Spectrum
In my last blog on 5 GHz spectrum, I discussed the recent FCC ruling that permitted outdoor access points to use the U-NII 1 band (5150-5250 MHz). But the story doesn’t stop there. As mentioned last time, there are significant technical challenges to using the 5 GHz band. It is not cleared sp…
The Network After 25 Years of Cisco Live!
A lot can change in 25 years. At the first Cisco Live (then known as Networkers conferences) in 1989, 200 geeks gathered for the inaugural event. Fast forward to three weeks ago, when we welcomed a whopping 25,000 attendees into the arms of our namesake, beautiful San Francisco. We heard there was s…
802.11ac: That’s the Answer. What’s the question?
Everybody’s talking about 802.11ac, but we’ve sensed some confusion for next steps as far as how CIO’s and IT organizations should be approaching the new standard. Should I move to 802.11ac? You’re probably thinking: Chris, you’re a leader at Cisco, of course you want me to migrate to 802.11ac. That…
What, Why, Where, When, How: The New FCC Ruling Around 5 GHz
You don’t need me to tell you to know that we are in the midst of a technology revolution. It’s mobilizing the internet. And it’s transforming the way billions of people around the globe collaborate, communicate, and connect to the internet. • The education customers I work with are inco…
Bring Out Yer Dead: 5 Steps to Eliminate 802.11b From Your Networks
Now that US tax day is over, we in the wireless field can get back to focusing on P1: optimizing and maintaining network performance. Keeping your network in good shape is like gardening: if you don’t pull out the weeds, it’ll never look as good as it could. My friend Jim Florwick detailed the gory…
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