Cisco Wi-Fi 7 Announcements
I’ve been reviewing the Cisco presentations and related delegate blogs from Mobility Field Day 12 (#MFD12). That’s a LOT of information! The MFD delegate and other blogs touch upon some of that.
This blog summarizes the new items, some in bullet-point form. My intent is to whet your appetite to look more deeply into what the new Wi-Fi 7 Cisco AP’s can do, along with some of the new technical capabilities in them!
This blog focusses on:
Aside from the new Wi-Fi specific technology in the new APs, the Cisco presentations emphasize their UWB and URWB capabilities. These are important! New ways to use the new APs.
UWB adds powerful precise location detection. Users, tagged objects, etc. Other APs, for automatic RF management!
URWB adds reliable Wi-Fi connectivity. This opens up networking to include mobile endpoints (trains, trucks, etc.), also critical outdoor sensors.
Both of these open Cisco networking up to more potential use cases, and play to the strength of ONE Cisco network, versus a bunch of ad hoc IOT and other networks at additional cost. In other words, new Wi-Fi-centric added value!
New Hardware
Let’s start off with new Wi-Fi 7 capable AP’s:
More detail:
The MFD12 delegate blog links below go into some of the details. And the Cisco presentations go into even more details, including some of the client and backwards compatibility considerations.
IOT Protocol Support: UWB
UWB enhanced location is included via dedicated hardware in the new AP’s.
An example use might be to locate things to rack level in a warehouse. BLE gets you close but UWB is more precise.
UWB provides sub-meter accuracy. (I’ve seen 0.1 to 0.3 meters stated elsewhere.) With battery efficiency for device tags. Integration with Cisco Spaces.
Cisco noted there are two UWB standards: FiRa and Omlox, not currently compatible with each other. Also the possibility of cross-vendor interoperability issues.
There are 3 primary modes of UWB: UL-TDoA, DL-TDoA, TWR. Upstream measured time delay, downstream delay, or both (one use: AP’s to each other). See around 48 minutes into the first video for details, including their different uses.
Cisco is pursuing TWR first (auto-location of AP’s). Then DL, then UL. Over the next 9 or so months.
Benefits of UWB:
There is also hybrid location: GNSS/GPS, Wi-Fi, UWB.
URWB
See the second presentation, which was dedicated to URWB! It had a lot of great information. I am not going to try to further summarize it here.
URWB provides connectivity where fiber is not an option, or for (rapidly!) moving assets.
URWB is currently separate AP software, only on IW APs. That means you currently need separate AP infrastructures for URWB and for Wi-Fi.
Coming in 2025: you’ll have both capabilities in same AP, as a software feature. It’ll be per-radio, managed by the WLC. It will include Including Workgroup Bridging (WGB), all centrally manageable. Their current intent is for it to not be separate license — no promises.
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Some Other Items
They noted details of MLO (Multi-Link Operation) for various systems. MLO is where the client communicates over multiple RF bands. It is heavily client-dependent. MacOS doesn’t support MLO in M4.
There is now a packet analyzer in Meraki dashboard.
Features
In the third presentation, which covered wireless NetOps, Cisco discussed AI-RRM: better and automated Radio Resource Management leveraging AI, greatly reducing changes during busy hour, etc. They noted there are 1.83 Million AP’s in use that support AI-RRM.
They also mentioned “intelligent packet capture”: pro-active PCAP (Packet Capture) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) — in Early Access testing now.
And they mentioned guided workflow for troubleshooting, and provided a demo.
Links
MFD12 Video Recordings:
MFD12 Blogs:
My prior blogs re Wi-Fi 7 and related wireless technologies:
Summary I found re Bluetooth BLE AoA (Angle of Arrival) versus UWB for positioning:
Cisco Marketing blog:
Cisco/Wipelot Real-Time Location System (RTLS) using UWB: Application hosted on 9100 AP’s via USB UWB dongle:
Last year’s US CiscoLive re Wi-Fi for IOT:
Miscellany
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Systems Architect at Cisco
3wGreat writeup Peter!