R9 Is Here! Read What’s New in iBwave Wi-Fi and iBwave Design

Over the last many months, we’ve been hard at work here at iBwave getting the next release of our various in-building wireless network design solutions ready to go. And we are delirious with excitement to let our customers, and the rest of the world, know that the newest release of our solutions are here.

World, meet iBwave R9!

Packed with many new features across all our product lines, this release truly is one by our users, for our users.

Let’s go through some of the key new features, and why we’ve implemented them.

New User Interface for iBwave Design, User Interface Tweaks for iBwave Wi-Fi

iBwave Design now has an all-new user interface aimed at helping to make the day-to-day use of the software faster and more intuitive for our users, and to ultimately accelerate the design phase of the many wireless network projects our software is used for. With a new ‘ribbon’ styled menu that is structured into the phases of a network design project, larger and more intuitive icons, as well as the ability to build a personalized ribbon with all your favourite features. iBwave Wi-Fi has had a new user interface for awhile now but with this release we’ve taken some feedback from our users and made some additional tweaks to it, including moving the in-software ‘Chat Support’ to a more accessible place from the main ‘Help’ menu, and adding the capability to define your own personalized ‘ribbon’ that allows you to create your own toolbar with your most-used icons.

iBwave R9 is a HIGH step forward! From being a part of the Beta program, I can definitely say that this release is ALL about the end user! Every step of the way, user feedback has been received and incorporated into the software. The updated/improved GUI is easy to work with and well thought out! The ability to build a “Custom Ribbon” is a GREAT feature as well!
— Russ Edmondson, Goodman Networks

Automatic Cable Routing

While it’s always been possible to route cabling in both iBwave Design and iBwave Wi-Fi and get automatic cable length estimates, we’ve now taken our cabling automation to the next level with the ability to model cable trays and risers, and then have the software automatically ‘snap’ the cabling to the route. This is a feature widely requested by our users and is estimated to save hours of time off of the design time for a project – plus with this new feature, you can even be more sure that the automatically generated Bill of Materials and Costing Report is extremely accurate.

Smart Antenna Contouring

This is one of my personal favourite new features! New in both iBwave Wi-Fi and iBwave Design is ‘smart antenna contouring’ which essentially means that you can now view live signal strength prediction results as you are placing access points in your design. And beyond just looking really cool, this can be a big time saver when working on a project as it can significantly reduce the number of times you have to run your prediction engine in order to view how the network will perform.

How does it work?

The smart antenna contouring feature works with our ‘Fast Ray Tracing’ prediction algorithm, which is one of three prediction algorithm choices available in iBwave Wi-Fi (the other two are COST231 and VPLE). Why fast ray tracing? This particular algorithm, unlike the other two, takes into account all signal paths from a radio: direct path, reflected path, and diffracted paths – which essentially means that it gives you more accurate prediction of how your network will perform. In combination with the smart antenna contouring you can be sure that you are getting a very accurate idea of how the signal strength of each AP that you place will perform while you are actually doing the design. I think that’s pretty great.

Here is a quick look at what this looks like (also featuring our new multi-radio AP feature!)

iBwave’s 3D predictive modeling and new smart antenna contouring with fast ray tracing takes Wi-Fi design tools to a whole new level.– Alan Blake, CWNE

Prediction Zone Exclusion

Ever wish you could exclude a particular area of a venue from prediction calculations because you know that no coverage is needed in that particular area? This new feature helps network designers using iBwave Wi-Fi or iBwave Design to designate areas not to be included in prediction calculations. What does that help achieve? By excluding these zones not intended to receive coverage, the KPI Compliancy report will now be more accurate and your output maps more meaningful.

Multi-Radio Antennas

With capacity planning critical to successfully designing high-performing Wi-Fi networks in high-density venues, it’s key for our users to be able to optimize capacity planning during the design phase of implementing a network so both equipment and troubleshooting costs are minimized. With this in mind, we’re always looking at what features can help our users to do this – last year we came out with advanced capacity planning capabilities, and now starting with this release we support design using multi-radio access points – or software selectable radios as some put it.

Why this feature?

Because today in order to design using multi-radio AP (for example with a Dual 5GHz radio), designers usually resort to overlaying multiple single radio APs on top of each other to ensure that the capacity planning requirements are met. Using this approach leads to an inaccurate bill of materials and cost estimates, and can lead to potential prediction issues. With the ability to now use these multi-radio APs in the design, prediction will be more accurate to reality and the Bill of Materials and Cost Details report will be much more accurate which benefits both the designer and their customer.

“The ability to design and visualize Wi-Fi networks in 3-D is a unique iBwave feature that I have come to rely on for access point placement and troubleshooting. The granularity iBwave provides is exceptional, especially with the new capability to design with multi-radio APs that are unique to Riverbed Xirrus for supporting high density Wi-Fi networks. Add to that the mobile tools and the variety of reports you can generate makes iBwave an invaluable tool for Wi-Fi deployment.” — Ty Parker, Director Solutions Engineering for Riverbed, CWNE #173

In today’s high density Wi-Fi environments, airtime is a precious commodity that is best served by the abundance of available channels in 5 GHz. Access points with dual 5 GHz radios are best suited to meet airtime and capacity needs. A software selectable radio also offers the benefit of 2.4 GHz connectivity when needed. iBwave’s multi-radio feature assists any WLAN professional with dual 5 GHz WLAN designs in addition to legacy 2.4/5GHz WLANs designs.” — Dave Coleman, Aerohive, CWNE #4

And last but not least, I will just leave this quote here from Ronald Van Kleunen, CWNE and Owner of Globeron (wireless training):

From a vendor neutral perspective, iBwave Wi-Fi (PC Version) is probably the most advanced solution in the market. With full support to integrate Wi-Fi APs with detailed backhaul cabling , network infrastructures and budgeting, 3D venue modeling and network visualizations, the most advanced RF calculations for prediction accuracy, and cloud integration to simplify the interaction between Wi-Fi architects, project managers and site surveyors.

How do you see all these great new features in action?

Good question, and you have a few options. We’re holding a few demo webinars of the new features the week of October 11th and 18th.

Already have iBwave Wi-Fi or iBwave Design? Take advantage of the new features by upgrading today on your My iBwave!

What do you think of the new features? Comment below to let us know.

Wirelessly yours,

Kelly

Convergence & Evolution in Indoor Wireless Networks

Guest Post by Dean Bubley, Disruptive Analysis

It is not a new assertion that indoor wireless networks are important. The frustrations of poor indoor cellular coverage are universal, while businesses of all types need to provide employees and guests with high-quality Wi-Fi.

Various solutions abound for providing good signal indoors – distributed antenna systems (DAS), small cells, or even just deployment of lower-frequency bands in outdoor networks, with better penetration through walls. Yet costs remain considerable, especially as usage increases near-exponentially. Upgrading or retro-fitting existing installations often requires hard economic decisions, given that most such investments are not directly “monetized”. Suitable expertise, foresight, planning tools and ongoing monitoring/reporting are important.

The future, however, will accelerate the role of in-building/on-site wireless connectivity – in both predictable and unpredictable fashion. If we consider what a building might look like in the year 2030, say – and how it may be used and occupied – we can start to see the challenges and opportunities.

As well as today’s well-known and well-described uses of wireless (smartphones and laptops on Wi-Fi and cellular networks), we can expect to see a huge number of new uses emerge. This means that today’s implementations will require future-proofing, to support the unknowns of tomorrow. For example, consider the implications of:

IoT deployments for smart buildings, such as a proliferation of sensors for heating, security, or the operation of elevators. These may require better coverage in unusual places – in ceiling voids, lift-shafts, basements and so on. Bandwidth and latency requirements will vary hugely, from life-critical but low-data fire/carbon monoxide sensors, to networked video cameras, or once-an-hour reporting from water tanks.
Moving devices such as robots or automated trolleys, delivering products around the building. While some will be fully-autonomous, others will need constant wireless connectivity and control.
5G networks will be deployed from around 2020, with further evolutions in following years. These may be extremely demanding on in-building coverage solutions, especially as some networks are likely to use frequencies above 6GHz – perhaps even as high as 80GHz.
Likely huge growth in narrowband wireless, connecting low-powered (but maybe very dense) networks of sensors or other endpoints. These may use 3GPP technologies such as NB-IoT, or other options such as LoRa and SigFox.

All of these trends imply very different traffic patterns. It is not realistic just to extrapolate from current usage – robots may go places in the buildings where humans do not. Mobility requirements may evolve – and so will regulations.

It is not just new classes of device and application which will need to be supported by well-designed infrastructure, but also new classes of service provider that need to access them.

The advent of new unlicensed or shared-spectrum models of frequency allocation (eg CBRS in the US, or MuLTEfire) may mean the arrival of new operator types – dedicated IoT solutions providers that “bring their own wireless”; enterprises acting as their own local on-site MNOs; various models of “neutral host” and so on.

Private enterprise cellular networks are starting to become more widespread. Some governments are allocating spectrum for industries like utilities or smart-cities, while equipment vendors are offering optimised enterprise-grade cellular infrastructure.

Potential future regulations for emergency-services wireless connections. Police and fire authorities are increasingly using broadband mobile, both for humans and remote-sensing devices.

Distributed-mesh service providers, that operate as decentralised networks with micropayments, or as community initiatives. Some may use blockchain-type arrangements for shared-ownership or membership fees.

One of the unknowns is about the convergence (or divergence) of different network types. On one hand, cellular networks are embracing Wi-Fi for offload, or for multi-network aggregation, especially as they worry that returning flat-rate data plans may stress their networks. On the other, some networks are looking at running 4G/5G in unlicensed spectrum instead of (or in addition to) Wi-Fi. Yet more service providers are adopting a “Wi-Fi first” approach, reverting to MVNO models for cellular where needed. Future permutations will likely be more complex still.

For property developers and owners, the quality of indoor networks is increasingly key in determining valuations and rental occupancy. Already seen in hotels, and office new builds, it will be important for today’s new constructions and refurbishments to support adequate flexibility and headroom for the next decade or more.

This takes on further emphasis if you consider the trend towards “buildings-as-a-service”, exemplified by organisations such as WeWork. These new classes of facility often incorporate wireless connectivity both as a billable service element, but also to enable their owners to manage the properties effectively, in terms of energy-efficiency and security. Other forms of monetisation and data-analytics around wireless location-sensing/tracking are also becoming more important.

Lastly, in-building challenges will be driven by the specific location and industry, which themselves may change in nature over the next decade. New building materials, construction practices and regulations will impact wireless in unpredictable ways – more metallic insulation perhaps, but also perhaps robot or pre-fabricated construction allowing wireless systems to be installed more easily. Individual industry verticals will have their own shifts – what will retail stores look like, and how will customers behave, in the era of home deliveries by drone, but more on-premise “experiences”, perhaps with AR/VR systems? What workplaces of the future look like, in an era of self-driving vehicles? Industrial facilities will become increasingly automated, with the largest uses of wireless connections being machines rather than humans. Hotels and airports will see shifts in data connectivity needs from employees and visitors, as application usage shifts.

There are no easy answers here – even if you construct good scenarios for the future, undoubtedly we will be surprised by events. But some form of upfront discipline in designing and building indoor wireless solutions is ever more critical, given the unknowns. The more future-proofing is possible, the lower the potential risk of being caught out.

Dean Bubley (@disruptivedean ) is Director of Disruptive Analysis. On October 5^th, at 10am EDT, he will be discussing some of these topics in more depth on a webinar with us here at iBwave.

R9 Sneak Peek: Software Selectable Radios #Comingsoon

With iBwave R9 about to launch in the coming weeks, we’ve slowly been hinting at some of the features that will be included.

This week, we’re here to talk about the new multi-radio/software selectable radio support that will be included in the R9 of iBwave Wi-Fi.

Why Multi-Radio APs?

As we all know, capacity planning is now critical to successfully designing high performance Wi-Fi networks in high-density venues.

Multi-radio APs help to optimize capacity planning of a network and can save companies both equipment and troubleshooting costs. They are popular when it comes to high-density design venue and we’ve been getting more and more requests to support them within our software.

Starting with iBwave R9 we will now support Multi-Radio APs in our softwares.

Here are a couple of the big reasons we see this new capability as valuable to our users:

Optimized Capacity Planning

Today, if a network designer wants to include a multi-radio AP in the design of a network, they need to overlay multiple single radio Aps on top of each to make ensure the capacity planning requirements are met. With the ability to now design with multi-radio APs, there is no more need to layer the single radio APs on top of one another and prediction results will be more accurate to reality – saving re-design and troubleshooting costs post-implementation of the network.

Below is an example of a Xirrus multi-radio module. In it, you can see the position of radio modules in the Access Point with the reference being radio Slot 1. The radio module slot can then contain either 2.4GHz or 5GHz radio module (software configurable) or it can be an empty slot. Any combination of 2.GHz/5GHz is possible to design with.

On each radio module, the configured channel and it’s output power per MIMO stream (excluding antenna gain) is shown.

An Accurate Bill of Materials

Going back to the issue of layering single radio APs to simulate a multi-radio AP, this also meant that the bill of materials would be inaccurate – and as a result so could cost estimates.

In iBwave Wi-Fi, multi-radio APs will now be a part of the Bill of Materials that can be quickly generated under the ‘Reports’.

Here’s an example of a BOM with Cost Details, that includes Aerohive‘s AP550 Multi-Radio AP:

So what APs have we added?

We’re always adding new parts to our components database of over 25,000 parts but for this upcoming release here are the multi-radio APs we’ll have in our database ready to go:

Aerohive AP250
Aerohive AP550
Cisco AIR-AP2802E-x-K9
Cisco AIR-AP2802I-x-K9
Cisco AIR-AP3802E-x-K9
Cisco AIR-AP3802I-x-K9
Cisco AIR-AP3802I-x-K9C
Cisco AIR-AP3802P-x-K9
Xirrus XR-2226

Xirrus XR-2236
Xirrus XR-2426
Xirrus XR-2436
Xirrus XR-2436-WAVE2
Xirrus XR-4426
Xirrus XR-4436
Xirrus XR-4826
Xirrus XR-4836
Xirrus XR-4836-WAVE2

What are the people saying about it?

We checked in with CWNE Ty Parker of Xirrus Riverbed who has this to say about our new capability to support the Xirrus Multi-Radio APs (and some other really nice things!):

The ability to design and visualize Wi-Fi networks in 3-D is a unique iBwave feature that I have come to rely on for access point placement and troubleshooting. The granularity iBwave provides is exceptional, especially with the new capability to design with multi-radio APs that are unique to Riverbed Xirrus for supporting high density Wi-Fi networks. Add to that the mobile tools and the variety of reports you can generate makes iBwave an invaluable tool for Wi-Fi deployment. – — Ty Parker, Director Solutions Engineering for Riverbed CWNE #173

And that’s it, a small sneak peek of our new Multi-Radio AP support in the upcoming version of our software. Watch for the new release of both iBwave Wi-Fi and iBwave Design, coming very soon!

Wirelessly yours,

Kelly