Why do we love working with wireless so much? Because it’s always fresh and new and never a dull moment. What’s really cool about 802.11ac–the latest Wi-Fi spec–is that it allows for some pretty damn quick data rates. With the help of extra-wide channels and 256-QAM (among other specs), the theoretical max rate ratchets up all the way to 1Gbps, without having to go all crazy with multiple spatial streams.

RF and Other Factors Still Run the Show

Just because we have potential data rates that are higher than ever, it’s still Wi-Fi and is definitely not magic. All the old rules still apply–and in fact perhaps take on magnified importance.

There are benefits to be gained by making the switch to 802.11ac. However, proper WLAN configuration, RF planning, and spectrum management still make the biggest difference between “meh” and amazing. You gotta get the fundamentals right if you want great Wi-Fi.

Eye P.A. is ready for the next big thing in Wi-Fi

With the latest update to Eye P.A., packet captures with 802.11ac data rates are handled just as smoothly as the others.

Effective Data Rate: 433.3 Mbps. Pretty fast!

Another new feature in Eye P.A. is the inclusion of a bar chart that breaks down the percentage of traffic at each of the data rates in your capture. This chart lets you see at a glance if a majority of devices on your network are achieving the speeds they should.

Most of the traffic in this capture was sent at 433.3 Mbps.

As 802.11ac deployments start to really gain steam, it will become more and more important for you to be able to confirm and prove that your network is working as well as you think it should be. Stay ahead of the curve. Check out Eye P.A. today!