SCIENCE

Aruba Networks has announced further development of its Multimedia-Grade Wi-Fi initiative, designed to enable consistently high-performance voice and video delivery to a new class of users and Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs that have begun to overrun business, educational and healthcare networks. A number of third-party tests and reports published this week validate Aruba's leading position in the development of this new class of access network. Aruba also issued additional materials, including video of a competitive test focused on smartphone and tablet performance in high-density Wi-Fi environments.

The proliferation of smartphones, followed by the unprecedented success of the Apple iPad and other tablet PCs, is adding to the load imposed by mobile laptop-carrying workers, students and others who rarely work in fixed locations like desks. The need for a new class of Wi-Fi, Multimedia-Grade Wi-Fi, has become increasingly acute. The ratification of the IEEE standard 802.11n in September 2009 enabled a significant increase in throughput of Wi-Fi networks from 54 megabits per second (Mbps) to 150 Mbps. Most existing Wi-Fi networks, including those based on 802.11n, lack the RF and application intelligence to deliver latency-sensitive applications like voice and video in a dense environment.

A new industry association, the Multimedia-Grade Working Group, today issued a paper outlining the drivers and requirements for such a network. While not a member of the working group, Aruba supports the group's efforts and intends to align with its recommendations.

A new report from the Farpoint Group, Multimedia for the Enterprise Wireless LAN: Exploring Key Requirements, is also available this week. Focused on assessing Aruba's ability to deliver on key attributes of multimedia grade Wi-Fi, including application-specific performance management, video delivery in a mixed-traffic environment, and interference detection and mitigation.

"Innovations in wireless-LAN infrastructure focused on application performance over Wi-Fi enable businesses to accommodate multimedia-based applications without having to worry about the network grinding to a halt," said Craig Mathias, a principal with the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group. "Our own experiments with Aruba's technology show that their products deliver a great multimedia experience over Wi-Fi, even with a mix of devices and a variety of application demands."

Aruba's commitment to multimedia has also reinforced its relationship with IP video distribution leader Haivision. "Aruba's commitment to the reliable delivery of video over Wi-Fi has made them an ideal partner for helping organizations achieve their video distribution goals," said Peter Maag, executive vice president of marketing and business development for Haivision. "Aruba provides connectivity and application performance across a mix of mobile devices, which Haivision's patent-pending InStream Viewer enables all Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris 10 users to watch video with the simple click of a mouse."

How-to -- Multimedia-Grade Wi-Fi

In addition to the third-party materials listed above, Aruba today announced the availability of the following papers and videos, focused on this new class of access network.

"A new class of user, using a new class of device with a new class of applications needs a new type of network," said Chris Spain, vice president of products at Aruba Networks. "When done correctly, the result is uninterrupted multimedia for mobile devices, even in challenging dense environments like auditoriums, hospitals and public venues."