802.11ac: A Survival Guide

Chapter 1. Introduction to 802.11ac

If the network drops below a speed of five hundred megabits per second, the users will explode!

—The plot of the movie Speed (starring Keanu Reeves as a network administrator)

One of the many experiences I value from my time participating in the 802.11 working group is the ability to compare the “outside” view of a technology with the “inside” view of people in the engine room sweating to make it work. From the outside, wireless LANs have seen a steady progression in speeds from a megabit in the late 1990s to a gigabit with the first release of 802.11ac in 2013. Getting inside the process of making that happen let me see the false starts and wrong turns, and generally appreciate—and contribute to!—the behind-the-scenes work that creates that smooth external perception.

One important note about this book is that it is being written at the same time as the standard is being developed. It is possible that changes to 802.11ac will occur during the technical review process for the draft standard, though based on historical experience, I would expect any changes to be small at this point.

History

The 802.11 working group has a structured method of introducing new technologies. When a gap is identified in the existing standard, a sufficient number of participants can start a study group to investigate whether there is sufficient justification to develop new technology. Typically, as the Last Big Thing is wrapping up, the project to develop the Next Big Thing ...