The State of Wi-Fi 6

François VergèsRowell Dionicio

#WLPC EU - October 2019

...in Practise

François Vergès, CWNE #180@VergesFrancois

Rowell Dionicio, CWNE #210@rowelldionicio

This presentation is available at cleartosend.net/wlpc

@cleartosend

Define Wi-Fi 6You have 4 hours

OUR PROCESS

Second - Gather some actual equipment

Last - Perform some practical tests

First - Learn more about the theory

“In theory, there is no difference between

theory and practise. In practise, there is.”

Yogi Berra

Join the conversation on Twitter

#WIFI6WLPC

WE ARE STILL EARLY AGE

Wi-Fi 6 HYPE CYCLE

Source: https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/feature/Gartner-Hype-Cycle-deems-software-defined-networking-obsolete

Expectations

Time

InnovationTrigger

Peak of Inflated

Expectations

Trough ofDisillusionment

Slope ofEnlightenment

Plateau of Productivity

Wi-Fi 6

802.11 ac

Q1 Q2 Q3

0% 0% 0%

Q1

Q2

Q3

Do you own a Wi-Fi 6 device?

Have you ever deployed a Wi-Fi 6 network?

Have you ever connected to a Wi-Fi 6 network that wasn’t yours?

THE THEORY802.11ax - Wi-Fi 6

RESOURCES

Documents to learn about how 802.11ax works:◦ IEEE 802.11ax DRAFT v4◦ Vendor White Papers

▫ Aruba - “802.11ax”▫ Cisco - “IEEE 802.11ax - The Sixth Generation of Wi-Fi”▫ Aerohive - “802.11ax For Dummies” + Blog▫ National Instruments - “Introduction to 802.11ax

High-Efficiency Wireless”◦ Wireless Broadband Alliance White Papers on Wi-Fi 6◦ CWNA Study Guide 5th Edition (Chapter 19)

What did we learn?

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

Objectives of 802.11ax◦ Support the ever-growing number of Wi-Fi devices◦ Support different type of mobile devices with different

requirements▫ Low-power, low-data rates (IoT)▫ Extreme throughput, low latency (AR VR)▫ Reliable communications (Autonomous Vehicles)

Make the 802.11 protocol more efficientHigh Efficiency - HE

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

Technical Solutions

Wi-Fi is more complex than ever

Bring it back on 2.4GHz Bring it back from the dead

Optimize channel use Subcarrier size, Symbol Duration & GI

Enable multi-user communications MU-OFDMA, MU-MIMO

Push the physics limits even more 1024QAM

Optimize transmission scheduling TWT, OFDMA

Optimize transmission scheduling Preamble Punctoring

Optimize frame aggregations Multi-TID AMPDU

IEEE 802.11ax Draft (746 Pages)

UL MU-OFDMADL MU-MIMO

inter-BSSintra-BSS

MU-RTS Trigger

RU

TDLS

UORA

HE Sounding

TWT

OBSS-PDSRP

HE-MCS1024-QAM

BSS Coloring

UL MU-MIMO

DL MU-OFDM

Tones

Download the Draft (US$400): https://www.techstreet.com/ieee/standards/ieee-p802-11ax?gateway_code=ieee&vendor_id=7180&product_id=2019792

IEEE 802.11ax Timeline

Ratification

Dec2020

11ax

Source: http://www.ieee802.org/11/Reports/802.11_Timelines.htm

Start

March2014

Draft v1

Jan.2017

Draft v2

Nov.2017

Draft v3

Jul.2018

Draft v4

Feb.2019

What about the Wi-Fi Alliance?

Wi-Fi 6 IS BETTER THAN 5G

New Naming - Oct. 2018

Source: https://www.wi-fi.org/news-events/newsroom/wi-fi-alliance-introduces-wi-fi-6

“For nearly two decades, Wi-Fi users have had to sort

through technical naming conventions to determine if

their devices support the latest Wi-Fi”

Edgar FigueroaCEO WFA

IEEE Amendment

Generation of Wi-Fi Logo

802.11 ax Wi-Fi 6

802.11 ac Wi-Fi 5

802.11 n Wi-Fi 4

CERTIFICATION TIME!

Wi-Fi 6 Certification - Sep. 2019

Source: https://www.wi-fi.org/news-events/newsroom/wi-fi-certified-6-delivers-new-wi-fi-era

Edgar FigueroaCEO WFA

WI-FI 6 CERTIFICATION

Optional

Mandatory

BSS Coloring

Uplink MU-MIMO

Downlink Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (DL MU-MIMO)

Transmit Beamforming

Channel Bandwidth up to 160 MHz wide

Target Wake Time (TWT)

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)Uplink OFDMA

Downlink OFDMA

Per-Link Enhancement1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (1024-QAM)

Increased Symbol Time, Various Symbol Size, Guard Interval Combinations

Operation Mode Indication (OMI)

Spatial Reuse

Support for WPA3

Did the Wi-Fi Alliance start certifying devices?

21

Ruckus R750

YES!

42 devices are certified today (10/08/2019)

Edgar FigueroaCEO WFA

Samsung Galaxy Note 10

PRODUCT FINDER

Product Finder: https://www.wi-fi.org/product-finder

Step 1

Search by module number

PRODUCT FINDER

Product Finder: https://www.wi-fi.org/product-finder

Edgar FigueroaCEO WFA

Step 2

Download device

certification

PRODUCT FINDER

Product Finder: https://www.wi-fi.org/product-finder

Edgar FigueroaCEO WFA

Step 3

Open Certification &Study Wi-Fi 6 Capabilities

THE EQUIPMENT

26

Evolution of Wi-Fi Equipment

Thank you: @haakon35015116

Access Points

ACCESS POINTS

Wi-Fi 6 CompatibleAccess Point that supports some 802.11ax features but not all the mandatory requirements by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Wi-Fi 6 CertifiableAccess Point that supports all mandatory 802.11ax features for the Wi-Fi 6 certification. However, it has not been tested yet.

Wi-Fi 6 CertifiedAccess Point that supports all mandatory 802.11ax features and has passed all the tests to obtain the Wi-Fi 6 certification.

AP CHIPSETS

Source: https://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ax_Hardware

Broadcom Qualcomm Intel Marvel

BCM43684 BCM43694 BCM6750 QCN5024 QCN5054 QCN5154 WAV654 WAV624 WAV614 88W9068 88W9064

4x4:4 4x4:4 2x2:2 4x4:4 8x8:8 8x8:8 2x2:2 4x4:4 4x4:4 8x8:8 4x4:4

Aerohive AP650,

Extreme AP510, Asus,

D-Link, Netgear

Aerohive AP630,

Aruba 5xx, Cisco C9115, Mist AP43,

Extreme 505

TP-Link EnGenius 357/377

Meraki MR45-55,

Asus, Netgear

Ruckus R730, Arista,

Huawei

Asus, Edimax, TP-Link, Netgear

CERTIFIED AP CHIPSETS (ROUTERS)

Source: https://www.wi-fi.org/product-finder-results?sort_by=default&sort_order=desc&categories=6&capabilities=17

CERTIFIED AP CHIPSETS (OTHERS)

Source: https://www.wi-fi.org/product-finder-results?sort_by=default&sort_order=desc&categories=3&capabilities=17

Client Devices

Galaxy S10e Galaxy S10 Galaxy S10 plus Galaxy FoldGalaxy Note 10 Galaxy Note 10 plus

iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max

AX200AX201

PCE-AX58BT

PHONES

Samsung Apple

Chipset Broadcom2x2:2

Broadcom2x2:2

Models

Galaxy S10Galaxy S10e

Galaxy S10 PlusGalaxy Note 10

Galaxy Note 10 PlusGalaxy Fold

iPhone 11iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone 11 Pro Max

Wi-Fi 6 Certified Models

Galaxy FoldGalaxy Note 10

Galaxy Note 10 PlusBroadcom BCM94375

COMPUTERS

Using the Intel AX200 2x2:2 chipset◦ Laptops or computers with an M2 connector and support

for the Intel drivers

Nvidia Jetson NanoSome Laptops

(Lenovo)

Allez les bleus!!

OTHER

Enclosure for the Intel AX200 2x2:2 chipset

Source: https://www.tamos.com/blog/index.php/2018/10/09/all-you-wanted-to-know-about-testing-wi-fi-adapters-but-were-afraid-to-ask/

Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Expansion ChassisFrom StarTech.COM

PCIe board with an M.2 connector

THE PRACTISE

39

OUR TESTING

Our process:◦ Goal was to test the Wi-Fi 6 features◦ Designed a few tests◦ Performed simple tests with equipment on hand◦ We couldn’t test every Wi-Fi 6 equipment and all Wi-Fi 6

features◦ Planning on performing more testings

OUR EQUIPMENT

OUR EQUIPMENT

OUR EQUIPMENT

OUR EQUIPMENT

OUR EQUIPMENT

Wi-Fi 6 OperationsHow will it affect our day-to-day job?

Wi-Fi 6 doesn’t mean OFDMA

ALL NEW DATA RATES

How to calculate OFDM data rate:

Source: https://www.semfionetworks.com/blog/mcs-table-updated-with-80211ax-data-rates

ALL NEW DATA RATES

What about OFDMA?

Source: https://www.semfionetworks.com/blog/mcs-table-updated-with-80211ax-data-rates

FIRMWARES

Challenges today◦ Fast pace of new version rollouts◦ Incompatibilities with older APs

It should become more stable

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

Interesting findings◦ 1024-QAM does work (only observed on 5GHz)◦ Range of 1024-QAM is not that great

▫ Better with 4x4:4 APs◦ Generally higher data rates (mostly due to 1024-QAM)

▫ Might not reflect in real-world deployments◦ More fluctuation in data rates◦ Wi-Fi 6 doesn’t mean OFDMA◦ Spectrum efficiency doesn’t seem to be at its best yet◦ Might need more power than PoE+

Wi-Fi 6 AnalysisWhich tools can we use today?

WI-FI SCANNERS

Most Wi-Fi Scanners detect Wi-Fi 6 Networks◦ Look at beacon frames◦ Parse the HE Information Elements

Mac OS Windows OtherWi-Fi Explorer

Ekahau Pro (RTFM)WinFi Lite

Ekahau Pro (RTFM) Net Ally AirCheck G2

WI-FI EXPLORER

WINFI

SPECTRUM ANALYSIS

Same tools can be used (looking at L1)◦ OFDM traffic will look similar◦ OFDMA traffic might look different

OFDM OFDMA?

802.11ax PACKET CAPTURE

Requires 802.11ax NICs◦ Able to decode the 802.11ax frames

Wi-Fi 6 AP in Sniffer Mode

Jetson Nano, Intel AX200 running Ubuntu with airmon-ng

WHAT HAPPEN IF YOU DON’T

802.11ax PACKET CAPTURE WITH JETSOMN NANO & INTEL AX200

Process:◦ Load the Nvidia image (Ubuntu)◦ Install the Intel drivers for the AX200◦ Install Wireshark development version◦ Use airmon-ng to set the channel & channel width◦ Open Wireshark to look at the packets◦ Save the packet capture file◦ Transfert the packet file to your laptop via scp◦ Analyze the packet capture in Wireshark

Source: https://wifi.hypergeek.net/you-too-can-have-a-sub-200-11ax-client/ & https://wifilogic.wordpress.com/2019/09/21/how-to-setup-wifi6-sniffer-in-ubuntu/

AIRMON-NG

// Start the capture on channel 100sudo airmon-ng start wlan0 100

// Stop the capture and put the wlan0 interface back in station modesudo airmon-ng stop wlan0mon

// Install aircrack-ngsudo apt-get install aircrack-ng

// Start the capture on channel 100sudo airmon-ng start wlan0 100

// Set the channel width to 40MHzsudo iw dev wlan0mon set freq 5500 HT40+

// Stop the capture and put the wlan0 interface back in station modesudo airmon-ng stop wlan0mon

// Start the capture on channel 100sudo airmon-ng start wlan0 100

// Set the channel width to 80MHzsudo iw dev wlan0mon set freq 5500 80MHz

// Stop the capture and put the wlan0 interface back in station modesudo airmon-ng stop wlan0mon

Capture on a 20MHz wide channel

Capture on a 40MHz wide channel

Capture on a 80MHz wide channel

Additional Information: https://gjermundraaen.com/2019/09/25/capturing-802-11ax-with-jetson-nano/

RADIOTAP HEADER - HE ELEMENTS

Source: https://www.radiotap.org/fields/HE.html

REMOTE PACKET CAPTURES

airodump-ng ssh dump

● Works but...● No Radiotap header

● Packet capture over ssh● Not tested

// Monitor mode on channel 100sudo airmon-ng start wlan0 100

// Start the capture on channel 100sudo airmon-ng start wlan0 100

Source: https://twitter.com/adriangranados/status/1180680731611340802?s=20

Wi-Fi 6 DesignDoes it change anything?

NOT REALLY

Design Considerations◦ 20Mhz & 40 MHz wide channels◦ How do we do a capacity planning?◦ Do we plan for 1024-QAM data rates?◦ CCI calculation will change with BSS coloring◦ Support for legacy devices

Source: https://wballiance.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Wi-Fi-6-Deployment-Guidelines-and-Scenarios-V1.0.pdf

Should we upgrade our infrastructure to support Wi-Fi 6?

UPGRADE CONSIDERATIONS

◦ Wi-Fi 6 Certified APs◦ First generation Wi-Fi 6 APs◦ Testing◦ 6GHz equipment coming soon?

The clients are definitely coming to market

Wi-Fi 6 LabDemo

SETUP

Wi-Fi 6 APAerohive AP630

Jetson Nano(Intel AX200)

Wi-Fi 6 Clients

PoE SW

iPerf3 ServersDHCP Server

WLAN Pi

1 - Run iPerf3 tests2 - Look at the

spectrum

3 - Take a 802.11ax packet capture

Ekahau with Sidekick

LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!!

If you have a Wi-Fi 6 client with you◦ Connect to the “Champions du Monde” SSID

▫ Password: “wifi6wlpc”◦ Download an iPerf App (HE Network Tool)◦ Get ready to launch an iPerf3 test to 192.168.99.15-25

-c IP_Address -t 120 -R

Keith ParsonsGjermund RaaenJerry OllaDavid ColemanTiger LeeJohn Kilpatrick

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Kevin FranzenConsuelo OrtizBryan SlaymanTroy MartinLauren FriedmanFerney Munoz

Thank You!

THE END

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