802.11acREFERENCE

802.11ac WAVE 1

HIGHLIGHTS

• Single-user MIMO• 3 Spatial Streams (3SS)• 20/40/80 MHz channel• 256-QAM modulation and coding• Explicit transmit beamforming

802.11ac WAVE 2• Multi-user MIMO• 4 Spatial Streams (4SS) • 20/40/80/160 MHz channel• 256-QAM modulation and coding• Explicit transmit beamforming

802.11ac beamforming is standards-based and implemented in 802.11ac chip sets. It enhances the signal-to-noise ratio for higher data rates at a given range. Implemented in baseband, it works with all antenna subsystems and creates infinite beamforming combinations to improve wireless performance in dynamic RF environments.

MULTI-USER MIMO (MU-MIMO)MU-MIMO is one of the key features introduced with 802.11ac Wave 2. It allows simultaneous data transmission to multiple Wave 2 devices, enabling enterprises to increase network efficiency and device density of APs.

MU-MIMO 1 SS CLIENTS 2 SS CLIENTS

3 SS VHT 80 MHz AP 683 622

4 SS VHT 80 MHz AP 910 789

MU-MIMO MAX 1 SS CLIENTS MAX 2 SS CLIENTS

3 SS VHT 160 MHz AP 1365 1244

4 SS VHT 160 MHz AP 1820 1578

MU-MIMO BEST CASE THROUGHPUTS75% EFFICIENCY FOR 1 SS CLIENTS 65% EFFICIENCY FOR 2 SS CLIENTS(UP TO 3 WASTED STREAMS)

1SS

SU-MIMO(WAVE 2 CLIENTS)

MU-MIMO

1SS

1SS

1SS

1SS

ENHANCED USER EXPERIENCE

802.11ac EXPLICIT BEAMFORMING

Aruba enhanced ClientMatch brings patent-pending MU-MIMO awareness into the client steering algorithms. It groups MU-MIMO capable clients in an AP for simultaneous data transmission, improving network efficiency and creating a better user experience.

ARUBA ENHANCED CLIENTMATCH

WAVE 2 OR WAVE 1

WAVE 1 C1 WAVE 2 C2

MU-MIM

O

SU-M

IMO

AP 1

WAVE 2

WAVE 2 C3 WAVE 2 C4

MU

-MIM

O

MU

-MIM

O

AP 2

AFTER CLIENTMATCHWAVE 2 OR WAVE 1

WAVE 1 C1 WAVE 2 C2

SU-M

IMO

SU-M

IMO

AP 1

WAVE 2

WAVE 2 C3 WAVE 2 C4

MU

-MIM

O

MU

-MIM

O

AP 2

BEFORE CLIENTMATCH

LEARN MORE: www.arubanetworks.com/11ac

WIDER CHANNELS

802.11ac PHYSICAL LAYER FRAME FORMATMODULATION & NET BIT RATE (PER STREAM)

FCC DOMAIN

FREQUENCY

WI-FI CHANNEL #

CHANNEL WIDTH20 MHz

40 MHz

80 MHz

160 MHz

ETSI DOMAIN

FREQUENCY

WI-FI CHANNEL #

CHANNEL WIDTH20 MHz

40 MHz

80 MHz

160 MHz

5170MHz

*Channels 120, 124 and 128 are Doppler Radar channels that may be used in some cases.

5250MHz

5330MHz

5490MHz

5710MHz

5735MHz

5815MHz

5815MHz

5835MHz

UNII-1 UNII-2 UNII-3 ISMUNII-2-ExtendedWeather Radar

36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 100

104

108

112

120

124

128

136

140

144

149

153

157

161

165

132

116

802.11ac CHANNEL ALLOCATION (NORTH AMERICA)

DFS Channels

802.11ac 5 GHZ ETSI CHANNEL ALLOCATION (EUROPE)

Band A Band B

36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 100

104

108

112

120

124

128

136

140

144

132

116

DFS Channels

UNII-1 UNII-2 UNII-2-Extended

5170MHz

5250MHz

5330MHz

5490MHz

5710MHz

MORE EFFICIENT ENCODING WITH 256-QUADRATURE AMPLITUDE MODULATION (QAM)Enhanced modulation and coding scheme from 64-QAM in 802.11n to 256-QAM in 802.11ac increases data rates by 33% at short ranges. The frameworks have been extended to ensure the backwards compatibility with 802.11 a/b/g/n, and provides for the higher modulation rates.

802.11ac provides wider channels that enable faster data transmission on 80 MHz and 160 MHz bands. However, until governments open up more spectrum in 5 GHz bands, 160 MHz channels are not recommended because they’ll lead to channel planning and co-channel interference.

256-QAMAMPLITUDE +1

AMPLITUDE -1

QU

ADRA

TURE

-1

QU

ADRA

TURE

+1

AMPLITUDE +1

AMPLITUDE -1

QU

ADRA

TURE

-1

QU

ADRA

TURE

+1

16-QAM

AMPLITUDE +1

AMPLITUDE -1

QU

ADRA

TURE

-1

QU

ADRA

TURE

+1

64-QAM

SUPERB WI-FI PERFORMANCE

OFDM PHY MODULATION(IDENTICAL FOR ALL THE USERS)

8us

L-STF L-LTF L-SIG VHT-SIG-A VHT-SIG-B DATAVHT-STF VHT-LTF

8us 8us4us 4us 4us Var4us per sym

VHT MODULATION(RECEIVED PER USER)

var 6 bits

PSDU PHY pad Tail

(optional)

Service

16 bits

ScramblerInitialization Reserved VHT-SIG-B

CRC

7 bits 1 bit 8 bits

0°

60°

30°

0°

10

20

30

30

30 20 2010 20 30

20

10

330°

300°

270°

240°

210°180°

150°

120°

OMINI NON-BEAMFORMING

0

30

60

90

120

150

180

210

240

270

300

330

C1

C2

4 ANTENNA ELEMENTSBEAMFORMING TO CLIENT 1

0

30

60

90

120

150

180

210

240

270

300

330

C1C2

4 ANTENNA ELEMENTSBEAMFORMING TO CLIENT 2

MCS INDEX MODULATION CODING 20 MHz 40 MHz 80 MHz 160 MHz 0 BPSK 1/2 7.2 15.0 32.5 65.0 1 QPSK 1/2 14.4 30.0 65.0 130.0 2 QPSK 3/4 21.7 45.0 97.5 195.0 3 16-QAM 1/2 28.9 60.0 130.0 260.0 4 16-QAM 3/4 43.3 90.0 195.0 390.0 5 64-QAM 2/3 57.8 120.0 260.0 520.0 6 64-QAM 3/4 65.0 135.0 292.5 585.0 7 64-QAM 5/6 72.2 150.0 325.0 650.0 8 256-QAM 3/4 86.7 180.0 390.0 780.0 9 256-QAM 5/6 96.3 200.0 433.3 866.7

CHANNEL BANDWIDTH 1 SS 2 SS 3 SS 4 SS

20 MHz 802.11n (2.4 GHz) 72.2 Mbps 144.4 Mbps 216.7 Mbps 288.9 Mbps

40 MHz 802.11n (2.4/5 GHz) 150 Mbps 300 Mbps 450 Mbps 600 Mbps

80 MHz 802.11ac (5 GHz) 433 Mbps 867 Mbps 1300 Mbps 1733 Mbps

160 MHz 802.11ac (5 GHz) 867 Mbps 1733 Mbps 2600 Mbps 3467 Mbps

* Data rates may vary depending on client availability.

802.11ac Wave 1 products, certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) since mid-2013, deliver a gigabit Wi-Fi network with the maximum data rate of 1.3 Gbps. With 4 spatial stream clients operating in 80 MHz channels, the new 802.11ac Wave 2 technology increases the data rate by 30% to 1.7 Gbps.

INCREASED DATA RATES

802.11ac PHYSICAL LAYER FRAME

* * *