Spectrum Slicing Technology Explained
Real-time Spectrum Slicing 6-Channel Scan
Backed by 26 granted patents and implemented in custom, high-performance silicon, Edgewater’s silicon solutions are the world’s first products delivering multiple, concurrent channels of Tx & Rx from a single, Wi-Fi standards compliant radio
Spectrum Slicing allows a frequency band to be divided, or sliced, to allow more radios to operate in a given area. This capability is a signal processing technique that works at the most base network layer, the Physical layer, PHY layer, or Layer 1. Spectrum Slicing force multiplies other Wi-Fi techniques because it creates more physical channels for other Wi-Fi features higher up the stack to run upon. For example, a packet scheduling feature, running on a single channel, improves Wi-Fi traffic on that single channel. With Spectrum Slicing, that packet scheduling feature would have multiple channels to run on, therefore adding a force multiplying effect to the feature.
Think of Spectrum Slicing like moving from a single-lane road to a multi-lane highway with no changes to existing end user devices. In Wi-Fi, Spectrum Slicing allows multiple radios to operate in the same ‘band’ within the same coverage area. Packing more radios in the same coverage area requires complex engineering. More capacity, with less interference means happy Wi-Fi users.
The challenge? Reduce interference so the radios can ‘play nice’ vs swamp one another out – the problem plaguing traditional Wi-Fi architecture. Our patented signal processing techniques help the radios to ‘play nice’.
A game-changing wireless innovation, Spectrum Slicing, in Wi-Fi, can divide, or slice, ANY Wi-Fi band — from 2.4 GHz to each ISM band in 5 GHz or even the emerging 6 GHz band and future Wi-Fi bands. This allows for multiple channels of bi-directional traffic both within the same Wi-Fi band AND within the same coverage area.
Moreover, any Wi-Fi standard compliant end device can take advantage of the technology, from 802.11a to 802.11ax. Unlike legacy, single-channel standards changes which require all devices on a radio link to operate in the same standard, there is no need to replace all your end devices to benefit from the advanced Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing capabilities. Mitigating the performance degrading impacts of ACI and CCI, Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing offers a paradigm shift to reducing contention and providing the highest quality-of-service to the most users possible.
Why is Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing a big deal?
Since its inception in 1999, Wi-Fi has been one of the most wildly successful technology stories – emerging from connecting clunky PC’s in people’s basements to being found in smartphones, tablets and countless devices like set top boxes, TV’s, thermostats, lightbulbs and even watches. According to the Wireless Broadband Alliance, there are over 8 billion devices in use today and the number keeps growing.
Wi-Fi’s success is also its biggest challenge – more devices has led to wireless traffic jam.
And since its inception in 1999, the global Wi-Fi industry has been focused on ‘speed’ taking us on an incredible journey — from 20 MHz wide channels to 40 MHz to 80 MHz and now to 160 MHz wide channels – increasing the speed limit on what’s essentially a single-lane road.
All the speed in the world doesn’t help when you are stuck in traffic.
Enter Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing. A multi-lane highway for Wi-Fi — adding more PHYSICAL lanes.
Implemented in Edgewater’s high-performance silicon solutions, Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing offers a separate physical channel – not just a separate SSID or VLAN – and represents the next generation of Wi-Fi technology breaking the industry’s reliance on legacy single channel architecture.
Looking to leverage the power of Spectrum Slicing in your residential or enterprise Access Points?
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