Wireless LAN (WLAN) basics
Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11) is well suited for monitoring, configuration and data acquisition, but can also be used for time-critical transmissions in the same applications. In addition, the built-in roaming functionality is useful for factory automation applications with mobile machines and vehicles.
WLAN technology features
- In the 2.4 GHz band, the typical range is 200 m; up to 500 meters in clear line-of-sight (LOS).
- In the 5 GHz band (802.11a), the range is around 50 meters; up to 150 meters with a clear line of sight.
- Obstacles and interference can significantly reduce the range.
- Data throughput of 11 to 54 Mbit/s gross (~ 5 to 25 Mbit/s net) for IEEE 802.11b/g and 300 Mbit/s gross (~ 70 Mbit/s net) for IEEE 802.11n.
- Security standards: WEP, WPA, WPA2, TKIP and PSK EAP.
- IEEE 802.11a operates in the 5 GHz band and offers 19 non-overlapping channels.
The difference between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WLAN
As the use of wireless technologies in the 2.4 GHz band increases, interference problems can occur. To ensure that the wireless solution is robust and reliable, companies often use the 2.4 GHz band for office/IT and the 5 GHz band for manufacturing and M2M communication.
WLAN devices according to IEEE 802.11b/g use the 2.4 GHz frequency band (2.412 - 2.472 GHz) and devices according to IEEE802.11a use the 5 GHz frequency band (5.180 - 5.825 GHz).
IEEE 802.11n devices can be used in the following frequency bands:
- The 2.4 GHz ISM band offers 13 overlapping channels evenly distributed across the frequencies, as well as a 14th channel (with the center frequency of 2.484 GHz) in Japan. This leaves only three non-overlapping channels available. In addition, it is not advisable to use the 2.4 GHz band in environments where microwaves are used (e.g. for vulcanizing rubber, drying wood or accelerating chemical processes).
- The 5 GHz ISM band is divided into sub-bands called U-NII (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) bands, usually referred to as U-NII-1, U-NII-2, U-NII-2e and U-NII-3, with U-NII-3 not being available worldwide. This results in a total of 23 non-overlapping channels, four of which are subject to location-dependent restrictions.
The new IEEE 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 standard
Super Power Dual Band WLAN solution
The new IEEE 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 standard offers high-speed transmission. The maximum wireless speed in the 2.4 GHz band is up to 574 Mbps (11AXG_GHE40) and in the 5 GHz band up to 1201 Mbps (11AXA_AHE80). Both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless connections can also be used simultaneously.
Maximum performance and reliability in the 5 GHz band
If the IEEE 802.11 ax Wi-Fi 6 standard is used purely in the 5 GHz band, up to 2400 Mbps (8 channels) are possible with appropriate channel bundling. The large number of channels in the 5 GHz band helps with the management of different networks and ensures less interference, especially in the case of channel bundling.
Advantages of MU-MIMO, OFDMA, seamless roaming, beamforming and BSS coloring
A WiFi 6 access point can be installed in many areas such as factory floors, machinery and equipment, as OFDMA, a multi-user version of OFDM, allows APs to communicate with multiple clients simultaneously (uplink and downlink) by assigning subsets of subcarriers, called Resource Units (RUs), to each client.
With MU-MIMO and Seamless Roaming technologies, it provides a better Wi-Fi user experience and reduces the likelihood of connection failure when moving from one Wi-Fi network to another, taking into account the data rate needs of different subscribers.
Beamforming improves your Wi-Fi signal when you are far away from your industrial AP.
BSS Coloring is a numerical identifier for the BSS. 802.11ax radios are able to distinguish between BSS by color coding when other subscribers are transmitting on the same channel.
These technologies can also solve problems with Wi-Fi connections under difficult conditions (many other WLAN networks).
OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) Advantages
- Helps to transmit small and large packets together to reduce bandwidth load and improve data transmission performance.
- Simultaneous transmission of data can effectively reduce the transmission delay of longer frames and slow transmissions.
- Improves overall traffic quality and effectively utilizes bandwidth in an environment where multiple people use the Internet.
- Increases the number of devices that can be connected to the AP.
- Reduces the power consumption of the device by utilizing low bandwidth.
Beamforming
Beamforming improves your Wi-Fi signal when you are far away from your Industrial 802.11ax Wireless AP. When you use beamforming, Wi-Fi beamforming narrows the focus of the Industrial 802.11ax Wireless AP signal and sends it directly to your devices in a straight line, minimizing interference to the surrounding signal and increasing signal strength, which ultimately brings you the following benefits:
- Expand Wi-Fi coverage
- More stable Wi-Fi connection
- Better Wi-Fi throughput
- Reduce interference
BSS Coloring
WLAN subscribers are often located in the area of overlapping WLAN APs. A numerical identifier for the WLAN affiliation (Basic Service Set) is added to 802.11ax telegrams. 802.11ax subscribers can distinguish between BSSs using the BSS color identifier; if other subscribers are transmitting on the same channel and the color is the same, this is considered an intra-BSS frame transmission. In other words, the transmitting subscriber belongs to the same BSS as the receiver. If the detected frame has a different BSS color than its own, the subscriber considers this packet as a transmission from a foreign network (overlapping BSS).
Next-generation WPA3 security for your WLAN solution
Wi-Fi Protected Access version 3 is the next generation of Wi-Fi security technology, offering the most advanced security protocol on the market. WPA3 uses a 192-bit (AES 256) key length in Enterprise mode and at least 128-bit (AES 128) in Personal mode.
The "Simultaneous Authentication of Equals" encryption method prevents dictionary attacks, for example.
In contrast to WPA2, WPA3 prevents possible attacks on WLAN management telegrams with the help of Protected Management Frames (PMF), for example.
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