5 things your switching infrastructure needs to support Wi-Fi 6

Businesses today need more powerful, consistent wireless networks to support IoT and bandwidth-hungry apps like voice and video.Wi-Fi 6，也称为802.11ax，承诺更快的速度，更可靠的连接，以及支持每个接入点的更多设备的能力。

But with the enhanced capabilities of Wi-Fi 6 come greater pressure on enterprise networks. By achieving speeds of up to four times faster than previous standards,Wi-Fi 6 will push more bandwidth to wired networks than ever before—and legacy switching platforms will not withstand the challenge.

这些是当今企业面临的艰难事实：

• Wi-Fi 6 rolloutsare already ramping up(1)
• 超过10亿Wi-Fi 6芯片组预计将于2022（2）
• Features of legacy networks, like separately managing Wi-Fi,导致成本增加，extra equipment, and inefficiencies.(3)

As your business moves to a next-gen switching infrastructure to support Wi-Fi 6, keep these five essential features in mind.

Feature #1:Wire speed and VOQ
网络仅作为最慢的组件快速。没有正确的性能和有线网络的能力，转向Wi-Fi 6是不可行的。许多旧交换机遭受线路封路，这限制了每个端口的吞吐量，两时间和底线。

Look for switches that have a non-blocking architecture with virtual output queuing (VOQ) and wire speed performance. While common in data center switches, such capabilities will also be critical for campus or edge networks with high-density Wi-Fi 6 deployments in order to:

• Prevent head-of-line blocking通过优化流量流过交换机
• 实现最大性能on every port

功能＃2：Multi-gig Ethernet
通过提供比其802.11ac前身的速度更高的速度，Wi-Fi 6的支持将需要有线基础设施，容量更大。重新布线网络基础设施是耗时和昂贵的，需要对材料和劳动力的大量成本，以及业务扰乱停机时间的费用。

Keep costs down, limit business disruptions, and future proof your next-gen wired investment by looking for switches that offermulti-gigabit Etherneton each port. Also, by auto-negotiating the Ethernet link can settle into the highest speed possible on a given cable configuration and support data rates of 1, 2.5, 5, and even 10Gbps.

Feature #3:模块化，灵活的上行链路
Your campus network may only require 10GbE uplinks at the access and aggregation layers today. But what happens if Wi-Fi 6, IoT, and other digital technologies force you to scale up to 25 or even 50GbE uplinks in the near future?

Invest in solutions that provide模块化，灵活的上行链路帮助提高现有开关港口的吞吐量。So rather than purchasing and replacing existing modules, all that’s required is a simple configuration change and a new transceiver.

Feature #4:Always-on PoE
ReliablePower over Ethernet (PoE)is non-negotiable for any enterprise deploying power-hungry IoT devices and Wi-Fi 6. For nearly two decades, PoE has helped enterprises save dramatically on cabling costs, connecting and powering low-voltage devices, and delivering both data signals and electrical power in a single cable.

For modernized wired networks, always-on PoE ensures that Wi-Fi 6 access points and other critical devices remain powered, even during scheduled reboots or firmware upgrades. Also key for modern networks is dynamically monitoring and allocating PoE consumption as well as using modular power supplies that help increase available PoE power without costly hardware replacements.

Feature #5:动态分割

By 2023, more than 30% of enterprise networks will implement a virtual segmentation strategy, up from fewer than 1% in 2019.(4)

Many Wi-Fi 6 access points will become a de-facto platform for IoT, eliminating the need to purchase and manage separate gateways. However, securing IoT devices and the associated traffic will still be a veritable nightmare for IT teams that continue to rely on VLANs, ACLs, and other traditional, static configurations.

By contrast,动态分割简化网络安全性。动态分割使其可以轻松地通过自动应用和执行跨无线基础架构的角色和设备的策略来保护与Wi-Fi 6相关联的IOT和移动计划。例如，可以将启用的IOT安全摄像机分配了仅将其流量限制为特定服务器的角色，从而消除了恶意演员可以在网络上传播的机会。

部署未来工程的交换基础架构
A switch today is more than just a port for wired connectivity—it’s the aggregation point of business-critical wired and wireless IoT traffic.

现代化的交换基础架构可以为您的企业提供高带宽，电源，可用性和高级安全性，您需要处理Wi-Fi 6和其他下一代技术的不可预测的需求。

Make your network future-ready with Aruba switching solutions.

Sources:
（1）宽带技术报告，“看看Wi-Fi 6”2019年1月“。
(2) Broadband Technology Report, “A Look Under the Hood of Wi-Fi 6” January 2019.
(3)Gartner识别5次成本优化策略，新闻稿，2019年6月
(4) Zimmerman, Tim, “Segmentation or Isolation: Implementing Best Practices for Connecting ‘All’ Devices," Gartner, Oct. 2019.