With the rapid growth in not only the number of wireless devices being used, but also the amount of content being transmitted by each device, networks are more taxed than ever by increasing bandwidth demand.

This growing demand is why the IEEE is working to advance wireless standards. The current standard, 802.11ac, is being rolled out in waves. By wave 4, each wireless access point (WAP) will be able to transmit up to 6.9Gbps back to the IDF. You’d need seven 1Gbps Category 6 cables to move that much IP traffic. That’s why we recommend Category 6A for wireless.

And what about the next generation of wireless? As 802.11ac continues to roll out, IEEE 802.3ax is being developed in the background, with a goal of at least 4X more bandwidth than 802.11ac can deliver – an estimated 30Gbps delivered back to the IDF.

Will your network be able to manage that bandwidth demand?

To prepare for future bandwidth demand, Berk-Tek recommends installing a minimum of two Category 6A LANmark-XTP cables to each WAP.

LANmark-XTP: The only choice for 802.11ac wireless

  • Designed to manage the performance of voice, video, data and power at 10 Gigabit Ethernet speeds
  • Built-in Cross-Talk (XTP) shielding technology for error-free performance that exceeds the Cat 6A standard
  • Discontinuous foil shield means no bonding or grounding is needed