When we use the internet, a slow or interrupted navigation is one of the most annoying things that can happen, isn’t it? This situation is more likely to happen on high demand scenarios, when a lot of users want to use the same network. To the people in charge of these networks, those situations can become a nightmare. Fortunately, there are solutions such as the ones that offer the Software-Defined paradigm. Don’t lose this opportunity to learn the main concepts of Software-Defined WiFi and why you should think about using it.
Due to the situation going on, it might be difficult to image the scenarios that we propose you, but try your best:
You are in a concert or enjoying a match in the stadium. Probably, you’ll want to share this moment on your social networks or text your friends to make them jealous. But you won’t be the only one doing it, there will be thousands or hundreds of people having the same idea.
Another possible situation is you being in an airport and waiting to take a flight back home for the holidays, along with several passengers. You might want to kill time surfing the internet.
Of course, in all these situations, you have the option to have a WiFi connection and probably, you’ll do it, saving your mobile data connection forfait.
Now, take the time to think about the work that these connections means to these wireless networks. With no doubt, to comply with the high demands at those situations requires the use of high performance technologies.
That’s the case of Software-Defined WiFi. Do you want to know more about it? Stay here.
What’s Software-Defined WiFi?
Software-Defined WiFi is a new paradigma about the functionalities of a wireless network. More precisely, it consists of the release of advanced abilities in analytics, safety, management and optimization for any WiFi network. A feature that has been limited by the default hardware.
How it ‘s done? The technology has a design that separates the hardware from the software. In other words, the software aspects are totally independent from the physical aspects.
Software-Defined WiFi is conceived to face the challenges that come with the fast evolution in the field of telecommunications. Among them we can find:
- The impossibility to properly respond to high demand levels, including those that can’t be predicted.
- Escalate the network faster and cheaper.
- The need to have access to more dynamic flexible and highly responsive networks.
- Properly respond to the big clients’ requirements.
- A great increase in the use of mobile devices.
- The need to virtualize the network’s devices.
- The high demand of cloud services.
- Generate analytics abilities using commercial WiFi networks.
Advantages of implementing Software-Defined WiFi in your network
The independence of the software from the hardware allows the network owner to pick among the variety of access points offered in the market, as long as they are compatible with a Software-Defined WiFi. That’s how you can get the access points that fit your needs and budget.
Furthermore, the old WiFi networks will have a longer life. The software that manage them will update the features of physical devices and add new features (location, heat maps, hacker’s recognition, people counting etc. )
The network management is automatized which improves the effectiveness, reducing timing and costs of operation. This process occurs in the control and management plans, from the cloud to the edge.
Optimizes network management in complex and high demand environments. Among them we can find malls, offices, planes, trains, buses, stations, airports, stadiums, hotels, hospitals, etc.
Solutions for the implementation of Software-Defined WiFi
The use of Software-Defined WiFi networks requires technological innovation. To achieve it, in Galgus we offer to our customers a technology known as CHT (Cognitive Hotspot Technology).
This technology consists of a software that releases the whole potential of commercial hardware WiFi. This innovation can be compared to the revolution of implementing Android on smartphones 10 years ago. It’s a multivendor software, so the managers can implement it on a large variety of access points. From a commercial point of view, Galgus designs, develops, verifies and commercializes their own APs that include the CTH technology installed and ready to be implemented anywhere.
Among the features for WiFi networks management that offers CTH we would like to point out the following ones:
- Optimizes radio resources automatically. Among them: power, channels, bandwidth, load balancing, airtime fairness, intelligent and predictive roaming, traffic management, etc.
- Reduces interferences and radiation.
- Lowers the energy use.
- Achieves location and tracking of devices and users, reducing the data distort that comes with MAC randomization on modern smartphones.
- Heat maps can be created on real time (and using historical data)
- It allows the recognition and location of malicious attacks, neutralizing or reducing the consequences.
- Offers a safe management of the information in the cloud.
In our experience, we’ve demonstrated that WiFi that uses CTH increases a 400% their performance.
So far, this quick review of the bases of an innovative technology trend that has made history on the WiFi field. In Galgus we keep working to add new features to our Software-Defined WiFi and to improve the performance of the existing features.
As a result of our work, several companies, public institutions and citizens benefit from a high quality internet connection. As an example of our work, we participated in the WiFi4EU european program.
Do you think we can help you with your connectivity? We look forward to hearing from you and discussing your case. Contact us!
