With 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks largely being considered legacy, wireless designs focusing only on 5GHz coverage are fast becoming the default. This is not really a new phenomenon, enterprise wireless design has been focused around 5GHz coverage for some years now, with secondary 2.4GHz coverage only for support of older devices. Today however, we see large venues and enterprises dropping support for 2.4GHz altogether. A number of manufacturers offer (and have for some time) the ability to configure an AP into dual-5GHz operation. Being able to change the (now unused) 2.4GHz radio into 5GHz mode provides additional 5GHz capacity without the need for additional APs. Today we examine some of the design options offered by dual-5GHz APs, along with some pros, cons, and caveats.
Continue reading “Dual 5GHz design”