What is PowerZoning™

WiF3-powered access points enable 22dB of transmit power control per channel and 40dB of total dynamic range across all three channels in 2.4Ghz and . The ability to control the transmit power enables our proprietary PowerZoning technology. Through PowerZoning, network managers, operators and service providers can create “signal-to-noise (SNR) bands” on a per channel basis, to increase the bandwidth density of a given area, while minimizing interference between access points throughout the network.

aera access points with WiFi3 radio architecture enable applications and capabilities that are not possible on all other single-channel
access points.  Unique features like PowerZoning ensure aera access points deliver unmatched performance, unsurpassed security and extreme flexibility.

Why do you need PowerZoning?

Under the 802.11 IEEE standards for wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless data transfer rates are determined by a user’s proximity to the nearest access point (AP). The further away you are from the AP, the slower your data throughput will be. If a device is right beside an AP that device should have a great association however it can only associate at the same rate as the slowest user on the same access point.

This issue is manageable with the application of traffic management software in scenarios where only a handful of users or devices are connected to WiFi.  In modern WiFi networks, this is rarely the case. More typically and every increasingly, we are seeing the densification of WLAN networks what the industry now calls High Density Wifi, where there are multiples users and devices competing for bandwidth from a single WiFi AP.

For context, WiFi is a {contention based protocol} [1] and is {subject to the laws of physics}[2][3] and the {sometimes challenging management of radio frequency (RF) bands of the unlicensed spectrums of 2.4GHz and 5GHz in which WiFi operates.}[4] One of the issues that challenges network operators and administrators is PROXIMITY. Essentially, the WiFi network is dominated by the slowest device on the network and that slowest device is typically located the furthest from the AP. In these cases, the user getting the slowest download or transfer rate drags everyone else down to their speed. Even if almost everyone connected to a particular channel is in close proximity to the AP, one user who is far away will drag all users connected average throughput way down. Instead of 54 Mbps, everyone might get 2 or 3Mbps

Advantages achieved with WiFi3™ PowerZoning?

Until WIFi3™, standard chipsets and chip manufacturers’ reference designs only provide one channel per radio on the AP and wireless equipment manufacturers attempted to increase AP capacity by “stacking radios” to increase the number of available channels. While this technique works well in environments with a low number of users and little to no interference, even the best network planners and optimization technology are challenged to deploy a network free of adjacent (ACI) and co-channel (CCI) interference that results from provisioning multiple APs within and confined location.

Edgewater Wireless’ WiFi3™ solutions offer up to 3 channels per radio and up to 6 channels on a single (AP 3X 2.4Ghz and 3X 5Ghz), without ACI or CCI interference within the coverage area.

But how do you make the most of them to provide optimal speed to the most people? This is where the advantages only available with WiFi3™ PowerZoning can dramatically improve network performance in high-density deployments.

Let’s say you’re providing WiFi on a college campus. Picture an area with a radius of 300 feet, with an access point in the centre and several hundred students spread randomly around the space, connecting via laptops and smartphones. PowerZoning divides the WiFi radio coverage into tightly modulated zones, called power zones.

Each power zone is assigned to a different channel on the access point. In this example of the 2.4Ghz radion, there are 3 channels, so we have 3 power zones. Each channel of a multi-channel WiFi powered radio can be configured automatically or manually for Transmit Power and Association Rate.  This creates the users who are farthest away from the access point are grouped into one power zone and assigned to one channel. Users who are slightly closer to the access point are assigned to another power zone and channel, and so on.  The configuration within the access point might be something like outlined here:

In this scenario, the PowerZones are of varying size based on proximity to the AP. To provide all users with higher average data transfer rates, the zone closest to the access point (lowest Tx Power) allows for the highest Association Rate.  Then, each subsequent PowerZone is larger (higher Tx Power) but allowing only for certain, slower Association Rates.}[8]  Powerzoning in this manner will better manage the QoS of users located closer to the AP by only allowing users who can associate at higher rates to reside and remain on the fastest PowerZone.   Conversely, the farthest power zone (highest Tx Power) maintains the slowest Association Rates, to ensure users that cannot associate at higher rates reside and remain on the PowerZone designated for slower association rates.

High Density PowerZoning

Provisioning WiFi access in high-density locations becomes significantly easier for network operators. Where traditionally, deploying multiple APs requires extensive RF planning to mitigate the impact of ACI and CCI. Access points powered by WiFi3 enable providers to manage the power on each channel more effectively and have better defined channel edges that more closely resemble a cellular deployment.