6G and 7G

Details here, but the fun quote:

Interestingly, researchers in China say that this vision of 6G is the end of the line in terms of major platform upgrades and that there will never be a 7G. After 6G the goal over time will be to improve the performance of the various aspects of the technologies involved. Apparently, the Chinese have never met any AT&T and Verizon marketing staff.

And 640K is all anyone will every need.

Home Network - Part 2

So that change didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped... turns out the latest firmware for the ASUS RT-AC3200 has a 2.4 GHz bug. It took me a long time to figure out that was the problem.

I noticed the issue on some of my IoT devices and my wife's hand-me-down laptop. I assumed it was a problem with the devices. Basically, I kept getting a bad password error. I ended up trying a lot of different things - laptop driver update, deleting all the network settings, resetting the IoT devices to their default config, changing the SSID, etc.

It wasn't until I realized I was having the problem on my laptop and my iPhone 8 that I started thinking the router was the issue. Originally I had those devices configured to use 5 GHz only, so they never experienced the problem. After a short search, I found this thread: 2.4GHz band issues with RT-AC3200 firmware 3.0.0.4.382_50010. Bingo! That was exactly my problem. I rolled back to an older firmware version and everything has been working like a champ.

On a happier note, I returned my Comcast cable modem, since I had purchased the NETGEAR CM500-1AZNAS. I walked in the retail store, they scanned the label on the modem, and printed a receipt. It took less than 30 seconds. Perfect!

For an upcoming post, I may list all the devices I have connected and note which ones were easy to migrate to the new SSID. (Spoiler Alert - the inexpensive Smart Plugs I bought have some horribly written instructions.)

Home Network

I mentioned I was changing my network at home - getting my own cable modem (NETGEAR CM500-1AZNAS) and trying to decide what to do for wireless. I ended up ordering the ASUS RT-AC3200.

The specs look great and I'm optimistic that I can move it to a slightly more central location. The combination of the two changes should get me great coverage throughout the house. (And, if that's not perfect, I could look at the ASUS mesh networking - AiMesh.)

Also, I'm a fan the WRT software and like the ASUSWRT version as well. You can play around with an on-line demo of the software here.

Hopefully I can get everything moved to the new setup over the week-end. I already announced a scheduled network maintenance/outage for Sunday. Guess folks may have to read a book or something for a few minutes.

Color Printing

I like my monochrome Brother printer. It was cheap. It works well. It has wireless, so I can put it anywhere. I don't have to take out a loan when I buy more toner. It's a laser, so my infrequent printing doesn't result in the discovery of a dried up ink cartridge. This is a current model ($80) of what I bought a few years back.

I don't really need a color printer, but I'd be tempted by the Brother offering at $210. What's totally crazy about this printer is the Amazon Dash integration:

"Upon activation, the Amazon Dash Replenishment service measures the toner level and automatically orders toner from Amazon when low. This ensures that you never run out again."

PSA: Wi-Fi

Seeing another deal on an Alexa enabled plug - $12 with code 7FRQNW4M. This is one is a little different in that it includes energy monitoring/tracking.
Which leads to my public service announcement for the day...

I've been snagging all these Alexa enabled devices and one thing they seem to have in common is that they only use 2.4 GHz. This is the crappy, crowded, interference ridden, only 3 non-overlapping channels band. That's bad, but workable (generally the range is better), so not the end of the world. But, as a general rule, make sure all your important devices (Smart TV, streaming devices, laptops, etc.) are using 5 GHz.

Deal via Kinja Deals.

Asus Mesh

Pretty cool... Asus is extending the life of their older wireless routers by letting you turn them into mesh access points.

(You can pick up a refurb Asus 1900 for $48.)

Wireless - Truth

I am a Comcast customer, so I have installed their certificate that lets me easily connect to their hot spots that are almost ubiquitous. The downside is the marginal associations to a network that aren't actually usable.

SSID Ideas

Need a new SSID? Here is a small list a friend shared on FaceBook. I think from @nixcraft pic.twitter.com/8AcVDvZnLa

— Darrell DeRosia (@Darrell_DeRosia) June 30, 2016

Via @amyengineer

Color Laser Printer

I don't print a lot, but I've been very happy with my Brother HL-2170W Laser Printer (Wireless and Wired) that I got for less than $100. It looks like they aren't making it anymore, but others recommend the Samsung SL-M2825DW/XAC Wireless Monochrome Printer. It was also around $100, but is about $150 now.

Which means when I'm in the market for a new laser printer, I will be able to consider something like the Xerox Phaser 6022/NI Wireless Color Photo Printer for around $150.

Toner cost will be an issue, but for as little as I print, it won't be a huge factor for me.

Google OnHub Wireless Router

Interesting...

Google is releasing their own wireless router: OnHub Wireless Router from Google and TP-LINK.

Specs here. Of note, it is 802.15.4 compliant and has Bluetooth. The wireless specs standout as well.

2.4 GHz wireless	802.11b/g/n 3x3 with smart antenna
5 GHz wireless	802.11a/n/ac 3x3 with smart antenna
AUX wireless	802.11a/b/g/n/ac 1x1

AUX wireless?

Google definitely wants to be in your home.

IoT: Neo Smart Jar

So there was the crockpot and now there are smart jars. I don't see them getting much traction at $99 for a pair.

Via The Blaze.

Skynet Begins

Internet enabled... crock-pot.

A Solution for Hans

If he decides to move away from Intermod Alley, he could go to West Virginia.

Li-Fi and NLOS Lightwaves

Tangentially related...

Near Line of Sight (NLOS) Lightwave experiments

And Li-Fi:

WarSting

WarSting: A Wi-Fi scanning sword for Hobbits:




Via Slashdot.org

The Joys of Wireless Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting wireless can be hard. Where I am working, we have to deal with loads that vary with the day and with the season. Couple those variables with everything that happens in the air and it can lead to plenty of headaches. I've ordered some pineapples to compensate.

CWNP: 802.11 MAC Headers

A good breakdown of 802.11 MAC headers via Aruba.

Intel Wireless AC 7260 Update

So I was having a problem with my Intel AC 7260 wireless card using the VHT (802.11ac) mode. I would get better performance by forcing it to HT (802.11n). We updated to AOS 6.3.1.13 on the controllers/access points and I am getting much better results on VHT now. I cannot say if the problem is with Intel or Aruba, but clearly the mix was limiting my performance.


New results with VHT

Client connecting to server, TCP port 5001

TCP window size:  512 KByte

------------------------------------------------------------

[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth

[  4]  0.0- 2.0 sec  35.2 MBytes   148 Mbits/sec

[  4]  2.0- 4.0 sec  34.2 MBytes   144 Mbits/sec

[  4]  4.0- 6.0 sec  34.6 MBytes   145 Mbits/sec

[  4]  6.0- 8.0 sec  34.4 MBytes   144 Mbits/sec

[  4]  8.0-10.0 sec  34.8 MBytes   146 Mbits/sec

[  4]  0.0-10.0 sec   173 MBytes   145 Mbits/sec

[  4]  0.0- 2.0 sec  32.6 MBytes   137 Mbits/sec

[  4]  2.0- 4.0 sec  36.0 MBytes   151 Mbits/sec

[  4]  4.0- 6.0 sec  36.0 MBytes   151 Mbits/sec

[  4]  6.0- 8.0 sec  37.5 MBytes   157 Mbits/sec

[  4]  8.0-10.0 sec  34.0 MBytes   143 Mbits/sec

[  4]  0.0-10.0 sec   177 MBytes   148 Mbits/sec

Old results with VHT

Client connecting to server, TCP port 5001

TCP window size:  512 KByte

------------------------------------------------------------

[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth

[  4]  0.0- 2.0 sec  24.0 MBytes   101 Mbits/sec

[  4]  2.0- 4.0 sec  24.1 MBytes   101 Mbits/sec

[  4]  4.0- 6.0 sec  30.2 MBytes   127 Mbits/sec

[  4]  6.0- 8.0 sec  30.8 MBytes   129 Mbits/sec

[  4]  8.0-10.0 sec  28.1 MBytes   118 Mbits/sec

[  4]  0.0-10.0 sec   137 MBytes   115 Mbits/sec

[  4]  0.0- 2.0 sec  6.67 MBytes  28.0 Mbits/sec

[  4]  2.0- 4.0 sec  6.87 MBytes  28.8 Mbits/sec

[  4]  4.0- 6.0 sec  4.33 MBytes  18.2 Mbits/sec

[  4]  6.0- 8.0 sec  6.17 MBytes  25.9 Mbits/sec

[  4]  8.0-10.0 sec  6.05 MBytes  25.4 Mbits/sec

[  4]  0.0-10.1 sec  30.4 MBytes  25.2 Mbits/sec

Speettest.net results are better now, too.

Eduroam

I've recently learned about the Eduroam service and I must say it is a cool idea. Basically, a bunch of schools got together to allow wireless access at each other's locations:

"The eduroam initiative started in 2003 within TERENA's Task Force on Mobility, TF-Mobility. The task force created a test bed to demonstrate the feasibility of combining a RADIUS-based infrastructure with 802.1X standard technology to provide roaming network access across research and education networks. The initial test was conducted among five institutions located in the Netherlands, Finland, Portugal, Croatia and the UK. Later, other national research and education networking organisations in Europe embraced the idea and gradually started joining the infrastructure, which was then named eduroam. 

eduroam allows any eduroam-enabled user to get network access at any institution connected to eduroam."

So say, I was a student at the University of Tennessee here in Knoxville. If I were to visit London, I would be able to connect to the LSE's (and many other's) wireless network. That's pretty slick.

CWNP: CWTS - Service Sets

My study guide/notes... my definitions may not be perfect, but they help me with concepts.

Service Set (SS) - all the devices connected to a wireless LAN.

Basis Service Set (BSS) - a single access point and all of its connected devices

Independent BSS / Ad Hoc / Peer-to-peer - devices talk to each other without a central authority like an access point

Infrastructure BSS - an access point that connects to a larger distribution network

Extended Service Set (ESS) - a collection of BSS that are working together to provide wireless service in an area

Basis Service Set Identification (BSSID) - the MAC address of the access point

Service Set Identifier (SSID) - the unique identifier for a BSS or ESS, what we commonly call the name of the wireless network