Xirrus Announces the First Wi-Fi Platform with 802.11ac Wave 2 Migration

Xirrus has announced a new series of 802.11ac Wave 1 solutions that will be fully upgradeable to Wave 2, according to IT Business Net. While Wave 1 solutions have a maximum speed of over 1 Gbps, Wave 2 802.11ac access points are expected to have over 3 Gbps capability. Wave 2 is expected to begin shipping in 2015. Adding pressure is the projection that by the end of 2014 almost half of new wi-fi devices shipped will boast the 802.11ac standard. This situation puts enterprise IT and CIOs in a bind. Do they wait to upgrade to 802.11ac in 2015 when Wave 2 ships and risk falling behind their competitors who make the jump earlier? Or do they get on the AC bandwagon now, but risk being stuck at Wave 1 level capability while everyone else has triple the speed less than two years later?

Gartner Report author Tim Zimmerman sums up the dilemma in his advice for companies considering AC:

“Evaluate if your business requirements truly call for Wave 1 802.11ac, because moving to Wave 2 requires a new radio module. This is especially important because we expect Wave 2 will be available less than 24 months after the debut of Wave 1 (by 1Q16).”

Xirrus aims to solve this dilemma another way. Taking advantage of the modularity of Xirrus’ arrays, each of which contains anywhere from 2 to 16 access points, Xirrus announcement  that their Wave 1 radios can be easily upgraded to Wave 2 allows enterprises to invest in solutions now without worrying about getting locked in to the older standard when something new comes out in a year or two.

In the words of Shane Buckley, CEO at Xirrus:

“We created a path to enable organizations to deploy a single wireless network platform with complete flexibility to transition technology at their own pace. Organizations can deploy an 802.11ac-compatible wireless network today, with no risk that they’ll miss out on Wave 2 or be locked into outdated technology during a five or more year investment lifecycle. Our customer-focused approach to 802.11ac migration contributed to our placement in the ‘Visionaries’ quadrant in the recently-released Gartner ‘Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure.'”

Even better for those considering Xirrus and AC, Xirrus is offering its 802.11ac Wave 1 solution at the same price as its 802.11n solution.

Visionary indeed, Shane. Visionary indeed.

For the original press release from Xirrus, click here.