Artificial Intelligence? Wi-Fi Assurance? Bluetooth Location? Automation through APIs?
We at Mist obviously have our own thoughts, but we wanted to hear from the experts. So, we posed this question to some of the top analysts, bloggers, end users, solution providers, and investors. (Thanks to everyone who participated. Feeling left out? Tweet your thoughts to #nextgenwireless)
Here’s what they said:
Nolan Greene
Sr. Research Analyst, Network Infrastructure, IDC
@NGreeneIDC
As WLAN becomes the foundation of business operations and customer engagement in the digital enterprise, I expect that WLAN platforms will evolve to function as turnkey business portals. APIs will enable new levels of business application integration with the WLAN and cloud capabilities will power ease of management and the ability to leverage analytics from the network and business applications to improve WLAN performance and further business objectives.
Zeus Kerravala
Founder and Principal Analyst, ZK Research
@zkerravala
I think that next big thing in wireless LAN is contextual services driven by machine learning. There is a tremendous amount of data being generated on wifi networks today from APs, IoT and beacons. Businesses can create competitive differentiation by analyzing this data and using machine learning to gain new insights.
Long term, businesses will combine this information with data from other applications like unified communications, CRM systems and other vertical apps to create highly personalized services that will change the way they interact with customers and employees.
While this type of “minority report” like service is still a number of years away, companies can get started by harnessing the potential in the data gathered on the wifi network today.
Bryan Totten
IT – Mobility Architect, Mission Health System
LinkedIn
I believe we are in the early phase of a significant transformational change to the wireless platform space. We are seeing how data collection and machine learning are being leveraged to provide wireless client assurance. Today, many tools fall short, as they only validate the wireless infrastructure health, and not the wireless client’s health. I believe client assurance will likely increase confidence in wireless technology allowing the migration of even more devices onto the wireless network. This is an exciting time!
Matt Howard
Managing Partner, Norwest Venture Partners
@mattdhoward
Bluetooth will evolve beyond a consumer tool to an enterprise-grade solution that powers security, wayfinding, authentication and building access. Eventually, we’ll see the fusion of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which will create an experience that’s faster, safer and easier to use than ever before.
Arif Janmohamed
Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners
@arifj
The self-driving network. Just as cloud computing and artificial intelligence have transformed the automotive, robotics, and online search industries, we will soon see these changes affect the network. Why can’t the network predict issues, proactively fix itself and deliver a highly personalized and optimized experience for an individual?
Rowell Dionicio
Managing Director, Packet6
@rowelldionicio
The next big thing or feature I’d like to see in future wireless LAN platforms is a focus on user experience through detailed statistics compiled from devices. It would require cooperation between the wireless LAN system and devices. And through extensive hooks or APIs, be able to massage that data to acquire information freely to help businesses and engineers enhance the wireless experience.
Travis A. Tangeman
Founder and CTO, HarborLink Network, Ltd.
@wifiguy
I think the future of wireless platforms will be the homogenization of disparate data that travels through various frequencies and standards, enabling useful IoT, location, communication, analytics, and network information to then be disseminated to different management applications and reporting engines.
C.J. Mathias
Principal, Farpoint Group
LinkedIn
If, like me, you like to sit in a window seat in an exit row when you fly, if for no other reason than to gain a few more inches of precious legroom, you’ve probably glanced out the window and noticed the various control surfaces on the wings moving subtly, or not, synchronized or not, and continually. I’m sure most people would assume that the pilots are feverishly working the levers and knobs in the cockpit, with us consequently experiencing a truly remarkable visual ballet and a smoother flight.
But, of course – we’re techies. We know better. All that motion isn’t the result of pilots at all. Instead, we’re seeing dozens of microprocessors and millions of lines of code optimizing numerous operational variables, saving fuel, and, yes, also yielding that smoother flight. The truth is that modern aircraft know how to fly all by themselves – the pilots tell the aircraft what to do in fairly broad stokes (let’s go to Hawaii!), but the planes themselves figure out the best way to do that moment by moment. Autopilot systems are today sophisticated to the point of miraculous.
So, then – we need to think of modern networks, wireless and otherwise (but, then, is there really an “otherwise” anymore?), in exactly the same fashion. By analogy, today’s network managers and operators are like aircraft pilots – they specify what to do and the constraints under which networks comply. We call this policy, and it’s an abstraction that’s a lot easier than, say, digging into innumerable low-level details. Yes, I know many network pros still like to program routers at the CLI level. And some people also like to boil water for a bath over an open flame. Neither is productive and both are fraught with potential very-negative consequences. There must be a better way, and there is.
We’re on the verge of a real paradigm shift in network operations. Yes, we have robust, flexible, comprehensive, and capable management consoles. And we’re starting to reap the benefits of analytics, a set of tools and techniques that can find meaning and value in the mountains of operational data generated by networks that mere-mortal humans could never comprehend, even if they had the time to do so. Analytics can spot trends and patterns that otherwise might remain invisible – at least until they ruin some network manager’s weekend.
Now – imagine what will happen when we create a feedback loop between analytics and management (and maybe also SDN control functions). By simple analogy, most enterprise-class Wi-Fi solutions today can automatically set (and re-set) transmit power levels and channel assignments to tune an installation more accurately and efficiently than any human ever could. Imagine if every operational variable could be tuned in a similar manner by automatically (and continually) starting from a policy definition and considering, evaluating, and utilizing all that information provided by analytics. Yes, this is a form of artificial intelligence – and perhaps one of its most valuable instantiations. We’ll have networks that, given the definition of various aspects of operational policy, automatically configure, optimize, and troubleshoot themselves, and network operations staffs will get an (occasional, anyway) weekend off. Watch for this – it will take a few years to fully blossom (how long did it take to develop the avionics systems of today, after all?), but it will. Network operations – as easy a flying a plane. Bet you didn’t see that coming!
I’m also hoping for deterministic client association and roaming. Oh, and world peace.
Dan Conde
Cloud and network infrastructure analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group, Inc.
@dconde_esg
Wireless LAN platforms have moved beyond plain connectivity for mobile devices. Areas that used to be hot, like frequencies, bandwidth are still relevant, but it’s tablestakes as most vendors have reasonable systems.
The issue is that we need to look at the high level applications and use-cases that are relevant for WiFi rollouts. One such area is end-user analytics and security. Enterprises ranging from retail, casinos or hospitality can glean data from the ubiquitous mobile devices we all carry and can create a better end-user experience (with proper respect for privacy) An example is a popular casino in Las Vegas that I met — they want to identify customers and give suggestions without interrogating them. If you know who they are, they can act as a helpful concierge.
Enterprises can also respect the ability of wireless LAN to be THE main access method for most campus or remote offices. So if that is the main way we connect to the network, then it will be main way end-user devices get infected or data is stolen. So the application layer that works with wireless LAN platform to ensure better security is critical.
Mitch Dickey
Senior Network Engineer, Loudoun County Public Schools
@Badger_Fi
There are many new and exciting things coming down the 802.11 pipe in the near future. Currently, the 802.11ax amendment is likely to be the most anticipated new feature in the WLAN arena. With increased throughput per user in busy areas advertised at 4x better than the current 802.11ac offering, 802.11ax “sounds” amazing! The new 802.11ax standard will introduce MCS 10 -11, 1024 QAM, and tout top speeds of almost 7 Gbps! These all sound amazing on paper but will likely be mostly unrealistic in “real-world” environments. Just like its predecessor, 802.11ax also boasts increased battery life and power management on client devices, both which are a byproduct of faster and more efficient access to the channel. This is a very quick and lite summarization of 802.11ax, touching on very few of its features. Even with this abbreviated but lofty list of 802.11ax’s features, the new amendment is sure to bring an equally sized list of real world improvements in comparison to the current amendment.
Since the inception of the 802.11 standard in 1997, wireless network access has improved DRAMATICALLY! Each time something new and exciting is released I am reminded of a statement from one of my college professors. He simply stated that a good engineer will make sure that his current “technology” (used loosely here to encompass the many aspects of the industry) is in good working order before implementing ANYTHING new to the environment. I remember very vividly when he stated this. At the time I doubt that I totally understood what he was saying but for some reason I remember it often now.
Even though there are many new and exciting features coming to soon, I think it is important for us to remember that our focus should be on providing excellent networks and service with current features, all while keeping our eye on approaching new advancements. We often have to adjust to our environment for any number of things but it should always be our goal to offer high reliability and service with whatever we currently have in production.