# What you need to know about the new 802.11ac wireless standard



## ruinexplorer (Jun 20, 2013)

Cheat sheet: What you need to know about 802.11ac | TechRepublic

Here are the highlights.


> Larger bandwidth channels: Bandwidth channels are part and parcel to spread-spectrum technology. Larger channel sizes are beneficial, because they increase the rate at which data passes between two devices. 802.11n supports 20 MHz and 40 MHz channels. 802.11ac supports 20 MHz channels, 40 MHz channels, 80 MHz channels, and has optional support for 160 MHz channels.
> 
> More spatial streams: Spatial streaming is the magic behind MIMO technology, allowing multiple signals to be transmitted simultaneously from one device using different antennas. 802.11n can handle up to four streams where 802.11ac bumps the number up to eight streams.
> 
> ...



Obviously, our industry is slow to adopt. How much of our equipment is even on 802.11n? However, as we include more and more equipment into a theatrical network, we may adopt this faster.


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## Chris15 (Jun 20, 2013)

And one big thing you need to know is that it's 5GHz ONLY...


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## ruinexplorer (Jun 20, 2013)

More reading:

What 802.11ac Networking Is, And Why You Want It | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

IEEE 802.11ac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

802.11ac: The Fifth Generation of Wi-Fi Technical White Paper  [Cisco Aironet 3600 Series] - Cisco Systems

5G Wi-Fi (802.11ac) explained: It's cool | Crave - CNET

What's New in Wi-Fi: 802.11ac | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

As it gets closer, I'm sure there will be a lot more.


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