IoT, the unwieldy teen just got its drivers license

I’ve been thinking about IoT for a long, long time. I love the business cases. I love the challenges I’ve worked on, and similar to Wi-Fi, I love the wireless nature of many protocols and solutions.

As much as I love IoT, I recognize that it has been an awkward teenager for the last decade; temperamental, immature, and challenging to manage. However, there are signs that IoT may be ready to grow up, and we should all prepare.

Here are a few developments that give me hope:

• Google, Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and many other manufacturers have united around Matter, a networking stack that includes 802.15.4, 6LoWPAN, and Thread.
• The Zigbee Alliance became the Connectivity Standards Alliance, focusing on the development of Matter. (eschewing the Zigbee protocol for Thread)
• Many AP manufacturers have included 802.15.4 radios in their APs. How many customers already have total 802.15.4 IoT coverage and are unaware of it?

Before we go further, let’s address the elephant in the room. Matter is in development by companies interested in taking over the home IoT market. What does that have to do with enterprise and industrial networks? To answer that, we need to look back at the history of Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi was a home networking technology. Very few organizations embraced the power of Wi-Fi until a few things took place:

• 1999 – Formation of Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA) – Members included Aironet, 3Com, Lucent, and Symbol. (Sound familiar?)
• July 1999- Apple releases the Airport adapter (802.11b)
• 2002 – WECA rebrands as Wi-Fi Alliance
• Jan 2003 – Apple releases the Airport Extreme (802.11g)
• March 2003 – Intel released the ‘Centrino’ branding, which included specific hardware to guarantee a consistent Wi-Fi experience for laptops.

As these announcements made it into products and homes everywhere, users began to ask their IT departments one question: “If this works so well at home, why can’t it (Wi-Fi) work in my office?”

IT departments gave a collective shrug, a collective “that won’t work; it’s too complicated to work in this environment.” and then went back to pulling three CAT5 cables to every cube and office.

But it did work…mostly.

Users bought wireless devices at their local Circuit City and proceeded to plug them in anywhere they could find an active port. The thing was, it was business leaders who were assigned laptops, so when IT showed up to reprimand them for installing an unapproved device, the leaders decided it was time for IT to take on a new role: wireless support.

So, what is the next step that will push us down the IoT Path?

While there are several potential ignition sources, I believe two stick out. The first is our tight labor market. When positions are left unfilled, every task and role that can be automated should be. If Operations Technology (OT) system monitoring and maintenance can be automated or supported remotely, many organizations won’t have a choice when the alternative is not completing the required tasks.

Further, the slowing economy following increased interest rates and inflation will be a significant driver. I’ve worked for manufacturing companies during those times, and let me tell you, the only way to get money for projects is to prove the project will save more cash than it burns. IoT Projects can and will fit that bill. Monitoring infrastructure to reduce downtime, workforce costs, and extend lifecycles will be huge. Reducing power consumption will be another big play.

Those tasks are precisely where IoT excels.

As Matter continues to develop, the chipsets will be cheaper; the experience will evolve; the support will mature; and yes, the unwieldy teen will learn balance, a modicum of grace, personality, and, most crucial, business sense.

Wireless IoT Standards Cheatsheet

I built this cheat sheet for my CWICP students. I want to share it with the rest of the community. I hope it is useful for you!

It is not a SPoG. It’s SPiN.

Dear Manufacturer and Vendors,

I’ve been thinking about management tools, dashboards, and ‘Single Panes of Glass’ (SPOG) a lot recently. I’ve been considering what makes them useful, how they can be improved, and what I need in them. I’ve come to a conclusion:

I hate the term ‘Single Pane of Glass’ (SPoG).Your dashboard doesn’t even come close to that promise. Instead, you have delivered SPIN: Single PAIN in (my) Network.

Before building your next dashboard and calling it a SPoG, I suggest asking yourself these questions:

1. Can my dashboard display information that exists outside of your product? None of us work on a single technology. We must work and understand more of the network or application stack. If you can’t provide basic reporting on those directly impacting layers that your product must rely on, it’s not a SPoG.
2. Can the dashboard consume or interact with the API’s of your other dashboards? I get that you might avoid integrating closely with your competitors. However, if you can’t even integrate with the other system and dashboards provided by your own company, you have failed.
3. Does the dashboard follow standard design rules and elements of all of your other dashboards and tools, or is this a one-off design that will require the average user to learn a whole new interface and the series of bugs that are sure to reveal themselves?
4. Does your API follow a similar schema to your other applications and dashboards? You do have an API, right?
5. Does your dashboard require custom licensing for each feature? If you spend more time developing licensing requirements than API’s, integration support with other products, or visibility of the other layers, it’s not a SPoG.

I get that many IT manufacturers have a vast inventory of products. I understand the question of “how much is too much information?” So, I would like to offer a few things to consider.

1. Build a common API schema standard. Force all business units to adhere to it as closely as possible.
2. Build a common aesthetic. Common menu types, common graph elements, standard filters, etc.
3. To answer the question “how much is enough information,” I also have a suggestion. When building new certification exams, the first step is a Job Tasks Analysis (JTA). That process is about defining the common knowledge, tools, and methodologies used by someone in that role. A JTA should be the FIRST step in building new monitoring and management tools. That gathered data should drive every decision regarding tools, views, or information provided by your dashboard.

NetAlly AirCheck G2 Wall Mount Charging Caddy

With each new appearance of NetAlly at Mobility Field Day, I find more value in my AirCheck G2. By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the videos of AirMapper in action, along with the new features of Link-Live. If you managed to miss it, now is a great time to catch up:

NetAlly’s Latest Presentations at Mobility Field Day 5

New Features Presentation from NetAlly at MFD5

Like many of you, I’ve made the transition to a 90% work-from-home schedule, and that transition isn’t always easy. One of the problems I have is that I don’t have enough shelf space for all of the tools we use in the Wi-Fi industry. I also don’t have a neat way of managing the charging cables and keeping them all separate.

I know some of you are already nodding in agreement.

Those problems meant that when I needed my AirCheck G2, it might not be charged and was not readily at hand. But, with the many new features NetAlly added, I always seem to need my G2!

With that in mind, I decided to remedy the situation with wall mount caddies for each tool including built-in cable keepers to manage the chargers. I also wanted to ensure that each tool maintained its functionality while inside.

Before I go any further, I should provide a few caveats:

1. I am not a professional designer; those friends who spend a lot of time designing and 3D printing will be embarrassed for me, and that’s OK!
2. The results will not be pretty, but they will be functional.
3. I welcome feedback and suggestions for improvements!
4. I offer them to the community with apologies, free-of-charge, and the hope that they will also help make your office a bit more tidy and functional.

So, I present my first 3D printed design for the community:

• 

  G2 Caddy in PrusaSlicer

• 

  G2 Caddy on Wall

You can download the STL file from Thingiverse:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4648602

Looking Ahead to MFD5: NetAlly

I love it when companies show up to Mobility Field Day each year, ready to show their latest product, updates, and ideas.

Over the last several years, NetAlly (previously NetScout) has shown up each year to show off their updates and seek feedback on where they might focus next. NetAlly has proven to be receptive to feedback and responsive as they demonstrate advances in their handheld tools.

During the last year, we’ve seen the advancement of the Etherscope nXG to a survey tool with the introduction of AirMapper. This utility allows a wireless engineer to load a floorplan through Link-Live, import it to the Etherscope nXG, and then survey a facility, carrying only a single device. Once the survey is complete, it is re-synched to Link-Live for viewing, enabling easy, fast, and remote troubleshooting.

In today’s COVID-19 climate, remote troubleshooting is a significant boon to the tool. The simplicity of AirMapper makes it easy to ship to a local resource, who, with basic instructions, can perform a survey of the facility allowing the wireless SME’s to work in more places, faster, all from their home office.

I’m excited to see the latest news for the Etherscope nXG and AirMapper.

Link-Live is another product NetAlly continues to innovate on. Last year at MFD4, they announced several enhancements, including an API. The API enables the ability to create custom reports or integrate test results into existing customer systems.

I would love to see the API enable the ability to prepopulate sites or job lists and then archive old data based on labels.

The AirCheck G2 also received updates last year at MFD4, although the focus was clearly on the Etherscope nXG. It gained Wi-Fi6 visibility for management frames and headers, the ability to upload iPerf Test results to Link-Live, and a few other features. I’m guessing we’ll see a lot more information about the AirCheck G2 this year.

Finally, I would like to throw out a few things I hope to hear more about from NetAlly.

First, there are going to be some obvious questions about 6Ghz and Wi-Fi 6E. I’m sure NetAlly is working away on future products, and I hope they can begin to talk about what 6Ghz means for them.

I made a request last year, which you can find at the 20:50 mark here:

In short, I would like the AirCheck G2 and Etherscope nXG to have port profiles for a switch applied at the push of a button. Those profiles could be implemented by a technician installing an AP or other device without providing them access to an actual CLI or GUI or knowledge of how to do so. There are a LOT of ways to implement the idea with APIs, SNMP, or even Python scripts, so I know its not an easy task. It also highly variable depending on the switch vendor, model, and OS. But, considering the great functionality NetAlly continues to add to their devices, I am sure they are up to the challenge!

Whatever NetAlly brings to MFD5, I am sure it will significantly expand the functionality of their tools and make the lives of their users easier.

What would you like to see from NetAlly at MFD5? Be sure to check out the Mobility Field Day 5!

Celona – LTE for Enterprise at MFD4

After the Mobility Field Day 4 live streams stopped, we secretly met with a secret company and were sworn to secrecy through a series of secret rituals and rites. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, but there was definitely an unannounced company at MFD4.

That company, Celona, has now gone public, and it’s finally time to talk about what this could mean for the future of mobile devices inside enterprise networks. Here’s a hint: It is exciting!

Celona’s product is a fully integrated cloud based solution for CBRS or Citizens Band Radio Service. Before we go any further, understand that CBRS has nothing to do with truckers, Smokey and the Bandit, oversized antennas or anything near 27Mhz.

Instead, CBRS uses spectrum above 3.5Ghz and LTE technology with power output of up to 1watt/Mhz EIRP allowed by the FCC. The combination of higher power and LTE could mean a much broader coverage area than is usually offered by conventional Wi-Fi.

Further, clients that are CBRS capable must meet the much stricter 3GPP standards. Those standards highlight how weak and incapable the Wi-Fi Alliance is. Most importantly, those standards remove many of the client frustrations that many wireless engineers face daily such as poor 802.11r,k,v support.

Certification is required to install CBRS equipment and is attained after completing an online course. This course from Google cost $599 for the course and online exam, which makes it accessible to most wireless engineers who may decide to expand their craft and marketable skills. The certification is required as there are licensing requirements and frequency coordination, similar to those proposed for the 6ghz band due to incumbents in the space.

The best part of CBRS is that it allows enterprise customers to take ownership of their LTE coverage and data. Celona’s solution will enable ownership of the data path from the client device through the CBRS system and on to either internally hosted systems or out to the internet.

A quick google search will bring up a slew of articles screaming, “CBRS will kill Wi-Fi.” That is hardly the case. However, there are plenty of places where CBRS will be an excellent solution. For example, areas with high roaming requirements will benefit from the LTE underpinnings. Additionally, in medical and hospital systems iPhones, which are regularly used SIM-less to ensure HIPAA and PI data protection, will be able to connect to a hospital managed and controlled CBRS system.

Celona’s role in this space is providing the cloud based management solution and hardware. It’s easy to imagine them as the Mist Systems of CBRS, and that’s not far from the truth. Their business model is especially useful in CBRS, because it doesn’t require extensive knowledge of LTE standards to configure and manage a solution.

Before Celona’s vision can become fully realized, there are a few barriers to entry. In short, we need a skilled workforce that is capable and licensed to install and manage the equipment and appropriate tools required to design and troubleshoot installations.

The tools challenge is significant. Spectrum planning and coverage design is more complicated due to frequency coordination and licensing. Spectrum Analyzers which are currently capable of checking 3.5Ghz are very expensive and each new tool comes with a learning curve.

Considering the number of devices which support Band 48 out of the box, including the new iPhone, devices are already available. Celona brings the network that enterprises can install. With the right tools and enough licensed engineers, Celona and CBRS could have a very bright future.

Check out the event page at TechFieldDay.com and let me know what you think in the comments.

Introduction to Celona and CBRS Fundamentals from Gestalt IT on Vimeo.

Mist Systems Unveils an Environmental Sensor that is also a Wi-Fi 6 AP

At Mobility Field Day 4, we heard from a few companies which are working hard to extend the capabilities of their AP’s well past only serving traditional 802.11 clients.
Mist Systems, a Juniper Company, was one such presenter, and they might have a fantastic new platform with their latest hardware, the AP43.

The idea is simple. Most campuses have AP’s covering their entire environment. In many large environments, they share that ceiling space with other types of sensors or networks. These overlay networks may include building and security sensors, Zigbee control of lights or door locks, and test sensor networks.

In many ways, Mist has been a bit ahead of this curve. Their AP’s already included an IoT port, which enabled triggering devices like door locks or sensing through a variety of GPIO sensors.

Their new AP43 is a dual 5Ghz capable 802.11ax access point. It includes 802.3bz NBASE-T port to ensure the network port never becomes a bottleneck. That port also includes 802.3bt power capabilities so that it can pass power out of its secondary port, enabling it to daisy chain any 802.3af network device. The obvious candidate here is the BT11, Mist’s BLE sensor.

Further, each AP43 includes built-in sensors to provide temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and angle/orientation. The inclusion of these sensors come with some unique engineering challenges. If Mist is successful in getting them to work appropriately, it could be a game-changer.

The biggest challenge when considering environment monitoring on an access point is heat. Anyone who has ever touched an AP that has been on for a while knows it can be hot. Thanks to the first law of thermodynamics, we know that all energy consumed by the AP that doesn’t get radiated as RF is instead transformed to heat. But that heat output isn’t consistent. It will vary based on the transmitter duty cycle or CPU load of the AP.

Additionally, that heat creates a micro-climate around the AP, which will lower the humidity percentage since warm air holds more water than cool air. Warm air is also less dense, which may affect the barometric pressure sensor.

The humidity/heat problem is further exacerbated by the fact that all water in the air is absorbing a small amount of the radiated RF power.

Finally, the ceiling can be many degrees warmer than in the same room at desk level.
These are challenges that I am sure Mist has taken into account, and the fact that they can work through them is impressive. Having environmental reporting built into the AP could make for a fantastic use case for building managers.

Moving down the list, the barometric pressure and orientation/angle sensor have some compelling use cases. By comparing atmospheric pressure among AP neighbors, Mist should be able to tell which AP’s are on the same floor in multi-floor buildings. This information could significantly impact 802.11k neighbor reports. By excluding AP’s which may be heard by the AP, but are obviously on a different floor, the chances of a client choosing a better roam candidate increases.

By comparing atmospheric pressure among AP neighbors, Mist should be able to tell which AP’s are on the same floor in multi-floor buildings. This information could significantly impact 802.11k neighbor reports.

Finally, the angle sensor can help identify AP’s mounted on a wall versus a ceiling. With that information and Mist’s ML backend, it should be able to better locate clients in RTLS environments.

These new sensors extend the AP capabilities well past the traditional use cases. Can Mist pull off the environmental monitoring? Can they adjust their neighbor report automatically based on elevation? I’m excited to play with these features in the future and get to the bottom of these answers and more.

Either way, it is clear that Mist has built the AP43 as a platform they can innovate with and I’m excited to see where they take it.

Take a look and tell me what you think:

Mist Systems Mist AI for AX – Wi-Fi 6 from Gestalt IT on Vimeo.

SD-WAN Reimagined – 128 Technology

Maybe it’s just me. I’ve always felt like SD-WAN was kludgy. Every time I listen to an explanation of how it works, I think of the picture of a mechanic putting duct tape on the wing of an aircraft while passengers sit inside awaiting departure. I imagine sitting in the window seat, watching it take place and asking the questions: “Is that really the best way to fix this problem?” “Are we trusting duct tape to hold the wing together?” and even “Shouldn’t the wing hold itself together?”

Despite having those questions, I hopped onto an aircraft and flew off to a Tech Field Day Exclusive with 128 Technology in July. After arriving, I didn’t think about duct tape once.

128 Technology is a five-year-old company focused on creating the best SD-WAN solution. As a new company, building a new product to answer a specific set of challenges, 128 Technology had an empty toolbox. That also meant they had no baggage to bring with them. It was a fresh start. They could make their solution be anything they wanted it to be.

According to Sue Graham Johnston, “…we decided to reorient networking to focus on the session, we can get rid of about 30 years’ worth of technology workarounds and overlays…” In case you are wondering, yes, that is duct tape she’s talking about.

That one statement piqued my interest, set the stage, and explained much of how their model works. It is simple enough to brilliant.

128 Technology uses a 5-tuple to identify each session: source and destination IPs, source and destination ports, and the protocol. When the session is built between the ingress and egress router, the first packet is encapsulated with 150-200 bytes of metadata to establish the session. After the session is established, no further encapsulation is needed as the ingress and egress routers have all of the data that is necessary. When each packet hits the ingress router, the source and destination addresses are changed until it hits the egress router. (Does this sound a bit like NAT? Because its NAT for SD-WAN.)

That’s their magic: No encapsulation, lower overhead, no need to fragment larger frames to provide space for additional headers, and significant bandwidth savings.

Now that you understand the basics of how 128 Technology builds sessions, it’s also essential to see how they integrate security. After all, this is intended to be an SD-WAN solution where data will traverse the internet.

Here again, there are a few basics to understand. All metadata to establish sessions is encrypted. Unencrypted traffic between Ingress and Egress routers is encrypted with AES128 or AES256. SSL or other encrypted traffic doesn’t need to be re-encrypted, so 128 Technology doesn’t. That reduces latency, complexity, and overhead. The last important piece of the puzzle is that the 128 Technology network operates as a zero-trust security environment. All data sessions must have a service policy created to allow traffic to flow. No service-policy means no traffic.

The last consideration is how to manage the SD-WAN environment. One router in the network is assigned the role of Conductor. All routers and the Conductor run a single code base, ensuring consistency in bug fixes and behavior. The Conductor is not required for configuration or operation but provides a central point configuration of all devices.

When I consider the takeaways from Networking Field Day Exclusive with 128 Technology, one thing jumps out far above the rest. Their focus on simplicity and the most critical part of data networks: the data session. I feel the solution is well thought out, and based on the customers that are using it in production; it seems the execution delivers on their promises.

The only remaining question I have do not relate to their technology at all.

1. When will 128 Technology be acquired?
2. Who will acquire them?
3. Will it be to include them into an existing full-stack solution or acquired to be used by a service provider in their internal networks?

I hope that this will be a product that we can all benefit from as direct customers.

Take time to watch the videos and see if you agree.

128 Technology Networking Platform Overview from Gestalt IT on Vimeo.

MFD3 – Link-Live Updates

This is the third blog from the Company-Previously-Known-As-Netscout’s session at Mobility Field Day 3. You can read about the AirCheck G2 v3.0 update and also the LinkRunner G2 v2.0 Update.

To catch you up, I came into MFD3 less enthusiastic than most regarding Netscout and their lineup of handheld network tools. With that said, I took notice in 2017 at MFD2 that the company was paying attention to feedback and looking for suggestions on how to improve their product offerings.

One of those improvements for MFD3 was a further expansion of the capabilities of Link-Live.

Link-Live has matured into a tool for consolidating all of your test results AND managing the tools at your disposal.

Many of these updates were covered in the LinkRunner and AirCheck updates, but bear repeating:

• AirCheck software updates
• AirCheck G2 Profile sharing
• Packet capture sharing
• Simplified App search for the LinkRunner G2
• Files Folder – There is a lot more available that can be uploaded and saved to a project folder
• Full AutoTest results

The most significant aspect of the Link-Live updates is a clear direction to make the LinkRunner and AirCheck entirely manageable without a Windows PC. This is a substantial shift from the past, and I am very excited to see it taking place because I stay away from Windows as much as possible.

So, the ultimate question, does the updates to the AirCheck G2 and LinkRunner G2, along with the new features of Link-Live make me change my opinion? Do I now see the ROI? Would I spend my budget, either personal or business on either tool?

The answer is “yes” to all of the above. With the divestiture of the handheld tools from Netscout into its own company, I expect the future to be bright. I think we will continue to see updates, new use cases, and great support. The handheld network tools team has won me over, and I’m happy to change my previous opinion. I will acquire both tools over the coming months for my personal toolkit, as I know my employer doesn’t have the budget. I don’t think there is more to say.

MFD3 – AirCheck G2 V3.0 Announcement

In case you missed it, MFD3 was an opportunity to reevaluate my opinion on the Aircheck G2 and LinkRunner G2. After my experiences at MFD2, I was no longer openly hostile towards the tools and saw that there was a legitimate desire to be open, fill the needs of users, and provide regular updates with new features.

As someone who identifies explicitly as a Wireless Network Engineer, the AirCheck G2 has been on my radar for a while, so I was interested, maybe even excited, about the opportunity to see the latest updates.

The AirCheck G2 v3.0 update adds:

• Over-the-Network firmware updates – Sadly the V3.0 software update will have to be loaded from a PC, but from that point forward, a user with an active support contract can update the device directly.
• Over-the-Network profile sharing – If your organization has more than one AirCheck G2, you can now ensure that everyone is testing using the same profile, all over-the-air through Link-Live.
• Improved Link-Live interaction – manage device profiles, get test results, packet captures, etc.
• Improved Locator Tool accuracy the Locator Tool now uses all three radio chains to enhance signal strength and accuracy
• Enhanced AP name support – can now read AP names from Aerohive, Aruba, Cisco, Extreme Networks, and Huawei
• Improved iPerf test performance – can now test using iPerf2, up to 300Mbps
• Improved packet capture workflow – now users can be particular regarding the type of traffic they want to capture
• Voice VLAN on ethernet test – if there is a voice VLAN assigned to the ethernet port, it will be displayed
• Import certificates with a thumb drive – This simplifies importing certificates and is especially crucial for wireless engineers who might work at various customer sites.
• Static IP’s can be assigned to the ethernet port
• Other updates, which you should watch the video to see:

 

So, have I changed my mind? Am I ready to own a LinkSprinter G2 or AirCheck G2? Well, I think we should discuss Link-Live. That definitely factors into my decision.