Easymesh What Is It v0p4

What is the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED EasyMesh™ Program about?

OpenWrt Summit Lisbon 2018
Ian Wheelock, ARRIS
About Me
• Ian Wheelock
• Based in Cork, Ireland – http://goo.gl/QPM2gt
• Engineering Fellow with ARRIS for over 15 years
• ARRIS contributor to the initial Multi-AP spec provided to WFA
• Continue to support WFA/EasyMesh v2 as well as other programs like prpl
Copyright 2018 – ARRIS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved OpenWRT Summit Lisbon 2018
Agenda
• Some background on WFA and Wi-Fi Issues
• Why we need Multi-AP/EasyMesh
• What EasyMesh is
• Summary
WFA, MAP, EasyMesh
Who or what are they?
• WFA is the Wi-Fi Alliance
– Standards creation body specifically for Wi-Fi topics – they created/trademarked the term “Wi-Fi”
– They also create new standards to provide usable functionality on top of Wi-Fi
– Over 800 global members (SoC, manufacturers and SW companies)
• MAP is the Multi-AP Technical Specification

– This WFA specification defines how multiple Wi-Fi APs can be connected/configured together in a home
– The standard includes a network protocol to allow interoperability between vendor devices
– https://www.wi-fi.org/file/multi-ap-specification-v10
• Wi-Fi CERTIFIED EasyMesh is the certification program for MAP

– The Wi-Fi EasyMesh certification validates the operation of the MAP network protocol in a device
– WFA (and members) developed the cert program, over 170 test cases, for ATLs to conduct cert testing
– WFA members (manufacturers and SW companies) can submit product for testing
Why do we need a mulC-access point
standard?
Copyright 2018 – ARRIS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved

Fantastic products,
but physics rules!!
AC1200
• Speeds increasing daily!
• 400-1000Mbps+ speeds are available now
• Single GW with Wi-Fi cannot match speeds AC1750
• Wireless backhaul desirable

• N600, AC1200, AC1750, AC3200
• Practical throughput is very different AC3200
Why does anyone need Multiple Access Points?
Expected Home Wi-Fi Experience – using SINGLE-AP
Max 100% Performance Max
performance performance
Room #1 Room #2 Room #3 and
beyond
Wall 1

Wall 2
Why does anyone need MulBple Access Points?
Typical Home Wi-Fi Experience – using SINGLE-AP
Max Performance Reduction Min/No
Room #1 Room #2 Room #3 and
beyond
Wall 1

Wall 2
Why do we need a Mul?-AP standard?
• MAP spec developed in response to huge growth in retail

whole-home Wi-Fi solutions
• None are interoperable!

• Service Providers help subscribers deal with issues in their
home networks – extra retail devices complicate this
function due to lack of visibility
• Wi-Fi support is a huge Opex cost in operators
– Industry suggests a figure of about $1B annually
• Multi-AP Spec designed to provide interoperability and
manageability of home AP devices (SP or retail)
Manageability of network with SP Gateway
Pretty much full visibility in the home, some Wi-Fi issues!
Before Retail Extender
e rat io n s
Op s
c h n ic ia n
Te
e sk
H e lp d
Operations Centre
Typical home Wi-Fi Network

Max Performance Reduction (no extenders)
Min/No
performance
performance
When retail routers added to home…
Little to no visibility in the home, maybe improve Wi-Fi?
After Retail Extender
e rat io n s
Op s
c h n ic ia n
Te
H e lp d
e sk ?
Operations Centre

Max Performance improvement ??? – not clear!
Min/No
performance
performance
When MAP extenders added to home…
Full visibility, better Wi-Fi, better control over Wi-Fi
After MAP Extender
e rat io n s
Op s
c h n ic ia n
Te
e sk
H e lp d
Operations Centre

Max Improved performance/range (EasyMesh Extenders) Max
Why MAP is an alternative to adding retail extenders
Costs of proprietary Wi-Fi solution on legacy HW platforms
• Lots of proprietary development/integraBon per device and Cloud/Firmware
decisions
Wi-Fi
RRM
AGENT
Wi-Fi
Prop
Wi-Fi RRM RRM Comms
Cloud AGENT
Wi-Fi
RRM
Prop AGENT
Comms
PROP
Comms
Why MAP is an alternative to adding retail extenders
Leverage SOC agents, intelligent controller algorithms
• SIMPLE – SoC Agents – more opEons/plaHorm for intelligent algorithms
ARRIS
HomeAssure
Cloud ARRIS
HomeAssure
EasyMesh
HNC MAP
Wi-Fi RRM Agent
Cloud Intelligence
& control
MAP Ctlr
MAP MAP
Agent Agent
Agents provided
Innovation above the MAP Layer by SoC
MAP/EasyMesh Details

WFA MAP Specification
• Defines the MAP network protocol operation, reusing IEEE 1905.1 standard
• Two key components
MAP CONTROLLER + MAP AGENT
• MAP protocol adds many tools to manage the details of the Wi-Fi network
– On-boarding guarantees Wi-Fi passwords are setup correctly – no more misconfiguration
– Enables the best fronthaul Wi-Fi channel to be configured on each extender
– Enables steering of Wi-Fi devices to the best/most appropriate 2.4/5GHz band
– Introduces standard way of communicating 4-address WDS operation between extenders
– Enables reconfiguration of wired/wireless backhaul between extenders
• MAP has no built-in intelligence
– more of a “toolbox” that intelligent layers can use to optimize and maximize the
performance of the home Wi-Fi network
– About 30 new messages and TLVs added to 1905.1 for Wi-Fi management
Multi-AP Example Deployment #1
• Controller co-located on Device 1 manages two agents

MAP Components
– Agent on Device 1
– Agent on Device 2
ARRIS HNC
Multi-AP
• MAP CONTROLLER•–STAs Intelligent layer uses

are steered to the Device 1
controller to processmaximize performance

MAP messages used to Multi-AP
Controller
configure the MAP network devices. Normally

resident in the primary Gateway Multi-AP
Agent
• MAP AGENT – handles MAP protocol

Logical
Fronthaul Ethernet
AP Port
messages to make Wi-Fi/Network changes in

the Access Point it is linked with Multi-AP
Device 2
Non-AP
STA 1 Backhaul Logical
• Controller manages the onboarding and

STA Ethernet
Port
configuraPon of new MAP devices added to the

Multi-AP
Agent
network Fronthaul
AP
• Intelligent layer interacts with MAP Agents (via

Controller) to make steering decisions based on
system wide Wi-Fi informaPon Non-AP
Copyright 2018 – ARRIS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved OpenWRT Summit Lisbon 2018 STA 2
Confidential | © Wi-Fi Alliance

Wi-Fi Backhaul – Wi-Fi Mul/-Hop
ARRIS HNC
Wi-Fi Backhaul
• Defined & tested in MAP
• Interoperable between
EasyMesh devices
• Multiple hops supported
– Uses 802.11 WDS
– 4-address mode
– Avoids proprietary options
• Complete “wire-less” extender
deployment possible
Key MAP Capabili.es/Func.ons
Wireless Channel
Backhaul Selec0on
Home WDS
Network
Metrics Controller MAP
& MAP AGT MAP
Control CTRLR Client AGT
Steering
MAP
AGT
{SSID/PSK/Enc} Wired
Backhaul
Extender MAP
MAP
onboard & AGT
AGT
Band
autoconf
Steering
{SSID/PSK/Enc}
Wi-Fi Certified EasyMesh Program
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ Logos
• Wi-Fi Alliance Certification program
(flat and dimensional versions)
• Industry acceptance ofinteroperability
The Wi-Fi Alliance certifies MAP standard of wireless networking equipment. The Wi-Fi Alliance administers
the certification testing through authorized independent laboratories. Products that satisfy the certification
• Service Providers can now use EasyMesh
testing requirements and comply with the program requirements may bear the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Logo (flat
or dimensional). The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Logo indicates the product has undergone rigorous testing by the Wi-Fi
certification/MAP support to define new products
Alliance and has demonstrated interoperability with other products including those from other companies
that bear the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Logo. In order to distinguish the IEEE 802.11 standards the product supports, the Wi-Fi Alliance also
prescribes the use of Standard Indicator Icons (SII) in connection with the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Logo. The SIIs further signal the standard
the product supports (i.e., IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n draft 2.0) indicating backward compatibility with previous generations.
• Conducted byforWFA ATLs dotted aroundLogos, (a) the world

Prerequisites for Use of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Logos (flat and dimensional versions).
In order a company to use the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED the company must be a member in good standing, (b) the product
must successfully pass certification testing, and (c) the company must complete and comply with the post-testing administrative
• WFA Staff and MAP contributors developed program
requirements.
Authorized Users.
• SignificantExcept
work andprovided
effort involved
ARRIS VAP4641
as specifically in this Section, the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Logos may only be
used by the Wi-Fi Alliance member that certified the product.
– Creation An
ofaffiliate
TestofSpecification and automation
the member that the member system
has identified and formally registered EasyMesh
– Cert program was launched June 18, 2018
through the Wi-Fi Alliance’s membership process (“Registered Member Affiliate”)
may use the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Logo (flat or dimensional) if:
– ARRIS VAP4641 certified
(1) the Registered Aug is1,responsible
Member Affiliate 2018 for manufacture or marketing of the
certified product,
– MediaTek AP3B-MT7615-MAP1TBV1 certified Sep 17, 2018
(2) the Registered Member Affiliate executes the Certification Mark License
Agreement,
(3) both the member and the Registered Member Affiliate comply with the
requirements in this Manual and such additional requirements as the Wi-Fi Alliance
may impose in connection with the use by the Registered Member Affiliate of the
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Logo (flat or dimensional).
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Data Elements
• Data Elements is a data model of Wi-Fi state informaEon

• Based on data used by single-AP/mulE-AP systems to opEmise Wi-Fi
– In reality, a lot of data extracted from EasyMesh TLVs
• Provides topology, device info and acEve Wi-Fi/networking state
• Data used by operators to help manage Wi-Fi networks
– Large analyEcs/machine learning plaRorms expected to consume data
• Uses JSON encoding of data over basic HTTP interface (for tes)ng)
• Likely to be mapped to CWMP TR-181 extensions or other protocol
• Publicly available
– hXps://www.wi-fi.org/file/data-elements-dra[-specificaEon-package
Ongoing work
Copyright 2018
OpenWRT
– ARRIS Summit
Enterprises,
Lisbon
LLC.2018
All rights reserved
WFA MAP/EasyMesh Release #2 feature summary
• Upgrade to MAP being targeted for December 2019 release

• Multi-AP R2 is enhancing to solve even more whole home coverage features
– Traffic Control – Prioritize, Separate, Direct (QoS)

– Secured Onboarding, Configuring and Messaging – EasyConnect/DPP
– Spectrum Optimization – better use of DFS channels
– Increased Diagnostics – WFA Data Elements R2
• R2 Program being developed like MAP R1,

• Upgraded Certification program (EasyMesh R2) will be developed
OpenSource Community
PRPL Founda6on
• Multi-AP Release 1 Open Source
• Portable framework targeting reuse on multiple platforms
• Building on top of existing Linux framework (cfg80211, nl80211) and 1905.1
opensource stack
• Testing and validation work also part of development
• Future extension will likely include Data Elements
• Also being used as part of joint Broadband Forum effort for ”intelligent Wi-Fi
Mesh Networks” - https://goo.gl/tYP6Gr
• Broadband Forum launched their “Open Broadband (OB) Multi-AP” project
Any Questions?
OpenWRT Summit Lisbon 2018

Easymesh What Is It v0p4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Easymesh What Is It v0p4

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Easymesh What Is It v0p4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What is the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi

CERTIFIED EasyMesh™ Program about?

• MAP is the Multi-AP Technical Specification

• Wi-Fi CERTIFIED EasyMesh is the certification program for MAP

Copyright 2018 – ARRIS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved

• Wireless backhaul desirable

Copyright 2018 – ARRIS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved

Copyright 2018 – ARRIS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved

• MAP spec developed in response to huge growth in retail

• None are interoperable!

Typical home Wi-Fi Network

Typical home Wi-Fi Network

Typical home Wi-Fi Network

Copyright 2018 – ARRIS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved

• Controller co-located on Device 1 manages two agents

• MAP CONTROLLER•–STAs Intelligent layer uses

controller to processmaximize performance

conﬁgure the MAP network devices. Normally

• MAP AGENT – handles MAP protocol

messages to make Wi-Fi/Network changes in

• Controller manages the onboarding and

conﬁguraPon of new MAP devices added to the

• Intelligent layer interacts with MAP Agents (via

Confidential | © Wi-Fi Alliance

• Conducted byforWFA ATLs dotted aroundLogos, (a) the world

• Data Elements is a data model of Wi-Fi state informaEon

• Upgrade to MAP being targeted for December 2019 release

– Traffic Control – Prioritize, Separate, Direct (QoS)

• R2 Program being developed like MAP R1,

OpenWRT Summit Lisbon 2018

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.