business support

Giant leap for wi-fi with 6 and 6E

A superior wi-fi experience is now on the horizon for UK businesses after successful trials of Wi-Fi 6 and the birth of the new Wi-Fi 6E standard.

Regulators in the US and the UK have this year opened up the 6GHZ spectrum. And the technology which will use it has been branded 6E by the Wi-Fi Alliance the international body responsible for wi-fi nomenclature.

The name differentiates it from the current standard, Wi-Fi 6, which uses the 5GHZ spectrum. Both Wi-Fi 6 and 6E offer huge benefits to users, especially those in densely-populated working environments.

Successful tests conducted by members of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) of Wi-Fi 6 showed transmission speeds near to three times faster than those using Wi-Fi 5. That’s up to 9.6Gbits/sec versus 3.5Gbits/ sec. There was also lower latency and better networking efficiency – especially in environments where there were many connected devices.

All environments

The trials were carried out on end-to-end networks in manufacturing units, shopping centres, single-family homes, blocks of flats, educational settings and large transportation hubs.

Mettis Aerospace worked with Broadcom, Cisco, iBwave and Intel to deploy a Wi-Fi 6 test inside a dense industrial environment complex where there were heavy metal structures, high temperatures, and moving machinery. The test was very successful.

Chief executive of the WBA, Tiago Rodrigues, said: “These successful deployments prove the strength of Wi-Fi 6 technology to achieve better throughput, lower latency, enhanced reliability, improved network efficiency and better user experience. Ultimately, they prove the readiness of Wi-Fi 6 for carrier deployments, and the WBA continues to develop and expand new trials that support Wi-Fi 6 and 6E expansion into new areas in different geographies around the world.”

Gary Jowett, from Computer & Network Consultants (CNC) in Brighton, said: “With Wi-Fi 6 already shown to be extremely effective in a wide range of work environments, the arrival of 6E using the 6GHZ spectrum can only further enhance the range of Wi-Fi solutions available to UK businesses. Even organisations operating across vast facilities or based in buildings that weren’t designed to accommodate modern networking technology will be able to connect much more effectively and so help to improve productivity and enhance relationships with customers.”

IMAGINE HAVING ACCESS TO ALL THE BEST IT SERVICES.

CNC provide the most comprehensive range of IT services in the South East including:

We would love to talk to you and offer a Complimentary systems & security check-up with no obligations to use our services.

– IT Support & Outsourcing – Internet Connectivity – Installation & Infrastructure – IT Hardware & Software – Cloud e-Mail Archiving – Mobile & Remote Access – Off-Site Data Backup – Hosted Phones & Mobiles – Security Services – Cloud & Hosting – Disaster Recovery – Apple Support – Virtualisation – Office 365 & Azure ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 27001:2013 Certified

— 01273 386 333 — sales@cnc-ltd.co.uk — www.cnc-ltd.co.uk

24

Celebrating 25 Years in business

1996—2021

Is Green the New Black?

The Government has pledged for the UK to be Carbon Neutral by 2050…but how will we achieve this?

Stephen Marshall

Director LED-UK Lighting Ltd

The problem as I see it, is that in the wider community, there is more understanding about Gender Neutral than Carbon Neutral! If you stop and ask the average person in the street, what is Carbon Neutral, the 2050 target, or COP26, most people will not have any idea or indeed be bothered.

We hear all the time about climate change from the likes of Sir David Attenborough and how the earth is heating up and the effects this will have on the way we live, the food we eat and the countryside around us. As an Island, if sea levels rise by 1.5mt, this will have a devastating impact on coastal communities and cause flooding, and make vast areas uninhabitable.

Greta Thunberg, Swedish Environmental Activist, said in her speech at the ‘UN Climate Change Conference’: “You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this.”

From someone so young (Greta is 18), I personally find this a little condescending, as the generations that she is talking about, that she blames for causing this environmental disaster, the people in their fifties, sixties and seventies were brought up in a different time. When they wanted to buy some new clothes, they went to the shop, tried them on, and purchased the size and colour that they liked, they did not order two or three items of clothing online and send them back if they did not fit. I cannot see how this is very green and surely it is only impacting on the co2 emissions that are the cause of the problem.

The older generation are also not the ones growing up with a mobile phone, ear pods, iPads, computers, TV in the bedroom, Amazon TV, portable speakers, all of which need re-charging. Unfortunately, this want it now society that we now find ourselves in, order online and it is delivered the next day with free returns. Therefore, they are using more energy and plastic than ever. So, are they really the green generation?

But is that about to change and are the winds finally blowing in the right direction?

We have recently seen the large growth in wind generation, especially in offshore wind, with larger turbines, giving greater generation and cheaper electricity, community solar projects on large buildings, along with the increase in the use of LED lights in streetlights and supermarkets. Is this move towards greener living beginning to make the public more aware of energy saving products and how they can benefit their home? Could this also be the catalyst for change for businesses as well?

The Government has laid out its 10-point plan on what is required, but have businesses? If we are to reach Carbon Neutral, it is businesses that need to make the greatest changes in how they operate and invest in energy saving measures and products. Some changes though are simple, cost nothing and are easy to implement immediately, for example:

Turning off computers, printer, photocopiers, when not in use

Only filling up the kettle to the amount you need

If you have an office with two A/C machines installed, are the set points the same or are they like two boxers in a ring fighting each other?

Does the heating need to be at 25c and is the boiler on a 24/7 timer?

Lighting: install Low energy LEDs with sensors, if it on, it is costing you money; turn them off at night. Not all buildings need to be lit like the

Blackpool Tower! These are just a few options that businesses can think about. After all, making that first step is often the hardest, but all these actions will add up and businesses will be on their way to reducing their carbon footprint. The clock is ticking, and if we are to reach our goal and look after future generations, all businesses need to start now. 2050 is heading our way fast! As a Director of a LED Lighting company, I am passionate on this subject and I am happy to offer free advice to any business interested in cutting their energy costs, as well as their carbon emissions. Visit The East Sussex Commercial LED Lighting specialists - LED UK (led-uk.co.uk) for further information.