Super-fast Wi-Fi: Cisco, Ubiquiti access points top out at nearly 400Mbps

September 16, 2013 06:35 AM ETNetwork World - Earlier this year we tested several consumer-level 802.11ac routers. Here, we take a look at two enterprise-level access points. They're a part of the so-called "Wave 1" phase of the 802.11ac standard: both access points support up to three spatial streams and 80 MHz wide channels, offering theoretical data rates up to 1.3Gbps. But just as we saw with the 802.11ac routers, you won't get throughput rates nearly that fast.

Our test subjects were Cisco's Aironet 3602I AP with their 802.11ac module and Ubiquiti's UniFi AP AC. For the performance tests we used two clients: the Edimax AC1200 Wireless Dual-Band USB Adapter (two-stream 802.11ac) and the ASUS AC1750 Dual-band Wireless PCI-E Adapter (three-stream 802.11ac).

(Product review: Consumer-focused 802.11ac routers)

We found maximum throughput speeds in the range of 360M to 380Mbps range, similar to the rates found in the 802.11ac routers we tested earlier this year.

Cisco Aironet 3602I AP with 802.11ac Module

Cisco sent its Aironet 3602I Access Point ($1,495) loaded with their 802.11ac module ($500). Although the access point supports the standard Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points Protocol (CAPWAP), we used their Cisco 2504 Wireless LAN Controller for the testing.

The access point comes with two integrated 2.4GHz/5GHz dual-band radios. The 802.11ac module that attaches to the bottom of the access point adds a 5-GHz radio supporting three spatial streams. The access point supports broadcasting up to 16 SSIDs. There's a 2dBi gain internal omnidirectional antenna for 2.4 GHz and 5 dBi gain internal omnidirectional antennas for 5Ghz. The maximum transmit power for both integrated dual-band radios is 23 dBm and 22 dBm for the 802.11ac module.

The access point has a similar form factor as the Ubiquiti AP: a rounded-square panel, but is about an inch larger in height and length. Its depth is about double of the Ubiquiti AP. And with the 802.11ac module installed the access point is about 3.5 pounds; more than triple the weight of the Ubiquiti AP. On the front of the access point is a LED light to indicate the access point status. On the back you'll find the Mode button, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a console Ethernet port. Plus there's a DC power jack, which is required to power the 802.11ac module if using 802.3af PoE instead of 802.3at PoE+.

The access point setup and configuration process was fairly straightforward, but could be complex for those without Cisco experience. The web-based interface of the controller is akin to other Cisco products. All the controller and access point settings are highly configurable and customizable. The Cisco AP performed anywhere from 4% to 22% better on our throughput tests than the Ubiquiti AP.

Reprinted with permission from NetworkWorld.com. Story copyright 2012 Network World, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Apple, Samsung nearly neck-and-neck in smartphone customer retention

Apple and Samsung were almost equally able to keep customers in their respective smartphone folds over the last 12 months, an analyst said Monday.

"Apple has built one of the world's most successful brands, and it's well known for the loyalty of its customers," said Michael Levin, co-founder of Chicago-based Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). But Samsung's not that much different.

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"You can hate each other as much as you want, but you're the same," said Levin of the two groups.

According to CIRP, 42 percent of iPhone buyers over the last year had upgraded from an older iPhone, a sign of customer loyalty.

But Samsung's ties were nearly as strong: 38 percent of Samsung smartphone buyers had come from an older Samsung smartphone.

The nearly identical statistics for Apple and Samsung were unexpected. "It really surprised us, that Samsung's brand loyalty was nearly equal Apple's," Levin said.

For those figures and others Levin cited, CIRP had tallied four quarterly surveys conducted between July 2012 and June 2013; each survey polled 500 Americans who had bought a smartphone in the preceding 90 days.

Levin attributed Samsung customer loyalty to its aggressive brand marketing, including in-store placements and a strong string of television ads. "Samsung threw a lot of money at [brand awareness], and to a large extent, they succeeded," he said.

There were differences between the two companies' ability to woo each other's customers, however. Among people who switched brands, Apple was able to pilfer three times as many Samsung customers (33 percent) as Samsung was able to steal from Apple (11 percent), Levin said.

Meanwhile, Samsung had the advantage over Apple in drawing customers from so-called feature phones, the basic models whose sales were eclipsed by smartphones for the first time in the quarter that ended June 30. CIRP's data said that 37 percent of Samsung smartphone owners had upgraded from a feature phone, while only 26 percent of Apple customers had dumped a basic model for an iPhone.

Levin credited Samsung's broader smartphone portfolio -- it has many more models than does Apple, with a wider range of prices -- for the company's ability to attract feature phone owners.

Other data collected by CIRP included PC and Mac ownership -- as expected, iPhone owners were more likely to own an Apple Mac, while Samsung customers were more likely to own a Windows PC -- age, income, and education.

Generally speaking, Apple smartphone owners were slightly younger than Samsung's customers, and more likely to have an annual income over $75,000 and a college or advanced degree.

Apple and Samsung are nearly neck-and-neck in their ability to hang onto customers.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed. His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

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