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Open Wi-Fi: choosing access points without being tied to a single platform

Those rolling out Wi-Fi infrastructure traditionally purchase a complete package: access points and the management platform from the same vendor. That platform determines which APs you can use and how you manage them. Open Wi-Fi breaks that link in much the same way as open networking does for switches.

What is OpenWiFi?

OpenWiFi is a collective term for wifi architectures in which the access point firmware and management platform may come from different vendors. The basis is an open interface between the AP and the controller, so that APs from different manufacturers can be controlled via the same management system.

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP), an open collaboration between operators and technology providers, has developed the OpenWiFi specification for this purpose. Access points (APs) that support the openwifi standard can be connected to any OpenWiFi-compatible cloud controller, regardless of who manufactured the AP.

How does it work in real life?

An OpenWiFi-compatible access point boots up using an open-source firmware stack. The access point registers with a cloud controller via a standardised protocol. This controller does not necessarily have to be supplied by the access point manufacturer.

This gives an operator or integrator the freedom to choose hardware based on the specifications required for that location, and to select a management platform based on its features and integration capabilities. Access points from different generations or manufacturers can be managed side by side within the same platform.

Edgecore Networks supplies access points that support the OpenWiFi standard. These APs are therefore compatible with multiple cloud platforms.

Who is OpenWiFi relevant for?

Service providers offering Wi-Fi as a managed service benefit from a platform that is hardware-independent. This makes it easier to replace hardware without having to adapt the management platform, and to choose hardware that meets the requirements of a specific location or customer.

A similar argument applies to enterprise organisations with large-scale WiFi roll-outs. Vendor lock-in at the access point (AP) level means that hardware upgrades always go hand in hand with platform upgrades. OpenWiFi decouples the two.

What does this require of an integrator?

The separation of hardware and software has a number of practical implications. You are no longer dependent on a single vendor’s roadmap for both hardware and software. Hardware can be replaced without losing the software configuration, and vice versa.

That also makes migration easier. An NOS update or replacement does not affect the hardware. Hardware that has reached the end of its useful life is replaced without the need for a new software licence.

Open networking does, however, require greater expertise in the field of integration. Responsibility for combining hardware and network operating systems lies with the integrator, not with a single vendor.

Where is open networking used?

As with open networking, responsibility for integration lies with the party carrying out the implementation. The combination of AP firmware, controller and management platform must be validated. Not every combination of hardware and platform has been developed to the same extent.

The OpenWiFi standard is still relatively new. The maturity of the ecosystem varies by vendor and platform. That is no reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to prepare thoroughly for its implementation.

Interested in finding out which OpenWiFi solution is right for your roll-out? We’d be happy to help you work it out.

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