Preparing Wireless Networks for the Next Wave of Wi-Fi

There are lots of wires involved in a wireless network. Every time an access point is installed, for example, the right cables must be connected to it so the wireless network can provide the best performance possible: more throughput with less interference.

To help, the TIA TSB-162-B Telecommunications Cabling Guidelines for Wireless Access Points document provides recommendations to support the design, installation, and testing of cabling systems for wireless networks and access points.

The document was developed in 2021, but technology continues to change. Wi-Fi standards evolve to allow wireless networks and devices to respond to demands like live streaming and virtual reality. Wi-Fi 6E was released as an extension of Wi-Fi 6 (which is referenced in TSB-162-B) to handle high-speed applications and high-density networks supporting low-speed devices. The Wi-Fi Alliance released Wi-Fi 7 in January 2024, and work has started on Wi-Fi 8.

Will the same cable design, installation, and testing guidelines hold true as new wireless standards move into the mainstream?

Recently, one of our customers wondered the same thing. As he worked on a wireless network design for a hospitality venue, he questioned the future-readiness of TSB-162-B and reached out for guidance. TSB-162-B currently recommends at least two cable drops for each access point. He asked: “Will Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 require more than two cable drops for each access point?”

It’s a great question with a nuanced response. Here’s what we told him …

Standards Are Suggestions

Although standards contain requirements (you “shall” do something) and recommendations (you should “consider” doing something), it’s important to remember that they are voluntary. Standards provide suggestions you can take—or leave.

There are no authorities, inspectors, or officers who investigate to verify that you follow cable design and installation standards (although, if compliance with specific standards is referenced in contract documents, then there may be legal requirements, but that’s a subject for a different blog!).

TSB-162, along with other Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) released by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), are informative (they use “should,” not “shall”) and contain no requirements.

Speed Is Just One Factor to Consider

To answer the question about cable drops for access points, let’s first discuss wireless.

Our customer specifically asked about cabling requirements for Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. Currently, Wi-Fi 6E tops out at a link rate of roughly 10 Gb/s, while Wi-Fi 7 promises speeds of up to 46 Gb/s. Wi-Fi 8 may reach speeds of 100 Gb/s.

Determining how many cables should connect to a wireless access point shouldn’t be decided solely on speed, however. There are other factors to consider, such as prioritization, quality, channel, coverage, capacity, throughput, latency, and hand-off. Outdoor venues (large parks or stadiums) may be concerned with coverage, while hospitals prioritize low-latency connections over speed to support patient monitoring and telehealth. In industrial spaces, machine-to-machine prioritization is most critical.

Two Cable Choices for Access Points

Now on to the cable discussion.

Category 6A cables top out at speeds of 10 Gb/s. Hypothetically, Category 8 cables can deliver speeds of 25 Gb/s or even 40 Gb/s, albeit with significant length restrictions (channel limits of 30 m). They can also deliver power through technology like Power over Ethernet (PoE).

Multimode and singlemode fiber can deliver speeds of over 100 Gb/s across distances greater than 100 m, which gives fiber an advantage in terms of speed and coverage for design flexibility.

But fiber can’t deliver power. There are hybrid fibers that include DC conductors or Class 4 (or fault-managed power systems) circuits, which allow the cables to support power delivery and reach. Because these are application-specific cables, creating standards around them is difficult.

Plan Ahead (As Much As You Can)

Because our customer’s question is about a hospitality project, we can assume that the facility will go through several transformations throughout its lifecycle. (Full-scale renovations occur every 11 to 14 years in hospitality.)

Making wireless network designs adaptable, agile, and able to accommodate future requirements is both desirable and commendable. This means making the best decision you can at the time, bolstered by the knowledge you have now, what you know about the future, and the project’s restrictions (limited resources, short timeline, high performance expectations, constrained budgets, etc.).

Because the practical speed limitation for Category 6A cabling is 10 Gb/s, it’s safe to assume that the industry will need higher speeds in the future—speeds well in excess of what copper can practically provide, given its typical 100 m channel in this sort of application.

When TSB-162-B was developed a few years ago, the additional (second) cable drop could, in theory, be used to achieve more bandwidth and higher speeds. Instead, many owners use the second drop to connect another access point, expanding wireless coverage and capacity.

Even though some access points have more than one RJ45 or SFP port, the second port is often used for power delivery, not speed.

In most cases, adding multiple RJ45s to achieve Wi-Fi 7 speeds isn’t practical. If you can rely on a single fiber port that has potential beyond Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 8, who wants to plug in four or five RJ45s? Multimode and singlemode fiber can reach 100 Gb/s and beyond.

The Bottom Line

To answer the question our customer posed—“Will Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 require more than two cable drops for each access point?”—we recommend working with a systems designer and, based on the constraints of the specific project (budget, timeline, needs, etc.), making the best decision they can as a team.

Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball. Ask the IT department or owner whether they plan to roll out Wi-Fi 7 by the time (or shortly after) the facility will be operational. If so, then fiber may be a consideration (but don’t forget about power requirements). If not, you may want to consider adding more Category 6A cable drops now with the understanding that fiber may be added later.

We’re working on a hospitality project that won’t be completed for a few years. In this case, we established a “rule” to observe: Follow standards and use Category 6A to connect most end devices. For planning purposes, we also list exceptions to that rule (such as Wi-Fi and distributed antenna systems) and make recommendations for distribution using fiber and a maximum power draw of 100W. Because procurement is a few years away, we recommend carrying a budget for hybrid cable (fiber plus DC conductors), along with an addition to a telecommunications space, and maintaining it as a cash allowance until construction begins.

As for TSB-162-B, upcoming revisions in the next version will soon address these issues more thoroughly, but the document will remain informative, making suggestions on how you should “consider” handling the issue, given the wide range of possibilities that exist.

If you have questions about wireless networks, or anything else, always reach out. We’re happy to help you find the answer.

Related Links

• Adding More Wireless Access Points: What It Means for Networks
• Wi-Fi 6E in the 6 GHz Band: 4 Things to Know
• Wi-Fi 6: Benefits and Supporting IT