Heavy Wireless

The evolution of wireless surveys is the topic of today’s Heavy Wireless podcast with guest Jussi Kivineimi of Hamina. We cover the transition from traditional on-site assessments to predictive tools, with an emphasis on the importance of a hybrid approach for accurate network design. We also tackle the role of APIs in network design, the... Read more »

Wastewater containers, conveyors, chemical reactors… Scott McNeil goes out where the carpet ends to do his wireless work. Today he joins the show to talk us through the basics of designing industrial wireless architecture. With advances in wireless technology, not only is wireless now reliable enough for production environments, but it’s also much cheaper than... Read more »

Natural disaster responders, large event planners, and rural kids trying to do their homework all have something in common: they need a little extra help to get connected. COWs, COLTs, and WOWs can do just that. Mark Houtz joins Keith Parsons to explain how and why COW operators do what they do. First, he explains... Read more »

A cardboard box with a circuit printed on it that harvests just enough power to activate a radio and have it chirp something out a short distance: that’s just one of the cool products and 802.11 standards that stood out at this year’s Wi-Fi World Congress USA. Drew Lentz joins the show to recap the... Read more »

Evaluating wireless use cases at a nuclear power plant is a little bit different than your average industrial job, starting with the stripdown to put on plant-provided clothing. Ferney Munoz joins us today to talk about his experience working as a wireless consultant at nuclear power plants. Obviously, radiation interference is a heightened issue, as... Read more »

With the rapid growth of IoT across enterprise and industrial spaces, now is a good time to check in on the wireless training and certification landscape beyond Wi-Fi. Today, Tom Carpenter, the Director of Education for the Certified Wireless Network Professionals joins us to give a lay of the land. He explains how the protocols... Read more »

In 2016, a handful of wireless engineers got together and decided to create the portable tool they all wish existed. Thus the WLAN Pi was born. Jerry Olla, Nick Turner, and Jiri Brejcha join the show today to talk about the evolution of the open source WLAN Pi and its current capabilities. The latest generation... Read more »

Today we talk to Sam Clements, founder of Wi-Fi Pros Slack. This online community has 1,600 members who share information and technical tips, talk shop, and connect with peers. Sam tells us how he developed the community over time, how he structures topics and channels, the ongoing fight against bots and spam, and where it... Read more »

The Wireless LAN Professionals organization just had its 10th annual conference and who better to break it down than WLPC founder (and Heavy Wireless host) Keith Parsons and friend of the show Ferney Munoz. They review their favorite presentations as well as heartwarming moments. Episode Guest Ferney Munoz | Ekahau and CWNP Certified Wireless Network... Read more »

Thinking about a career in Sales Engineering (SE)? In this episode, you’ll hear straight from an experienced SE, Stewart Goumans. Stewart talks about what kind of background you need to be an SE, what the day-to-day looks like, and what it’s like to see a customer’s eyes light up when they realize you have a... Read more »

Wi-Fi increases the GDP of entire countries, yet its tech community still has a grassroots feel. The COVID-19 work-from-home trend grew residential Wi-Fi like never before, yet it is still competing with 5G inside homes. Guest Claus Hetting, CEO of Wi-Fi NOW, joins host Keith Parsons to talk about the paradoxes, successes, and challenges in... Read more »

To understand the newest standard, Wi-Fi 7, it helps to look back at Wi-Fi 5 and 6, and even forward to Wi-Fi 8. What’s the reasoning behind the updates? How have they been experienced at the ground level? Who should make the change and when? Host Keith Parsons and Wi-Fi expert Srikanth Subramanian touch on... Read more »

Host Keith Parsons and guest Kelly Burroughs from iBwave discuss the crucial need for collaboration between Wi-Fi engineers and architects to ensure optimal wireless connectivity in building designs. They explore the use of BIM file formats for better integration and the importance of considering wireless as a utility in the architectural process. The conversation addresses... Read more »

Wi-Fi consultant Rowell Dionicio shares his experiences and insights on building a successful consulting practice. He discusses the importance of niche specialization, creating educational content, and using his podcast and blog as marketing tools. Rowell highlights the need for continuous learning, effective communication, and networking. He also addresses the business side of consulting, including handling... Read more »

Studying for a certification exam is also about grasping real-world concepts. And that’s exactly the approach David Coleman and David Westcott took when writing their CWNA study guide, now in its sixth edition. “The Davids” talk about the process of writing their book, the research involved, and the importance of making complex topics understandable for... Read more »

If you’re not paying attention to mDNS traffic, it might be hurting your Wi-Fi performance. Bryan Ward shares his research looking at the mDNS protocol on a higher ed network and its dramatic impact on Wi-Fi airtime. Bryan shares his experience of identifying and resolving network issues related to mDNS traffic and client isolation. He... Read more »

Private LTE and Wi-Fi use a lot of overlapping skills but there are also some key differences that Wi-Fi pros need to be aware of. Dr. Avril Salter joins host Keith Parsons to highlight important distinctions between Wi-Fi and private LTE or 5G networks, including spectrum use and application suitability. They also discuss the complexity... Read more »

Two Wi-Fi engineers share their experiences automating wireless workflows, including the role of Python & tools like Postman.

On today's Heavy Wireless episode, Keith Parsons speaks with UMass Amherst CTO Jim Mileski on the history of Wi-Fi at the school. They discuss initial challenges of rolling out wireless, strategic placements of access points, ensuring a good student experience across a myriad of devices, and more. They also discuss how Jim and his team tested their incumbent vendor against a possible replacement, how the replacement won out, and how the transition is going.

LoRaWAN is a wireless protocol that's well suited for use cases that require long-range, low-power operations such as sensors, asset and livestock tracking, municipal "smart city" initiatives, and more. On today's Heavy Wireless, Keith Parsons welcomes Raymond Hendrix and Troy Martin to discuss the architecture of a LoRaWAN solution, its applications, and its pros and cons. They also share resources for further learning, including the Things Network and the LoRa Alliance.

The Wi-Fi Awards is an industry effort to recognize excellence and achievements in the wireless community. There are award categories for companies, products, and individuals. Award recipients are determined by a committee and by community votes. Today's Heavy Wireless explores the origins of the Wi-Fi Awards, discusses different award categories and the importance of recognizing individuals. We also discuss the nomination and selection process, and how listeners can nominate candidates.

Drones can be a useful tool for outdoor wireless surveys. Drones can help an engineer figure out the best place to mount a radio, get line of sight between points, confirm antenna orientation, and save a lot of climbing up and down ladders. On today's Heavy Wireless, Keith Parsons speaks with Mike Wade, a wireless design engineer who uses drones in his survey work, about the certifications and requirements necessary to add a drone to your toolkit.

In this podcast episode, Keith Parsons, Glenn Kate, and Lee Badman discuss the intersection of ham radio and Wi-Fi. Glenn and Lee share their personal experiences and involvement in both fields. They talk about how they got started in ham radio and Wi-Fi, the importance of joining amateur radio clubs, and the various activities and... Read more »

3D printing is a popular activity among wireless network engineers. Given that they deal with invisible, intangible radio waves all day, maybe it's no surprise they'd enjoy making things they can touch and feel. On today's Heavy Wireless we talk about why the wireless community enjoys 3D printing, and how engineers can make and use printed objects on the job--and at home.

Wireless pros sit at the intersection of networking and security. On today's Heavy Wireless, sponsored by Fortinet, Keith Parsons and guest Ben Wilson discuss this convergence, why visibility into the WLAN and device identity are essential, how Fortinet integrates its Fortigate firewalls with wired and wireless neteworks for unified management and policy enforcement, and more.

Today's Heavy Wireless episode explores building sustainable and efficient backhaul networks with sponsor Ceragon Networks. We discuss the challenges of backhaul, the complementarity of wireless and fiber solutions, the frequencies and protocols used in wireless backhaul, and the concept of disaggregated routing.

Have you ever wanted to build a community of professionals in your field, but didn't know where to start? In this episode of the Heavy Wireless podcast, Keith Parsons interviews Ferney Munoz, founder of the Tes@s en Wi-Fi community in Latin America, to learn how he built a successful community of Wi-Fi professionals.

Host Keith Parsons speaks with Peter MacKenzie, a trainer and course developer in the wireless industry, about the importance of vendor-neutral training.

On today's Heavy Wireless, Keith Parsons talks with guest is Mark Houtz about designing Eduroam for the future, including the 6Ghz band. Mark explains the challenges of filtering Internet access for K-12 students when they travel outside of their local high school and the technical requirements of Eduroam, specifically the use of WPA3 Enterprise on all frequencies when using the new 6 GHz band. Mark also shares his testing process for Eduroam's compatibility with 6 GHz radios.

On today's Heavy Wireless we discuss transitioning from WPA2 to WPA3, including pros and cons, managing the project, supporting WPA2 and WPA3 simultaneously, and more. My guest is Jennifer Minella, founder and Principal Advisor at Viszen Security. She's also an author, instructor, and blogger.

Welcome to the Heavy Wireless podcast! For this inaugural episode we look at the Wi-Fi 7 standard (802.11be). With consumer products expected to ship in 2023, now's the time to explore what the latest advances mean for enterprise and consumer markets. Host Keith Parsons welcomes David D. Coleman to discuss key features including 320 Mhz channels, 4K QAM, and Multi-Link Operation (MLO).

Heavy Wireless is a new addition to the Packet Pushers podcast network. Well-known wireless expert Keith Parsons will be hosting the show. Subscribe now and be able to say "First!" when episode 001 drops on May 2, 2023.