Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 That’s Fast, Secure, and Proven
A WLAN carries real work: laptops and tablets, scanners and AR headsets, phones, IoT/OT devices, and guest traffic.
SolveForce builds Wireless LAN as a system: RF design + switching + identity-first access (802.1X NAC) + Zero-Trust edges + QoS for voice/video—wired to evidence pipelines so every AP, SSID, policy, and change is measurable and auditable.
Related rails & guardrails
• Campus fabric → /lan • Metro/WAN → /man • Overlays → /sd-wan
• Identity/Access → /nac • /ztna • /sase • Boundary → /waf
• Mobility/Edge → /private-5g • /cbrs • Evidence/Ops → /siem-soar
🎯 Outcomes We Optimize
- Deterministic experience — predictable join, fast roams, stable throughput, low jitter for UC and real-time apps.
- Identity-first security — WPA3-Enterprise (802.1X EAP-TLS), dynamic segmentation (VLAN/SGT), per-role policy.
- Operability at scale — clean SSID strategy, template-driven configs, automation hooks, and RF telemetry you can trust.
- Evidence on demand — surveys, config diffs, NAC decisions, join/roam timers, MOS/Jitter/Loss streamed to /siem-soar.
🧭 Reference Architecture (WLAN with Zero-Trust)
Access Layer (APs + Edge Switching)
- Multigig PoE switches (2.5/5G) feeding Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 APs; 10/25G uplinks; MACsec optional on uplinks.
- WPA3-Enterprise (EAP-TLS) for corp; WPA3-SAE or OWE for guest; IoT onboarding via PPSK/DPSK or EAP-TLS + device profiling.
→ /nac
Identity & Segmentation
- 802.1X with certificate auth (EAP-TLS); dynamic VLAN or SGT tags from NAC; guest isolation; IoT micro-segments.
- ZTNA for application access; SASE policy for web/SaaS.
→ /ztna • /sase
RF & Channel Plan
- Dual-5 GHz + 6 GHz designs; DFS planning; 20/40/80-MHz channelization per density.
- Minimum data rates enabled; band-steering & client load balancing where sane.
Northbound Integration
- DHCP/DNS/IPAM hygiene; SD-WAN breakout/backhaul policy; NTP for timestamp integrity.
→ /lan • /sd-wan
Observability & Evidence
- Syslog/NetFlow/Telemetry → SIEM; acceptance artifacts (surveys, join & roam timers, MOS) archived for QBRs/audits.
→ /siem-soar
🧰 Service Catalog (what we deliver & run)
1) RF Surveys & Design — predictive and on-site (active/passive) heatmaps, capacity modeling, roaming targets, AP placement, antenna selection.
2) AP & Edge Switching — PoE budgets, multigig uplinks, MLAG/stacking, optics plan, storm/BPDU guard, DHCP snooping/DAI/IPSG.
3) SSID & Policy Strategy — corp (EAP-TLS), guest (captive/OWE), IoT (PPSK/DPSK/EAP-TLS), limit to 2–4 SSIDs per band.
4) Identity & NAC — certificates (PKI), profiling, dynamic VLAN/SGT, posture checks, guest/Sponsor workflows.
5) QoS & Real-Time — WMM access categories, DSCP trust/preservation, voice SSID, 802.11e mapping to EF/AF classes end-to-end.
6) Security Controls — WPA3, PMF, management frame protection, rogue/WIPS policy, east-west microseg.
7) Automation & Templates — intents in Git, lint/tests for SSIDs/RADIUS/profiles; drift detection; API for inventories.
8) Observability & Evidence — join/roam timers, retry/airtime stats, MOS/Jitter/Loss, NAC decision logs, config diffs → SIEM/SOAR.
9) Operations — firmware lifecycle rings, spares/UPS plan, vendor escalation via /noc.
📦 Quick Reference Tables
1) Bands & Channelization
| Band | Pros | Typical Channel Width | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4 GHz | Range, legacy clients | 20 MHz | IoT low-bandwidth only |
| 5 GHz | Capacity, many channels | 20/40/80 MHz | Default corp/voice/video |
| 6 GHz (Wi-Fi 6E/7) | Clean spectrum, wide channels, LPI/VLP | 80/160 MHz* | High-density, AR/VR, low-latency apps |
* Use 80 MHz for density; 160 MHz where clients and interference permit.
2) Security Modes & Use
| Mode | Use Case | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WPA3-Enterprise (EAP-TLS) | Corp devices | Cert-based; strongest; maps to roles/SGTs |
| PPSK/DPSK (per-device keys) | IoT/guest devices | Unique keys; easy revocation; good for IoT |
| WPA3-SAE | Guest/simple corp BYOD | Password-based; better than WPA2-PSK |
| OWE | Open Guest | Encryption without auth; captive portal optional |
3) PoE & AP Classes (typical)
| AP Class | PoE Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dual-radio Wi-Fi 6 | 802.3at (30 W) | Common office AP |
| Tri-radio Wi-Fi 6E | 802.3bt Type 3 (≈60 W) | 2.5/5G multigig uplink |
| High-density Wi-Fi 7 | 802.3bt Type 3/4 (60–90 W) | Stadiums, arenas, lecture halls |
Plan 20–30% PoE headroom per stack and ensure multigig (2.5/5/10G) uplinks.
4) Roaming Enhancements
| Feature | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 802.11k | Neighbor reports (faster scanning) |
| 802.11v | Network-assisted roaming/steering |
| 802.11r | Fast BSS transition (FT); test client compatibility |
🔐 Security by Default (that actually sticks)
- EAP-TLS everywhere for corp; cert lifecycle via PKI; posture via NAC (managed vs unmanaged vs IoT).
- Dynamic segmentation — role/SGT and VLAN mapping at join; IoT/OT isolated with explicit allow-lists.
- Integrity — PMF/802.11w on, frame protection, rogue containment by policy, MACsec on uplinks.
- Zero-Trust ties — ZTNA for private apps, SASE for web/SaaS, WAF for portals; DLP on uploads where needed.
→ /nac • /ztna • /sase • /waf
🎛️ QoS & Application Mapping
| App Class | WLAN/WMM | DSCP | Design Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice (UC/VoWiFi) | AC_VO | EF (46) | Target -67 dBm @ 20–25 dB SNR; 20 MHz channels; roam ≤ 150 ms |
| Video Conferencing | AC_VI | AF41/42 | Consider packet dup/FEC via SD-WAN upstream |
| Control/OT | AC_VI/BE | AF31/CS3 | Pin to specific SSIDs/VLANs; microseg allow-lists |
| Best-Effort | AC_BE | BE/CS0 | Rate-limit bulk traffic; disable low basic rates |
| Background/Bulk | AC_BK | CS1 | Schedule backup windows; prefer wired if possible |
📐 SLO Guardrails (targets you can tune)
| Domain | KPI / SLO (p95 unless noted) | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Join (corp) | Assoc + 802.1X + DHCP | ≤ 2–4 s |
| Roam | Same-SSID handoff | ≤ 50–150 ms |
| Coverage/SNR | Min SNR at cell edge | ≥ 20–25 dB (-67 dBm RSSI) |
| Voice quality | MOS (wideband) | ≥ 4.1 |
| Jitter / Loss | One-way / sustained | ≤ 20–30 ms / < 0.3–0.5% |
| Airtime | Busy time (avg/peak) | < 40% / < 70% per cell |
| NAC | 802.1X success (managed fleet) | ≥ 98–100% |
| Security | PMF + WPA3 coverage | = 100% corp SSIDs |
| Evidence | Logs/artifacts → SIEM | ≤ 60–120 s |
Breaches open a case and trigger SOAR (tune power/channels, adjust min rates, isolate AP/port, rotate certs/keys, policy rollback), with artifacts. → /siem-soar
🧪 Acceptance Tests & Artifacts (we keep the receipts)
- RF — predictive & on-site surveys (heatmaps, SNR, retries); AP placement photos; channel/power plans.
- Join & Roam — timer captures for assoc/EAP/DHCP; 802.11k/v/r behavior; roam timing walking paths.
- Voice Under Load — MOS/Jitter/Loss with 20 MHz channels; roaming calls across cells.
- Policy — NAC decision logs (role→VLAN/SGT), PMF/WPA3 enforcement, guest isolation, IoT PPSK mapping.
- QoS — WMM and DSCP preservation checks; upstream SD-WAN packet-dup/FEC tests.
- Security — DHCP snooping/DAI/IPSG; rogue detection policies; MACsec enablement on uplinks.
- Ops — firmware baselines, golden templates, drift reports, change diffs, AP inventory audit.
Artifacts archive to /siem-soar and package into QBR/audit bundles.
🧱 Design Notes & Best Practices
- Keep SSIDs lean (2–4 per band); too many SSIDs waste airtime.
- Disable low basic rates to reduce sticky clients; prefer 12/18/24 Mbps on 5 GHz; 6 GHz has no legacy rates.
- Design for capacity, not just coverage — size to users/apps/airtime, not only square footage.
- Validate client mix — test with real clients (barcode guns, phones, laptops, headsets).
- Use multigig to APs and plan PoE headroom for Wi-Fi 6E/7.
- RTLS needs geometry — extra APs along hallways/perimeter; consistent height; calibrated maps.
- DFS awareness — avoid DFS channels for voice in radar-heavy areas or ensure fallback plan.
- Consider Private 5G/CBRS for deterministic mobility (AGVs/AMRs) and keep Wi-Fi for user access. → /private-5g • /cbrs
📝 WLAN Intake (copy-paste & fill)
- Sites/floors (drawings if available), ceiling heights, materials (RF).
- Users/devices (corp, guest, IoT/OT counts), applications (voice/video/AR/VDI).
- Security (IdP/SSO/MFA, cert PKI, NAC scope, WPA3/PMF, guest policy, IoT onboarding).
- APs & switching (quantity, multigig/PoE, uplinks, MACsec).
- RF (DFS environment, interference, 6 GHz readiness), target SSIDs & channel widths.
- QoS (voice, video, control classes), SD-WAN interaction.
- IP services (DNS/DHCP/IPAM), IPv6 posture.
- Compliance (PCI/HIPAA/NIST/IEC), evidence retention.
- Operations (managed vs co-managed, change windows, SIEM destination).
- Timeline & budget, SLO goals (join/roam/MOS).
We’ll return a design-to-quote with AP placement, PoE/multigig, NAC/PKI, SSID/policy sets, SLO-mapped pricing, and an evidence plan you can reuse in audits and QBRs.
Or jump to /customized-quotes.
📞 Build a WLAN That’s Fast, Secure, and Auditable
- Call: (888) 765-8301
- Email: contact@solveforce.com
From offices and clinics to warehouses, campuses, and venues, we’ll deliver Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 that performs, protects, and proves it.