The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced a new, standardized tool for collecting diagnostic data on home WiFi networks.
According to CableLabs, the just announced WiFi Certified Data Elements will aid service providers in their quest to troubleshoot and optimize home WiFi networks, a task that “will be critical to deploying 10G,” the cable industry tech consortium said.
CableLabs announced last July that it was partnering with the Wi-Fi Alliance on the initiative.
According to CableLabs, WiFi Certified Data Elements will address “many WiFi [proactive network maintenance]-related pain points identified by members of the cable community.”
These include a lack of visibility into customers‘ WiFi networks and the high cost of WiFi troubleshooting.
While proprietary WiFi proactive network maintenance solutions exist, they require deployment of costly proprietary technology in customers’ equipment and are too restrictive in terms of analytic capabilities, CableLabs added.
“Wi-Fi networks have gained complexity due to the number and types of connected devices,” Wi-Fi Alliance vice president of marketing Kevin Robinson said. “WiFi Data Elements provides greater insight into WiFi network behavior so that service providers more quickly diagnose issues and deliver better customer service, even as WiFi user device types and numbers increase.”
