At this point, there isn’t an industry on the planet that doesn’t see the importance of Wi-Fi in their ability to transform organizational capabilities. The freedom and flexibility wireless connectivity provides is limitless. The number of devices that are created to take advantage of this connectivity continues to grow. Now that Wi-Fi 6E is here, it’s time for healthcare organizations to develop their migration plan to the next generation of Wi-Fi, and David Coleman, Director of Wireless, Office of the CTO, Extreme Networks, discusses three ways Wi-Fi 6E helps healthcare IT accelerate their facilities towards the future.
In the event that you’re not familiar with Wi-Fi 6E, it’s important to level set with what this latest wireless technology brings to the table. Wi-Fi 6E takes advantage of newly released 6 GHz spectrum providing an entirely new conduit of dedicated connectivity for devices and applications to use. It’s got more speed and more bandwidth than the previous generation, and it’s not backwards compatible, which means fewer bottlenecks from slower traffic and greater security for data crossing Wi-Fi 6E networks.
With this additional bandwidth available, mesh networking will see a resurgence in indoor facilities. Devices that require network connectivity keeps growing and mesh networking will ensure that there are no areas in the hospital or around the campus where vital technology could lose its connection and disrupt the continuum of care for a patient.
But that’s not all. Even older, legacy devices could see benefit from the additional bandwidth and lower latency. As access points support multiple Wi-Fi versions, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz, data could be communicated over one band and then backhauled via another one.
Another technique that will make a comeback is Wireless Workgroup Bridging. Here, devices that were networked but not wireless could be connected to the 6 GHz network by plugging in an Access Point to the equipment via an onboard ethernet port. Then, by changing the mode of the Access Point, it can be used to bridge to the 6 GHz network, upgrading an aging device to modern day.
This is increasingly important because this allows hospitals and other healthcare systems who are increasingly under pressure to cut cost and sweat existing assets to extend the usable life of devices that are integral to patient care. Device manufacturers aren’t always the fastest to deliver the next generation of equipment to take advantage of evolving technology, so wireless workgroup bridging is a good option if funds are a problem and options are limited.
With the 6 GHz spectrum boasting dedicated bandwidth free of older Wi-Fi versions that slow down the responsiveness of the network, healthcare will see greater adoption of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications. This will usher in a new era of innovation as clinicians can be trained within the facility using these types of applications to simulate more realistic scenarios they could encounter in the course of patient care.
Not only does this transform how staff is educated, but it can also aid in patient education before procedures and prior to discharge. Imagine how scanning a device or a bottle of medicine can provide education to the patient via an AR experience. With patient satisfaction a priority for many, immersive education in the hospital could be the key to greater understanding and improved compliance even after patients return home.
It’s been said that “what’s old is new again,” and while 6 GHz spectrum is new, the previously mentioned methods of extending connectivity to broader areas of the campus and rejuvenating legacy equipment for today aren’t. Yet, it’s these proven strategies that can give more velocity to digital transformation projects over Wi-Fi 6E networks. Finally, pairing connectivity with innovative VR and AR applications that once were an impossibility because of bandwidth availability suggest a positive future of improved patient care and greater clinical productivity.
Learn more about Extreme Networks for Healthcare here: Extreme Healthcare
