High-speed, low-latency, jitter-free network for healthcare
Matt MacPherson, CTO of Wireless Engineering at Cisco Innovation Labs, added that the 6GHz band will allow doctors and other healthcare professionals to download large image files from MRI and other machines more quickly. I am.
“This allows us to deliver better, faster care while increasing productivity and supporting more patients,” he says.
As digitalization becomes more immersive, including artificial reality, augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality, both hospital operations and the patient experience will continue to improve.
“These next-generation applications rely on high-speed, low-latency, jitter-free connectivity,” MacPherson says.
To take full advantage of Wi-Fi 6E, healthcare organizations will need the infrastructure to support it.
“This includes switches that can support multi-giga and Internet service providers that can provide the necessary bandwidth across the aggregation base layer,” MacPherson says.
Meanwhile, client density will continue to increase as the number of machine-to-machine communications begins to outnumber person-to-person communications.
Wireless is now mission-critical in medical environments, so reliable connectivity is key.
“The IoT will bring new expectations to networks because machines can absorb information much faster than humans,” he says. “Traffic will continue to grow as latency and jitter requirements tighten.”
explore: Do you want to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E? Consider these design issues.
Support for advanced security to protect patient data
When it comes to security, Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) or opportunistic wireless encryption is mandatory to operate at 6GHz, said Christian Gilbey, senior director of product marketing at Juniper Networks.
“For many healthcare organizations, adopting 6GHz also means adopting WPA3,” he says. “This is not as difficult as it may seem, but there are some nuances to consider.”
He advises healthcare IT leaders to understand as much as possible the devices and driver versions on their networks.
“In some environments, especially those with large BYOD populations, this may not be entirely feasible,” he points out. “He may also consider existing service set identifiers and use Wi-Fi 6E as an opportunity to rethink SSIDs.”
Gilbey engages partners to conduct site surveys to identify the best locations to place wireless APS for optimal efficiency, reliability, and performance, as well as to provide network assessment and network design advice. I’m giving you advice.
“Healthcare use cases require more precise location capabilities for tracking inventory, assets, and people,” he says. “More configurable channels increases design and operational complexity.”
read more: Why should healthcare organizations consider upgrading to Wi-Fi 6 or 6E?
Best Practices for Healthcare Networking Infrastructure and Installation
MacPherson noted that backend infrastructure is a key consideration for IT teams to ensure core, aggregate, and access switches can support the high speeds and bandwidth of Wi-Fi 6E. is recommended.
“Without this, users will not be able to realize the full benefits of Wi-Fi 6E,” he says. “Making sure the back end is ready is the most important part.”
As APs add radios to support current and legacy connectivity, requirements for Power over Ethernet, a technology that allows both data and power to be transmitted over Ethernet cables, can also increase.
Gilby points out that the more available channels that can be configured, the more design and operational complexity increases.
“Here, we can leverage innovations such as AI RRM capabilities to simplify and optimize the network, delivering improved performance and greater automation,” he says.
From Logan’s perspective, there are multiple stakeholders, from health IT professionals and chief medical information officers to clinical engineering experts and technology integrators, all working together to ensure timely and secure AP installation. We need to work together.
“Explaining business benefits such as application performance, clinician productivity, patient digital experience, and patient satisfaction is a critical responsibility for IT, especially for long-term facilities,” he says. Masu. “These conversations have to happen.”