Performance Evaluation of Next Generation Wi-Fi (802.11ac) for Mobile Offloading

This Work In Progress (WiP) paper presents a preliminary performance evaluation of next generation Wi-Fi (802.11ac) devices in a controlled laboratory environment. System performance (Layer-4 throughput, latency and data loss) was measured with consumer grade 802.11ac routers, bridges and USB adapters in a single-input single-output (SISO) test configuration. Although 802.11ac-enabled mobile devices such as smartphones are now commercially available, none were available at the time this preliminary evaluation was launched. Additional 802.11ac technology evaluation is scheduled in the coming months, which will include 802.11ac capable mobile devices and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system performance.