The Extreme Networks 6GHz Standard Power (SP) Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) solution uses a third-party AFC service to regulate standard power operation in the 6GHz Wi-Fi band. The 6GHz SP APs require geo-location coordinates to query the third-party AFC service for 6GHz spectrum. The APs are provided with geo-location coordinates by the Geo-Location Agent running in ExtremeCloud IQ or ExtremeCloud IQ Controller.
To derive the geo-location for all the APs on a floor, the Geo-Location agent does the following four steps:
The APs deployed on a floor use 802.11mc Fine Time Measurement (FTM) technology to perform AP-to-AP ranging. The Geo-Location Agent collects the AP-to-AP ranging results and builds one graph or multiple subgraphs of APs placed on the selected floor, with the graph edges representing the estimated distances between the APs.
The anchor APs provide geo-location coordinates to the Geo-Location Agent based on their integral or built-in GPS module or by the ExtremeCloud IQ Mobile Companion app (AFC Mobile app).
The Geo-Location Agent derives geo-location coordinates for all APs using the geo-location coordinates of the anchor APs in combination with the AP graph and subgraphs derived from the FTM AP-to-AP ranging.
Having determined the geo-location coordinates of the APs, the AFC Agent then queries the third-party AFC servers to obtain and assign the AFC 6GHz spectrum for them. The SP service is brought up.
The solution includes the following components:
Anchor APs - Anchor APs are APs that obtain geo-location coordinates, either from an integrated GPS unit or from the ExtremeCloud IQ Mobile Companion app (AFC Mobile app).
Geo-Location Agent - Collects the GPS coordinates of the anchor APs and - in combination with the graph of APs determined from FTM reports - derives the geo-location coordinates for all APs on a floor. The Geo-Location Agent resides on ExtremeCloud IQ and ExtremeCloud IQ Controller. See Geo-Location Agent.
AFC Service Provider - Allocates spectrum for APs based on their geo-location coordinates. APs are required to query the AFC service at least once every 24 hours to request a new spectrum. The AFC service provider for Extreme Networks is Wi-Fi Alliance Services (https://www.wi-fi.com/).
The following table shows 6GHz Standard Power support by country.
| Location | AP Type | Indoor 6GHz | Outdoor 6GHz |
|---|---|---|---|
|
United States/Canada |
Indoor |
LPI rules or SP with AFC rules | No |
|
United States/Canada |
Outdoor (weatherized enclosure) |
Yes SP with AFC rules |
Yes SP with AFC rules |
|
Rest of the World |
Indoor |
LPI rules |
No |
|
Rest of the World |
Outdoor (weatherized enclosure) |
LPI rules |
No |
In addition, you will use the following tools during deployment:
The Extreme Networks AFC Mobile App - A deployment tool that provides geo-location coordinates to anchor APs. Use it if the anchor APs do not have an integrated GPS unit or if your anchor AP cannot obtain geo-location coordinates. It is available for ExtremeCloud IQ and ExtremeCloud IQ Controller systems. See AFC Mobile App.
The Extreme Networks AFC Explorer Tool - A planning tool used to determine if a site has sufficient 6GHz spectrum for non-licensed use. If you are using ExtremeCloud IQ Controller to manage your network then you can use the AFC Explorer tool to plan your AFC deployment. See AFC Explorer.