Juniper Networks enhances AI-native networking platform for Wi-Fi 7

Looking to address the increased demands of an ever-growing wireless market, in particular more reliable connectivity that’s easy to manage, Juniper Networks has made several enhancements to its AI-Native Networking Platform to enable customers and partners to take full advantage of Wi-Fi 7.

The emerging 802.11be amendment promises higher throughput, lower latency, extended range and greater reliability than previous Wi-Fi versions. However, to offer its full potential, Wi-Fi 7 not only requires state-of-the-art access points (APs) and switches to assure outstanding performance and scale, but also needs robust artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps) and secure access to facilitate migration to the latest wireless standard and assure the best user experiences on an ongoing basis.

Building on its cloud-hosted wired, wireless and Mist AI products, Juniper is extending the AI-native networking platform with multiple innovations to enhance end user experiences with Wi-Fi 7. These include new AP47 series access points to deliver higher performance Wi-Fi with integrated location services through advanced AI and high-power EX Series Switches to offer the full speed and capacity of Wi-Fi 7 and boost its sustainability.

The AP47 range comprises a tri-band, four-radio AP with support for dual-5GHz or dual-6GHz operation and a dedicated scanning radio. AI-driven radio resource management (RRM) has been purpose built for Wi-Fi 7 is a flagship feature that will use reinforced learning to optimise capacity in Wi-Fi 7 by automating channel/power/multi-link operations.

Additionally, it functions as a converged Wi-Fi/IT/OT/IoT gateway with the unique inclusion of dual Bluetooth LE (BLE) radios and Ultra Wideband (UWB) to enable new applications that Juniper said will drive more business value and better experiences. There are also two 10 Gbps Ethernet ports to provide high availability and failover for both data and power.

The EX4400-48MXP and EX4400-48XP switches are designed to modernise wired/wireless infrastructure with support for higher power devices, such as Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 APs, increased multigigabit port density and an AI-Native, cloud-native architecture that reduces operational expenses. They are also attributed with streamlining IT operations and deliver better experiences for users and devices.

The new family of EX Series Switches is claimed to be the only AI-Native and cloud-native switching solution that supports up to 3600W power, which enables pervasive deployment of higher power IoT devices and migration to high performance Wi-Fi 7 Access Points.

Commenting on the deployment, Chris DePuy, founder and technology analyst at 650 Group, said: “Automation in Juniper’s AI-native wired and wireless solutions helps accelerate deployments while eliminating significant numbers of networking-related trouble tickets.

“By expanding its AI-Native Networking Platform with more industry-firsts such as AI-Native Wi-Fi 7, Juniper continues to pioneer the usage of AI in networking for networking to deliver unsurpassed scale, agility and security.”

Sudheer Matta, general vice-president of products for campus and branch at Juniper Networks, added: “This announcement directly addresses two of the top concerns from our customers and partners: reliable Wi-Fi that is also easy to manage.

“Competing solutions in the market may struggle with the additional complexity of configuring and optimising Wi-Fi networks resulting from recently expanded RF spectrum available for use and additional features of Wi-Fi 7. Juniper’s unique AI for Wi-Fi 7 … helps our customers move away from complex, hard-to-troubleshoot legacy controller-based architectures, where it’s nearly impossible to build a self-driving AI-Native network.” 

Explaining how the technology could be beneficial on its educational establishment, Ben Shapiro, senior network engineer at Eugene School District 4J in the state of Oregon, added: “Juniper’s announcement of Wi-Fi 7 technology, paired with its AI-Native Networking Platform, marks a pivotal moment for our network’s future and the possibilities it presents for enhanced student learning.

“This combination of ultra-low latency, increased capacity and AI-driven operations has the potential to enable real-time collaboration, virtual labs and seamless access to digital resources, transforming how students engage with technology in the classroom.”