Juniper Enhances its AI-Native Networking Platform to Offer Full Potential of Wi-Fi 7

Juniper Networks announced several key enhancements to its leading AI-Native Networking Platform that enable customers and partners to take full advantage of the emerging 802.11be amendment (Wi-Fi 7), which promises higher throughput, lower latency, extended range and greater reliability than previous Wi-Fi versions.

By combining new Juniper Mist Wi-Fi 7 access points (APs) and high-power campus EX switches with Juniper’s award-winning Mist AI and cloud-native networking and security services, Juniper’s market-leading wired and wireless Local Area Networking (LAN) access solution uniquely maximizes the full potential of Wi-Fi 7 while enabling a seamless, cost-effective and more sustainable transition to the latest wireless technology.

Wi-Fi 7 not only requires state-of-the-art APs and switches to assure outstanding performance and scale, but also needs robust 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 leadership, today Juniper is extending the AI-Native Networking Platform with multiple innovations to enhance experiences with Wi-Fi 7:

New AP47 Series Access Points deliver high performance Wi-Fi 7 with integrated location services with advanced AI, purpose built for Wi-Fi 7. This flagship indoor AP brings the highest performance to enterprises needing fast, secure and resilient wireless for high density environments and growing mobility demands.

• The AP47 is a tri-band, four-radio AP with support for dual-5GHz or dual-6GHz operation and a dedicated scanning radio.
• AI-driven RRM now purpose built for Wi-Fi 7 is a flagship feature that will use reinforced learning to optimize capacity in Wi-Fi 7 by automating channel/power/multi-link operation.
• 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 drive more business value and better experiences.
• Two 10 Gbps Ethernet ports provide high availability and seamless failover for both data and power.
• Three models are available to meet diverse customer requirements including: AP47 with integrated omni-directional antennas; AP47D with integrated directional antennas; and AP47E with connectors for external antennas.

Built on Juniper’s proven microservices cloud architecture, the AP47 provides a foundation for scalable digital transformation efforts, IoT connectivity and personalized location services.

By integrating UWB location-based technology directly into the AP47 along with BLE, Juniper is rapidly innovating with a converged powerful multifunction gateway for industry-leading ultra-precise real time location accuracy and OT/IoT use cases.

High-Power EX Series Switches: unleash the full speed and capacity of Wi-Fi 7 and boost sustainability  
Juniper is introducing new EX4400-48MXP and EX4400-48XP switches that:

• Modernize 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.
• Streamline IT operations and deliver better experiences for users and devices.
• The new family of EX Series Switches is the only AI-Native and cloud-native switching solutionthat supports up to 3600W power, which enables pervasive deployment of higher power IoT devices and migration to high performance Wi-Fi 7 Access Points.

With these new higher power EX Series Switches, all managed via the Juniper Mist cloud, sustainability is boosted by deploying and managing smart buildings with smart lighting, as power can be supplied directly through the switch rather than from the building’s power infrastructure, reducing inefficiencies and enabling automation of PoE status to disable building systems when floors or areas are unoccupied. This capability delivers scale, agility and automation for improved user experiences.

The EX Series Switch family has also been extended to support new use cases with a series of temperature- and environment-hardened models. The new EX4100-H hardened switch series can withstand extreme conditions such as high vibrations and shocks, as well as extended temperature ranges, making it the perfect solution for outdoor use in smart cities, factory automation and other demanding environments which leverage Wi-Fi 6 and 6E today, with an expected migration to Wi-Fi 7.

The Best AI-Native Wired and Wireless Networking Solution
Juniper is the vendor positioned Furthest in Vision and Highest in Ability to Execute in the latest 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure, and is the highest scoring vendor* in all five wired and wireless Use Cases in the accompanying Gartner Critical Capabilities for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure report.

Juniper’s award-winning AIOps plays an increasingly critical role in taming the complexity of rapidly evolving IT networks, including new Wi-Fi 7 environments. By leveraging an AI-Native foundation, IT teams can harness AI and automated actions to discover, isolate and resolve problems quickly and simplify Day 0 to 2+ operations.

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance, Wireless Assurance and Marvis Virtual Network Assistant (VNA) bring unique wired operational capabilities like customizable service levels, Dynamic PCAP (packet capture), digital experience twinning, and a conversational interface to maximize wired user, device and operator experiences. In addition, Juniper Mist Access Assurance enhances Wi-Fi 7 networks by providing robust security measures that control and monitor network access, ensuring only authorized and compliant devices connect to the network. With Wi-Fi 7 networks supporting higher speeds and more connected devices, effective network access control is crucial for safeguarding sensitive data and resources to assure their security posture. Furthermore, the company’s recently launched AI Care Services leverage the power of AI to transform the support model from manual and reactive to automated and proactive.   

With best-in-class APs and switches plus unique AI-Native cloud-hosted subscription services, Juniper’s wired and wireless LAN solution provides enterprises with the fastest way to deploy and easiest way to manage personalized wired and wireless experiences.

“This announcement directly addresses two of the top concerns from our customers and partners: reliable Wi-Fi that’s easy to manage. Competing solutions in the market may struggle with the additional complexity of configuring and optimizing 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 leverages reinforced learning to optimize channel and power settings to maximize the performance and experience for end users and devices, without manual tuning. This 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.,” said Sudheer Matta, GVP Products for Campus and Branch, Juniper Networks.