Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controllers Optimizing Enterprise Video Over Wireless LAN

Cisco Goes After Wireless

Can video delivered over a wireless networking connection be as good as video coming from a wired network? That's the challenge that networking giant Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) now is trying solve with new technology called VideoStream.

With VideoStream Cisco is aiming to enable enterprises to deliver HD quality video to multiple wireless end points. VideoStream is part of Cisco's overall Medianet strategy for delivering an architectural approach for networks that can handle all types of media and includes both wired and wireless connection points.

With the ratification of 802.11n, users have the bandwidth to do high speed data over wireless. The challenge that remains is that wireless is still a shared media, with one access point and multiple clients all contending for the same data and spectrum.

Functionally VideoStream includes a number of key components, among them is the ability to do reliable multicasting(define) which enables live broadcasting over an IP network. What Cisco has done is figure out a way to have video sent and error corrected from the wireless access point to the client endpoints at the highest wireless data rate available.

With stream prioritization technology, VideoStream provides users with another layer of wireless video quality control.

In one case there might be a special CEO video stream and on the other hand there could be a sporting event stream. With stream prioritization the network administrator can prioritize which stream should get more bandwidth for wireless delivery. Protecting video quality

Another element in VideoStream is something called – Resource Reservation Control.

As one of the main drivers behind the Cisco's video strategy, medianet builds upon the strengths of a pervasively deployed Cisco Unified Wireless Network solution with VideoStream technology. VideoStream technology leverages benefits delivered by a medianet and carries forward the rich service capabilities required for video like: traffic prioritization, protection, monitoring, and adaptability to deliver a scalable, high-performance, high-quality enterprise video experience over Wi-Fi.

The solution is that VideoStream understands how much total wireless bandwidth is available. If a request comes in from an endpoint and there isn't enough available bandwidth, the new request will get a video not available message, which will protect the quality for the users that are already receiving the video.

In order to help provide as much wireless bandwidth as possible, Cisco's VideoStream also has a method to improve wireless scalability for video delivery with packet replication.

Packet replication is not the same as how load balancing an application works for wired Web servers.

The VideoStream technology is part of Cisco's unified wireless software for all of their wireless controller products.