The brand-new FortiAP 431F/433F Wi-Fi 6 access point is out! Within the range of Wi-Fi 6 appliances, these could be considered a step up from the 231F. They’re pretty much top-of-the-line, in fact. The difference between the FortiAP 431F and the FortiAP 433F is that the 433F has 5 external antennas, the 431F’s antennas are internal.
The FortiAP 431F/433F 4×4:4 MU-MIMO device has three radios, a 2.4 GHz, a 5 GHz, and a separate scanning radio. It delivers 1.14 Gbps and 2.4 Gbps Maximum Data Rate, respectively. There’s also a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, plus an additional 1 Gbps Ethernet port for PoE diversity. It can provide 24/7 scanning across both bands while still providing access on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.
Now, there’s a lot of cool features that all Wi-Fi 6 APs share in common. However, let’s talk a little about the two main features that set access points like the FAP 431F/433F apart from earlier 802.11ac appliances. First, of course, is the fact that it’s an 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6 access point.
What’s so great about Wi-Fi 6?
Here’s the thing. In WiFi, bandwidth is shared among endpoint devices. And, when you are in a high-traffic are with lots of access points, their coverage areas will overlap. Think stadiums, concerts, or busy airports. So, as you walk through your airport, you can be moving from one access point to another.
Currently, your endpoint listens for an all-clear signal before transmitting. Basically, it waits it’s turn to speak. So here you are, moving through your airport. Your endpoint (phone) is one of maybe thousands of APs and endpoints yelling and hiccuping at each other trying to be heard. It’s sort of like the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Get enough devices in the same area, efficiency and performance suffer.
So, what WiFi 6 does, is it opens up more lines for endpoints to talk on, so they don’t have to wait as long for their turn. It also allows more data into each packet, which can increase total throughput nearly 40%. Now, for the second improvement.
OFDM-what?
Another sort of big feature is called OFDMA. The FortiAP 431F/433F has it, and that’s a good thing. OFDMA is an extension of an earlier architecture called OFDM. Both of these divide a channel into smaller, easy-to-manage units or sub-channels, called subcarriers. Each of those sub-carriers then sends “frames,” or “packets,” consecutively to the receiver.
Basically, an OFDMA device sends these data packets more efficiently. As a result, your FAP 431F delivers a lot less latency, and a lot better coverage. In addition, you experience lower interference and improved flexibility. This leads to increased overall efficiency in small-packet applications in dense environments.
Is the FAP 431F/433F a good fit for me?
The enterprise-grade FortiAP 431F/433F is ideal for high-density public environments. Since it’s designed for faster browsing and downloading from mobile devices, companies with 5G deployments and offices with high-bandwidth usage would also benefit. It can be managed either by the built-in WLAN controller of your FortiGate, or the easy-to-navigate FortiAP Cloud portal.
But since we’re premier Fortinet specialists, Corporate Armor is your best bet if you want to find out more about this slick, powerful access point. Our advice will be driven by your unique needs, nothing more.
So please reach out to us here, or call 877-449-0458. We can’t wait to serve you!
FortiAP 431F/433F At-A-Glance
| Dual 1 Gbps Ethernet ports | |
| Three radio, 4×4:4 MU-MIMO | |
| 2.4 Gbps Maximum Data Rate on the 5 GHz band | |
| 1.14 Mbps Maximum Data Rate on the 2.4 GHz band |