California-based Juniper Networks is introducing an IoT assurance service that streamlines and scales the onboarding and securing of IoT devices without network access control (NAC).

The AI-driven networking company has also announced two 6GHz access points that leverage Mist AI to increase wifi performance and capacity while simplifying IT operations.

These enhancements to the Juniper wireless access portfolio further the company’s experience-first networking mission so IT administrators can deliver a better network experience to their users.

“While it is relatively easy to support new standards like Wifi 6E in hardware and to onboard a small number of IoT devices using pre-shared keys, Juniper has again put customers first by applying the proven benefits of Mist AI and the modern microservices cloud to these environments to deliver unparalleled performance, agility, ease and scale,” said Jeff Aaron, Juniper vice president. “From day-zero installation through ongoing monitoring, management and troubleshooting of the network, Juniper continues to stand out for an experience-first approach to networking that delivers the best experiences for operators and end users from the client to the cloud.”

Wifi 6E is a wireless standard that expands network capacity by making a larger amount of RF spectrum available in the 6GHz range to add to the existing 2.4 and 5GHz bands. To take advantage of Wifi 6E, Juniper is announcing two tri-band access points (APs), managed via the same Mist cloud and AI engine as the rest of the Juniper Mist portfolio. These are the: AP 45 2.4, 5 and 6GHz quad-radio, 4×4:4SS, vBLE array; and the AP 34 2.4, 5 and 6GHz quad-radio, 2×2:2SS, omni BLE.

The APs complement the existing 2.4 and 5GHz APs in the Juniper Mist portfolio, which support both 802.11ac and 802.11ax protocols. All APs incorporate either Juniper’s patented virtualised Bluetooth LE or omnidirectional BLE antenna in addition to wifi to provide a wide range of location-based services in a scalable and cost effective manner.

The Juniper Mist offering incorporates rich client insights and AIOps to deliver optimised configurations, increased performance and optimised packet scheduling for increased capacity. This is achieved without sacrificing performance for older 2.4 and 5GHz clients for investment protection.

The Mist IoT assurance cloud service delivers one-stop IoT operations for enterprises, including policy assignments, segmentation, traffic engineering and lifecycle management. Many IoT devices – such as cameras, smart locks, HVAC systems, wearables, sensors, MRI, CT, ultrasound machines, bed monitors and digital displays – do not support 802.1x, so they cannot be onboarded using traditional NAC. Juniper solves this by enabling them to be onboarded at cloud scale using private pre-shared keys (PPSK) that can be easily set up and administered using a self-serve programmable cloud portal.

By eliminating expensive third-party hardware and overlay software and enabling simple IoT onboarding via an intuitive cloud service, Juniper says it has tackled a common problem to deliver an exceptional IoT experience to existing and future users.

“Organisations are embracing hybrid work, forcing IT to rethink connectivity options across campus environments,” said Bob Laliberte, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. “In addition to supporting increased use of audio and video collaboration, IoT devices are also in greater demand to ensure work place safety and security. As a result, complexity is growing rapidly. Juniper Networks’ new AI-enabled Wifi 6E access points and IoT assurance service enable organisations to overcome those challenges and drive higher levels of operational efficiency.”