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One 20 MHz wide signal with a flat top and tapering down on both sides reading -55 dBm in amplitude on channel 144

According to this description, I really can't tell this is an 11n or 11ac signal.

Hope someone could clarify more, please? Thank  you so much

You did not say if it was an AP's signal, which would most easily be indicated by its always being visible on your SA.  That sounds most likely.

Both /n and /ac can use channel 144 (in the 5 GHz band).   The fact that it's only 20 MHz wide (single stream), we would suspect that today it's only /n, and not /ac.  Twenty MHz in 5GHz (today) sounds wasteful. 

Both can emit 20 MHz wide OFDM (flat topped signals) signals.  You should never see DSSS (hump shaped) Wi-Fi signals at 5+GHz.

For MOST intents and purpose, both /n and /ac signals are the same.   Since the signal is pretty strong, and therefore relatively close, you should be able to use direction finding techniques to find the actual transmitter.   Once you locate the device, you can hopefully identify the make and model, which by it's age should tell you the possibilities.

If you used a protocol analyzer you might be able to discern more information, but as said previously from a practical sense, they are equivalent.   

I suppose that based on your regulatory authority, you may know whether CH 144 was available in your area before /ac was allowed. 

Thanks Howard,

This is another CWAP question, which always make me confused.

For my point of view, this description is not clear, it is hard to tell this is N or AC.

Howard do you still work with Zebra?....The Printers?

Nope, and don't miss it much.   I was there over 11 years, and after Motorola took over, it lost much of its appeal.    We, meaning Zebra, bought a failing Motorola division, and they devoured us.

I still have contacts there, and also with the Wi-Fi Alliance, where I was Zebra's official representative for the West Coast.   In fact, it was largely my pushing WFA membership for years, and my personal recommendation that got our senior VP to sign their membership application.   (yeah, I am proud of that)

They still have some great people there, and their products are some of the best around.

Having trouble navigating their wireless specifications/auth/encryptions capabilities on their small barcode printers.  ZD410.  Website is not really easy to find this information.  I got some test devices and they seem to be 2.4 ghz only but some specs say they support AC.  I remembered...from way long ago when we were in CWDP class that you where with Zebra.  My memory still works a bit!

John, good to hear from you again.  That was a nice small class in Colorado, if I remember correctly.  It was the last one Zebra paid for, and sadly my last.

Everything public about the printer is spelled out  in the WFA product-finder database. 

There have been two WFA certifications for this printer, one in 2015 and the other in 2016.   The 2016 version is also certified for Protected Management Frames (PMF), but I would suspect that either version provides that feature with the latest firmware.

Both printers were certified for 802.11a/b/g/n , in 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, with both WPA & WPA2 personal and Enterprise.   Both were tested with EAP FAST, MSCHAPv2,TLS, TTLS, and PEAPv0.   Both support WMM.  Both 20 & 40 MHz wide channels are available in 5 GHz.   

All Zebra printers that I worked on were only single stream, and other than card printers.  I doubt they will ever change

The Zebra wireless technical manual (a separate document) was always a joke - it seemed like they didn't want to really explain anything.   But if you can get a copy of it, 99.9% of the programming commands are listed.   It just does a terrible job of explaining their meaning.  Familiarity with the IEEE and/or CWNP nomenclature helps.

If you try to enable something and naively enable conflicting parameters, you may have to revert to Factory Defaults, and I never had that particular operation fail.

The delay in certifying for PMF was actually due to a change in the WFA test engine, which expected faster response.   Zebra had built the printer to be the fastest, highest quality, and most durable printer, not  a phone or PC and it took them a while to speed up their code.

You may find there is firmware available with additional features - but no promises.

Like most devices, 2.4 GHz will give you better range than 5 GHz, by probably 25 %.    Its antenna is a dual band antenna having slightly more gain in 5GHz.   Zebra sells/sold to mare than 160 countries, so it is possible to find printers with different channel ranges.

In the past Zebra had sold printers that supported /ac even though they were only marketed as /n.  Only due to WFA nonsense IMHO

I could go on for days talking about both receipt and card printers, but I think this likely answers all your questions.