What is Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 also known as “AX WiFi" or "802.11ax WiFi”, is the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology, succeeding Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). It introduces several key improvements over Wi-Fi 5, including higher data rates, increased capacity, better performance in dense environments, and improved power efficiency.
With Wi-Fi 6, organizations and service providers can support new and emerging applications on the same wireless LAN (WLAN) infrastructure while delivering a higher grade of service to older applications. This scenario sets the stage for new business models and increased Wi-Fi adoption.
What Makes Wi-Fi 6 Faster?
Wi-Fi 6 achieves these improvements through technologies such as
1) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
OFDMA allows for more efficient data transmission by dividing the channel into smaller sub-channels, enabling multiple devices to transmit simultaneously.
2) Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO)
MU-MIMO enables routers to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously, increasing overall network efficiency.
3) Target Wake Time (TWT)
TWT reduces power consumption by allowing devices to negotiate when and how often they wake up to transmit data.
4) Basic Service Set (BSS) Coloring
BSS Coloring helps reduce interference in crowded environments by distinguishing between neighboring networks using the same channels.
What is Wi-Fi 6E?
Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of Wi-Fi 6 that can transmit data very rapidly using the 6 GHz frequency band, in addition to the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. It offers all the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 but with access to a wider range of frequencies, providing more available channels and less congestion compared to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The additional spectrum in the 6 GHz band allows for faster data rates and lower latency, especially in environments with many Wi-Fi devices.
Those advantages make Wi-Fi 6E ideal for supporting high-resolution streaming video, online gaming, teleconferencing, and other bandwidth-intensive applications. Wi-Fi 6E benefits organizations that want or need highly secure networks. The Wi-Fi Alliance has made Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) mandatory for all Wi-Fi 6E devices, without backward compatibility for WPA2 security. These measures can increase user confidence in moving to the 6-GHz frequency band for their most trusted connections.
Why Wi-Fi 6E?
- More capacity in the 6 GHz band, which solves connection and congestion issues.
- Wider channels, up to 160 MHz, which are ideal for high-def video and virtual reality.
- No interference from microwaves, etc. because only 6E-capable devices can use the band.
In summary, both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E offer significant improvements over previous Wi-Fi standards, with Wi-Fi 6E providing additional benefits by operating in the less congested 6 GHz band. These improvements result in faster speeds, better performance in crowded environments, and overall enhanced Wi-Fi experiences.
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