Wi-Fi 6: what is it? And is it worth going over?

The Wi-Fi 6 standard, also known as 802.11ax, is the new generation of Wi-Fi and the next step on the path to new achievements and innovations.

Why wifi 6?

The Wi-Fi Alliance uses the term Wi-Fi 6 to refer to the IEEE 802.11ax standard, which means the sixth generation Wi-Fi standard. This was done to simplify marketing ads and improve the performance of 802.11ax standard positioning. Or, more simply, such a standard name is more understandable for a wide audience.

Wi-Fi Benefits

Thanks to Wi-Fi 6, enterprises will be able to support new applications on their existing wireless LAN infrastructure and at the same time serve older applications at a higher level. This provides opportunities for the development of new business models and increase the level of Wi-Fi implementation.

Wi-Fi 6 is a pretty high leap compared to its predecessors thanks to the following key innovations:

• Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) is a technology that allows you to increase modulation density and increase speed by more than 35%. In this way, OFDMA improves efficiency and minimizes signal delay.
• Collaboration of MU-MIMO and OFDMA. In Wi-Fi 5, MIMO enabled four clients to stream data. In Wi-Fi 6, the number of possible connections was increased to eight.
  MU-MIMO systems together with OFDMA will help organize multi-user data transfer at a speed of up to 11 Gb / s on the downlink.
• Target Wake Time function. It will allow devices to go into sleep mode and exit it on a schedule. Also, the function determines when the gadget works, and when not. And if for some period of time he didn’t take any actions, then the Wi-Fi connection automatically stops, which saves battery power and reduces network congestion.

The new Wi-Fi 6 has many advantages over previous wireless protocols. As in all previous versions, each had the best speed and security that was felt with each update.

Should I switch to Wi-Fi6?

Depending on how busy the office or enterprise is, you may not need to update your router and Wi-Fi adapters unless higher speed and security are required.
However, if you have an older Wi-Fi 4 router, upgrading to a new device will be a big advantage.

Where will Wi-Fi 6 be used?

The developers claim that the technology will be useful when deploying Wi-Fi networks with high density. Separate solutions, such as MU-MIMO and OFDMA, will improve the quality of communications in public transport, the corporate environment, trading floors and other large premises. However, keep in mind that if you bought a new router with Wi-Fi 6, but your device only supports Wi-Fi 5, then to switch to a new generation of wireless communications, you need to change all the hardware.

Basically, devices with Wi-Fi 6 support will massively enter the market this spring. Therefore, stay tuned and if you have any questions, please contact our technical experts. We can not only answer all your questions, but also select the best devices for your premises.