The demand for faster internet is growing at a rapid pace. We consume huge amounts of data by streaming high-resolution videos, playing bandwidth-consuming games, and using tons of apps every day. All this about to get much faster. Wi-Fi 6 is here.
Wi-Fi 6, or IEEE 802.11ax, is the next generation standard of Wi-Fi technology. It not only boasts of faster speeds but also promises optimal performance of all the devices connected to a Wi-Fi 6 router.
Network congestion is a big problem. As we add more and more devices in our homes and offices, the bandwidth and speeds offered by the existing Wi-Fi technology are not sufficient to provide an optimal user experience for all the devices. Wi-Fi 6 will be faster and more efficient.
Understanding the naming convention
Wi-Fi standards had weird naming conventions until now. We had the IEEE 802.11ac and the IEEE 802.11n or the IEEE 802.11af. For an average user, there was no way to understand which was faster than the other. The Wi-Fi Alliance finally decided to come up with a simpler naming convention. Wi-Fi 6, the latest generation standard will be used for IEEE 802.11ax. Therefore, the older generation IEEE 802.11ac shall be known as Wi-Fi 5 and IEEE 802.11n shall be Wi-Fi 4.
How fast is Wi-Fi 6?
The top speed of Wi-Fi 6 is estimated to be 9.6 Gbps. To put that into perspective, Wi-Fi 5 had a top speed of only 6.9 Gbps.
Does this mean each Wi-Fi 6 device is going to get faster? Technically, yes. However, the top speeds mentioned above are based on theoretical calculations. In a real-world scenario, you are not likely to ever experience such speeds. But a faster speed means that it will be divided among the devices connected and each device should get tangibly faster.
Wi-Fi 6 is not about the top speed
The top speed does not matter
The above statement must have left you scratching your head. After all, a new generation standard in Wi-Fi technology should be faster and it should matter. But Wi-Fi 6 is not about the top speed.
Imagine a home scenario. You just went out and bought a bunch of new Wi-Fi 6 devices and a Wi-Fi 6 router. Sure, when you connect all these devices to the network, you will notice an improvement in the speed. More and more devices would become too much for an older generation router to handle. This is where Wi-Fi 6 has a real advantage. The new technology will ensure that a Wi-Fi 6 router can handle many devices at once and provide optimal performance to each device.
How is Wi-Fi 6 an improvement?
We shall look at the underlying technology that makes Wi-Fi 6 superior to its predecessors later in the post.
As stated before, our current networks will get bogged down if we add too many devices. The overall speeds will reduce. The router will simply not be able to cope with multiple devices at once. In congested areas such as schools, theatres, etc. there will be hundreds of devices connected to the network at once and the performance will be dismal.
While the top speeds of devices will get a boost, the major advantage of Wi-Fi 6 is to ensure that these same devices perform well in crowded and congested areas.
With Wi-Fi 6, operation in the 6 GHz band will be permitted. The United States Federal Communications (FCC) has made available all 1200 MHz of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use. Wi-Fi 6E (Wi-Fi 6 in the 6 GHz band) will also be able to utilize 14 additional 80 MHz channels or 7 additional 160 MHz super-wide channels in 6 GHz. These additional channels will be utilized to accommodate more users in congested areas and dense environments. Applications such as High-definition Video streaming (8K videos) and virtual reality will also be supported by Wi-Fi 6E.
How is Wi-Fi 6 so fast?
What makes Wi-Fi 6 so fast and efficient? The answer lies in two crucial technologies – MU-MIMO and OFDMA.
- Multi-User, Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO): This feature allows Wi-Fi 6 to transfer more downlink data at one time thereby enabling Access Points (APs) to concurrently handle more devices. Simply put, every access point (a router, for example) can simultaneously handle requests from multiple devices. The router can broadcast to multiple devices at one time rather than one device, then the next, and so on. Wi-Fi 6 uses 8×8 uplink/downlink thereby allowing 4 times more devices than Wi-Fi 5.
- Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA): This allows Wi-Fi 6 to efficiently share the channels to reduce latency for both uplink and downlink traffic. For simplicity, we can use the delivery truck analogy. With Wi-Fi 5, each truck could deliver one parcel to one device at a time. However, with Wi-Fi 6, each truck can deliver multiple parcels to multiple users. This drastically reduces network latency and offers a substantial improvement in both uploads and downloads.
What are the other features of Wi-Fi 6?
Improved Battery Life with Target Wake Time (TWT): One of the major parameters to be considered while designing IoT devices is power consumption. Wi-Fi 6 uses a feature called Target Wake Time (TWT). This defines how often devices will send and receive data. The device will go to sleep while not sending or receiving data. This drastically reduces power consumption and increases the battery life of IoT as well as mobile devices.
Base Service Station (BSS) Coloring: While this concept has been used before, Wi-Fi 6 aims to implement it differently. BSS is not a color like red or blue. It is a 6-bit field with values in the range of 1-63.
Carrier Sense with Multiple Access Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) is a technique where each station is made to wait before another station working in the same channel completes its transmission. A simple example is that of your building. BSS coloring will ensure that the overlapping network of your neighbor is marked as a different frame so that your router can ignore them. This also ensures that CSMA/CA does not make your router wait for the medium to become free.
1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation Mode (QAM): Wi-Fi 6 will use 1024-QAM compared to the 256-QAM used by 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5). Each symbol will carry 10 bits instead of 8 bits in 256-QAM. The advantage of this? A 25% increase in speed. Live streaming or watching movies on Netflix will become much better and faster.
Increased Security: Wi-Fi 6 offers enhanced security with the latest Wi-Fi certified WPA3 protocol. This will make it harder to crack Wi-Fi passwords or steal data.
When can we expect Wi-Fi 6?
The Wi-Fi Alliance has rolled out the Wi-Fi Certified 6 certification in the latter half of 2019. Wi-Fi 6 routers are already available and can be distinguished from older generation routers by the Wi-Fi 6 Certified or Wi-Fi 6 sticker.
Wi-Fi 6 is not a software upgrade. It requires new hardware. You have to buy new Wi-Fi 6 routers and Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices. Your existing Wi-Fi 5 devices using a Wi-Fi 6 router will be slightly faster and you could connect more devices. New devices will start coming with Wi-Fi 6 by default.
Conclusion
Wi-Fi 6 could potentially open up a whole new world of technology. From 8K video streaming to virtual reality, the applications of this new technology are immense. IoT devices could see a manifold increase.
The arrival of Wi-Fi 6 marks the beginning of a new era and its benefits would be seen in the years to come.
