There is no doubt that internet technology has touched new heights. Be it faster ethernet speeds or Wi-Fi, internet helps millions around the world stay connected. But, it is Wi-Fi that has advanced by leaps and bounds every few years. All you need is a Wi-Fi enabled device, the right network and click on connect.
The latest Wi-Fi standard to make its mark is the Wi-Fi 6 technology. The next laptop or smartphones will be come packed with this technology. But, Wi-Fi 6 is not only about speed boost. Come! Let us find out what else this new Wi-Fi technology has in store for us.
Wi-Fi 6 – A Brief Intro
Wi-Fi Certified 6 is the industry certification program based on the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11ax standard. It offers the capacity, efficiency, coverage, and performance you expect to get in a Wi-Fi challenged environment.
Wi-Fi 6 offers you quality connectivity in locations with thousands of Wi-Fi enabled devices. It helps you stay connected whether you are in a stadium or any other public venue. A Wi-Fi 6 network ensures every connected device receives optimum network access.
Devices that are Wi-Fi 6 Certified meet the highest standards of security and interoperability. These also have lower battery consumption which makes them fit for an IoT (Internet of Things) environment.
You might wonder –
What Makes Wi-Fi 6 Different?
Wi-Fi 6 is an impressive upgrade over previous generation Wi-Fi networks. Though the differences might not seem so obvious to an average user. These do offer some incremental improvements that combine to form a substantial upgrade.
The first major change offered by Wi-Fi 6 is the blazing fast internet speed. Let us see what it is.
Faster Speed
Faster Wi-Fi speed mean faster upload and download speeds. This happens due to the increased bandwidth offered by Wi-Fi 6. It is a much required feature that users have been looking for in Wi-Fi technology for years. Files have increased in size and this causes a hindrance when you have to upload a heavy file.
There has been a steady rise in the demand for high data amount. It is true when you want to stream HD videos or play online games. Playing a multiplayer online gaming along with streaming takes a toll on your normal internet connection. It is here that Wi-Fi 6 comes into the picture.
So, how fast is Wi-Fi 6? Keep reading to know the answer.
1. Maximum Throughput is 9.6 Gbps
The earlier generation Wi-Fi 5 offered a bandwidth of maximum 3.5 Gbps. In a real-world scenario, the network is not able to reach this threshold. But a device with Wi-Fi 6 enabled enjoys significantly faster internet speed.
2. Speed is Faster Than Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 6 can easily provide higher data transfer speed. This Wi-Fi technology uses data encoding and intelligent use of wireless spectrum.
3. Offers Wired and Wireless Signals
The majority of internet users still prefer Ethernet-based connectivity. Many online gamers and content creators prefer to directly connect to the router. Wi-Fi 6 helps you get free from the limitations of staying near to your internet router. It bridges the gap between wired and wireless connectivity.
4. Reduces Latency
Earlier generations of Wi-Fi have suffered from the issue of latency. But Wi-Fi 6 takes care of this with efficient handling large amount of network traffic. In other words, you can easily upload heavy files and play online games or videos without any lag in network.
But, critics of the Wi-Fi 6 technology have a question –
What Makes Wi-Fi 6 So Fast?
The vast majority of homes today have Wi-Fi enabled devices. From smartphones to a smart fridge, you can connect almost everything to a wireless router. What Wi-Fi 6 does is communicate with multiple devices that need data at the same time.
Apart from this, there are some features of Wi-Fi 6 that makes it faster than its predecessor.
1. Orthogonal Frequncy Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
OFDMA is how Wi-Fi 6 provides you blazing internet speeds. OFDMA subdivides the channels into subcarriers and allows signal transmission to multiple devices at the same time. The Wi-Fi 6 enabled router then sends different signals in the same transmisson timeline.
The end result? A single transmission from the Wi-Fi enabled router is able to communicate with multiple devices at once. No device has to wait for their turn.
2. Overlapping Basic Service Sets (OBSS)
This is another powerful feature of the Wi-Fi 6 technology that helps prevent network congestion. The earlier generation Wi-Fi enabled devices had to stop and listen to any noise on a network before transmitting signals.
So, if there was any noise in the channel even from a distant network, the devices had to wait till the channel was clear to avoid interference. OBSS lets the network access point use a specific color to identify a network.
In case the device identifies any other traffic besides the chosen color it will continue the transmission. This helps increase the reliability and reduce network latency.
3. Beamforming
Beamforming is another feature of Wi-Fi 6 that helps the device achieve higher speed. Rather than broadcast data in all the directions, the router detects the Wi-Fi enabled device and transmits data through a localized data stream in that direction.
But, that is not all Wi-Fi 6 has to offer. There are benefits which go beyond providing speed.
Wi-Fi 6 Benefits Beyond Speed
Speed is probably the most important thing for gamers and content creators. But the Wi-Fi 6 technology offers a little more than that.
1. WPA3
Short for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), WPA is a common Wi-Fi security protocol. It uses passwords for encrypting the network and keeping it safe from unauthorized access. Any network that requires you to enter a password has WPA protection.
The Wi-Fi 6 takes this security one notch up. It implements increased password security through the Dragonfly Key Exchange System. This makes it harder for hackers and data thieves to crack the network access password. In the long run, Wi-Fi 6 offers wireless networks better security in comparison to its predecessor.
2. Battery Life & TWT
A major feature incorporated in the Wi-Fi 6 technology is TWT (Target Wake Time). This has the ability to increase the battery life of some devices. TWT allows smooth communication between the internet router and connected device.
It communicates effectively with the device’s Wi-Fi radio and activates it when it needs to be awake. In the long run, the Wi-Fi enable device will not waste time looking for a network. It has a positive impact on the battery life of the Wi-Fi enable device.
All these features work together to form the future of Wireless internet connectivity – Wi-Fi 6.
Conclusion
Wireless connectivity helps you stay connected to the internet without having to stay at one place. You should refer to this article to understand what the future of wireless internet connectivity is.
