Understanding WiFi 6: Features, benefits and upgrade guide

WiFi 6, also known as IEEE 802.11ax, is the sixth generation of wireless LAN technology released in 2019 by the WiFi Alliance. It meets the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards and significantly improves wireless network speed, capacity and performance compared to its predecessors. WiFi 6 operates on the 2.4 and 5 GHz radio frequency, using frequencies more efficiently to transmit more data. In addition, WiFi 6 is backward-compatible with previous WiFi infrastructure. This allows older devices to connect to WiFi 6, though their speeds are restricted to what those devices support.

WiFi 6 has significantly increased wireless network and broadband speeds compared to previous generations, with theoretical speeds reaching 9.6 Gbps, up from 3.5 Gbps on WiFi 5.

However, the 9.6 Gbps speed is distributed across all devices on the network, not dedicated to just one. As a result, WiFi 6 devices benefit from faster connections thanks to the higher overall bandwidth capacity. As more devices join the broadband network, overall capacity becomes strained, often causing slowdowns. WiFi 6 addresses this with new technologies that ease congestion, lower latency and boost capacity These advancements include:

• Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology divides WiFi 6’s channels into smaller channels. The smaller channels enable efficient use of available bandwidth, allowing several devices to interact on the same channel. OFDMA reduces congestion as devices don’t have to wait for their turn to transmit data.
• Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology increases device capacity by allowing WiFi routers to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously. WiFi 6 enables routers to communicate with up to eight devices.

Using technologies like OFDMA and MU-MIMO, WiFi 6 improves low latency and increases device capacity. It is ideal for simultaneous broadband use when gaming, video conferencing or working from home.

WiFi 6 has introduced significant improvements that have fundamentally changed how people connect. Besides faster speeds, lower latency and improved security, it has also increased the number of devices that can join a network simultaneously. These developments are achievable due to the following features:

WiFi 6 operates on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio frequency bands to transmit broadband data similar to older generations. However, it adds more channels within these bands, resulting in better resource allocation and less signal interference.

WiFi 6 incorporates a modulation scheme called 1024-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation Mode), 1024-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation Mode), enabling more data encoding within the same radio frequency bandwidth. 1024-QAM allows a 25% increase in data transmission rates within the same frequency bandwidth by varying the amplitude of radio signals and the phase.

The technology increases spectral efficiency by including more data in each transmission. The result is faster broadband data transmission rates and improved network performance that can handle high-speed applications like large file transfers, 4K and 8K streaming and online gaming.

WiFi 6 supports WPA3 encryption, which improves user privacy in open networks by enhancing network security against cyber threats and providing encryption for broadband data transfer.

WiFi 6 offers Target Wait Time (TWT) technology that helps WiFi devices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices maximize their battery life by enabling them to decide when and how often they wake up to receive and send data. It enables WiFi access points to set a specific period for individual devices to join the wireless network. This approach helps smart home devices conserve power and prevent channel congestion.

WiFi 6 supports MU-MIMO and OFDMA technologies, allowing it to handle more simultaneous broadband connections without performance degradation. These methods enable the routers to communicate with different devices simultaneously while reducing competition for bandwidth. Increased device capacity enables WiFi 6 to accommodate multiple devices in homes, ensuring reliable connectivity for home automation systems.

With its higher speeds and greater efficiency than WiFi 4, WiFi 5 is well-suited for high-bandwidth applications like video streaming, online gaming and video conferencing.

A WiFi 6 router is required to utilize the benefits of WiFi 6 technology and maximize your internet connection speeds. If you have a high-speed internet connection, such as fiber-powered internet, WiFi 6 routers are designed to handle Gigabit-speed internet connections more efficiently than the older models.

Remember that your laptops, smartphones and smart home devices must be WiFi 6 compatible to take full advantage of the benefits. Older devices may connect to a WiFi 6 network, but they won’t gain faster speeds or other WiFi 6 benefits and could even experience connectivity issues.

The eero Pro 6 routers are robust and feature-rich mesh WiFi routers designed to provide home networks with good wireless coverage, high speeds and reliability. The eero Pro mesh router creates a mesh network when paired with additional eero devices to ensure consistent WiFi coverage throughout your home.

The eero Pro 6 router supports WiFi 6, offering impressive speed and increased device capacity. It operates on a tri-band frequency with a dedicated 5 GHz (4X4) band for faster speeds and less signal interference. The router also supports WPA3 security, OFDMA data transmissions and MU-MIMO for simultaneous data streams.

You can expect faster download speeds, a smoother streaming experience and reduced network congestion. The eero Pro 6’s reduced signal interference means low latency and higher bandwidth, making it suitable for bandwidth-intensive activities like gaming and streaming. It also ensures that multiple devices, including primary and smart home devices, can run simultaneously without experiencing delays or lag.

WiFi 6 offers faster speeds, lower latency, higher device capacity and improved security compared to previous standards. It provides stable and faster connections for high-bandwidth activities like streaming HD videos, playing games online, or videoconferencing.

Homes with multiple users and connected devices will benefit from WiFi 6’s improved device capacity and network efficiency.

If you regularly transfer large data files across your home network, such as for backups or video editing, WiFi 6’s faster data speeds can drastically shorten transfer times.

Consider upgrading to WiFi 6 to enjoy Gigabit+ speeds if your home WiFi connection uses an older standard. Astound provides an internet connection with WiFi 6 standards that will improve your overall internet experience.