WiFi 6 - Coming Near You

What about WiFi 1? When did that come about? WiFi # is a friendly name created to replace the more difficult 802.11 naming schemes. 

First, a quick lesson.

WiFi 6 is packed with new technologies such as two-way MU-MIMO, OFDMA, and Target Wake Time. Let’s not get too technical and boring. In simple terms, traffic handling is improved so that the entire WiFi network performs better and every connected device gets a quicker delivery of speed. In addition, WiFi 6 could preserve battery of connected devices.   

WiFi 6 is evolutionary in the world of WiFi. Not so long ago, WiFi was used primarily for laptops. Over time, all-in-one desktops needed WiFi, followed by mobile phones, tablets, televisions, smart watches, streaming devices like Roku and Firestick, and IoT like refrigerator, speakers, lightbulbs, electricity smart plugs, home security systems like surveillance cameras, door/window sensors, door locks, video doorbells, smoke alarms, thermostats, and more. 

As always, both sender and receiver need to be equipped with a WiFi 6 chip in order to enjoy the benefits of this new technology. Any device you currently have that’s one year old is probably not WiFi 6 ready and therefore unable to enjoy the improvement. However, products released in 2019 such as Samsung Galaxy S10 and iPhone 11 have WiFi 6 chip. And more and more electronics will have it. 

How fast is WiFi 6?
Compared to WiFi 5, it’s reportedly 30% faster. 

Should you get a WiFi 6 router right now? 
Unless you have many WiFi 6 devices, there’s no urgency to rush out to pick one up right now. If you are looking to upgrade an old WiFi system, make sure to get a WiFi 6 ready router to future proof your network as we will start to see more and more WiFi 6 devices. 

Watch Techquickie talks about WiFi 6 with visuals

If you’re more a visual person and want to know more about WiFi 6, see this YouTube video to better understand the evolutionary technology.

As more and more electronics depend on WiFi, a WiFi 3 or 4 router just won’t cut it anymore. With so many systems on the market, it can get frustrating to plan for your wireless network. Contact us for assistance.