In the world of technology, we are often faced with weird nomenclature which is often hard to understand and explain. Take for example the Intel desktop and mobile chips. If you are not well versed with the topic, there is no way to tell which Intel chip is better than the other. In a similar vein, WiFi standards use one of the most confusing nomenclatures which no normal user can decipher even though we all use WiFi on day to day basis. Well, that all is about to change thanks to the new nomenclature being adopted by the WiFi Alliance. With this new adoption, the WiFi alliance has also introduced the new WiFi standard which brings a host of new improvements. The new WiFi standard is called WiFi 6 and here is everything that you need to know about it:
As mentioned in the introduction, WiFi 6 is the latest standard of WiFi which is bringing a host of speed, security, and connectivity improvements. The current latest WiFi standard which we are using is the 802.11ac which you might have noticed on your router’s or smartphone’s specifications. The new standard which is going to replace 802.11ac in the near future is called the 802.11ax. However, since this nomenclature is very confusing, the WiFi Alliance has released a simple numbering system for WiFi which will make it easier to understand for consumers. Since the latest version of WiFi standard, the 802.11ax, is the sixth instalment, it is dubbed as the WiFi 6. Here are all the WiFi standards released till now in reverse chronological order:
Note: WiFi 1, WiFi 2, and WiFi 3 names are not officially recognised. We are just using it as it makes sense.
In conclusion, WiFi 6 is the latest WiFi standard which is slated to be released in 2019. Now, that we know what actually WiFi 6 is, let’s take a look at all the improvements that it’s bringing to the table.
The new WiFi 6 standard is bringing a ton of new enhancements. Not only will the standard enable faster connections, but it will also make them more secure and reliable. Here are all the improvements that you are going to get with it:
WiFi 6 is bringing significant speed improvements. While it’s not as big as the one we saw when we moved from WiFi 4 to WiFi 5, it’s still quite a lot. In the perfect WiFi connectivity situations, users can see a theoretical 40% increase in connectivity speeds. The new standard achieves that by improving data encoding resulting in higher throughput. Basically, WiFi 6 devices will be able to pack more data in the same spectrum space. This is made possible by the new chips which are much more powerful and capable than their previous counterparts.
2. Spectrum Usage Improvements
The new WiFi 6 standard will operate in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels. This means that you will have the advantage of not only having long-range connectivity but also higher data throughput. Some tech companies like Apple and Facebook are also lobbying for releasing the 6 GHz bandwidth for WiFi usage. If that happens, it will release never before used channels resulting in lesser congestion and hence better connectivity.
MU-MIMO or “Multi-user Multiple input, Multiple output” is the technology that allows a WiFi access point to connect to multiple devices at once. Before MIMO was a thing, a WiFi access point would connect to one device at a time while other devices have to wait in line for connection. Since the switch actually happens within microseconds, we users don’t notice the switch, that is, till the number of devices is pretty small and there are no other networks causing interference. As soon as you increase the number of client devices for an access point, you will start seeing things like delayed response (Latency) and drop connections.
This improved with the introduction of MU-MIMO connection with WiFi 5 (802.11ac) as it allows multiple devices to connect to a single access point simultaneously. WiFi 6 improves upon this by increasing the number of devices that can simultaneously connect to a source. The WiFi 5 standard supported 4 devices, that too for only downlink. The new WiFi 6 standard will allow 8 devices to simultaneously connect to an access point and it will work for both downlink and uplink connections.
OFDMA or “Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access” is another technology improvement that will improve efficiency, latency, and throughput. This one is a little hard to explain in simple terms but I will try my best, so stick with me a little bit. Till now, the latest WiFi standard which is the 802.11ac or WiFi 5 uses OFDM technology which uses individual channels to carry data designated for specific client devices. The problem with this approach is that it results in wasted capacity.
Since multiple devices are able to send data at the same time, it not only improves efficiency but also results in lower latency. This together with MU-MIMO enhancement improves the connectivity even if there are 30 devices connecting to the same access point at the same time.
BSS Coloring is one of the biggest improvements coming with the new WiFi 6 standard. One of the main problems with current WiFi standard is not the throughput rate rather the amount of interference which causes that rate to drop. At any moment, we are surrounded by multiple access points (routers, security cameras, monitors, and more) and client devices transmitting their signals. Since all of them are using more or less the same bandwidth, they interfere with each other leading to a drop in connectivity.
Target Wake Time (TWT)
Target Wake Time or “TWT” is an awesome new feature which is great for battery life on our mobile devices. Currently, when multiple devices are connected to the same access point and are waiting for their turn to receive data, they all remain awake which drains battery life (as shown in the picture below). With WiFi 6 standard, the access point will basically be able to tell devices in line the exact time that they will receive the connection so that they can sleep while in line.
When will We See WiFi 6 Certified Devices?
Since WiFi 6 standard is set to be ratified sometime in 2019, we should see WiFi 6 compatible client devices by the end of 2019 and the start of 2020. That said, depending on the user’s upgrade cycle, it might be at least 3-4 years before the industry shifts to the standard. As far as WiFi 6 capable access points (routers) are concerned, some of the early mover companies including Asus (ASUS RT-AX88U – $346) and NetGear (NETGEAR Nighthawk – $399.99) have already launched some products.
As you can see WiFi 6 is bringing a ton of improvements. The biggest beneficiary of these improvements will be crowded areas where either a couple of APs are serving too many client devices or there are just too many APs. Since WiFi 6 both enhances the number of devices an AP can handle at the same time and decreases connectivity drops and latency, it will improve your overall experience whenever you are in a public place like a concert or a mall or an airport.
WiFi 6 is also meant for the new world we are living in. We use tons of smart home devices in our homes. According to professional estimates, a single city home will be having around 50 client devices in the near future. The new WiFi 6 standard will ensure that all those devices are connected, receive data according to their requirement, and don’t get in the way of each other.
