Wi-Fi 6: next–gen connectivity
The latest wireless networking standard will bring many benefits
WI–FI 6 IS the next generation of wireless internet, and we’re happy about that for two reasons. First of all, it’s faster and has more capacity. And secondly, it means that the Wi–Fi Alliance has finally got the hang of giving things sensible names. Well, nearly: Technically Wi–Fi 6 is really Wi–Fi Certified 6™, but we’re just going to ignore that.
A TRIP TO THE AIRPORT
Let’s go back to 21 July 1999. Steve Jobs is passing an iBook through a hula hoop to demonstrate that the Mac is connected to the internet, without a cable, thanks to the magic of “AirPort.”
AirPort was Apple’s name for the 802.11b Wi–Fi standard, a technology for establishing wireless connections between devices via radio waves. The numbers tell you what international standard you’re talking about and the letter(s) show the version of that standard. 802.11b was the first Wi–Fi standard to go mainstream. It used the 2.4GHz radio frequency, which was already crowded with cordless phones and baby monitors, and it had a peak data transfer rate of 11Mbps. Nobody got anywhere close to that: Real–world speeds were affected by your distance from the router, the number of devices, and if there was anything metal between you and the router. It wasn’t fast, but it was convenient and Wi–Fi became a smash hit.
Since then we’ve had many iterations. 802.11b was supplanted by 802.11a and g, which delivered faster data rates, and then 802.11n, which also used the 5GHz frequency and added MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) tech to support multiple aerials for better, faster coverage. The most recent version most of us have used is 2013’s 802.11ac, which delivered really fast connections and better capacity.
And now there’s Wi–Fi 6, which Apple started supporting with the iPhone 11. It promises faster connections, better battery life, and connections that actually work when you’re at a concert or sports event.
Wi–Fi 6 is part of the new branding for Wi–Fi. 802.11n Wi–Fi is now Wi–Fi 4; 802.11ac is Wi–Fi 5; and the 802.11ax standard is Wi–Fi 6. You won’t just see these labels on product packaging, you’ll also start seeing them next to available network notifications so you can see what Wi–Fi network you’re connecting to.
The big selling point is faster connections. Wi–Fi 6 is up to 40% faster than Wi–Fi 5/802.11ac thanks to more efficient data compression that means it can push more data through the same connections. That speed increase applies to both 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequency bands, and while we associate 2.4GHz with older Wi–Fi, it’s still important as it’s less prone to interference than 5GHz.
THE BIG SELLING POINT WITH WI–FI 6 IS IT PROVIDES FASTER CONNECTIONS
2.4GHz should get less crowded as devices that used it become obsolete.
For now, Wi–Fi 6 sticks to those two frequency bands. Another version of the standard, Wi–Fi 6E, is coming soon with support for the 6GHz frequency band. According to the Wi–Fi
Alliance that’ll add even more capacity, especially in congested areas.
BETTER BATTERY
Wi–Fi 6 promises to deliver better battery life when using Wi–Fi. That’s partly because it transmits data more quickly, but it’s mainly because of Target Wake Time (TWT). With TWT, the router tells your device when it’s safe to put the Wi–Fi radio to sleep and when it needs to come back on.
TWT wasn’t really designed for bigger devices, though. It’s all about the Internet of Things (IoT), where lots of low–powered devices, from smart sensors to smart watches, connect to the internet but don’t need to maintain a constant data connection. TWT will massively reduce their energy consumption.
TWT also helps with big networks because it enables them to coordinate signal sharing to deliver better coverage for more devices. Intel says Wi–Fi 6 will make your speeds at least four–times faster in congested areas. It should make your home Wi–Fi better too if you’ve got a lot of connected devices on the same network — as long as they’re compatible with Wi–Fi 6.
What’s the difference between Wi–Fi 6 and 5G? Price! Because 5G is a mobile network, you have to buy it from the phone network operators. With Wi-Fi, anybody can create a network by plugging a router into their broadband, so you don’t need to wait for the networks to bring coverage to your area.
The difference between Wi–Fi 6 and 5G is much the same as the difference between Wi–Fi 4/5 and 4G now: We use the former at home, at school and at work, and we use the latter when we’re out and about.