What’s All the Fuss About?

The most sensible name change since Reg Dwight became Eltonjohn

Wi-fi 6

What is it?

The new name for 802.11ax Wi-fi.

Er, OK. But what’s that?

The old name for Wi-fi 6! But seriously, it’s the latest Wi-fi standard, four times faster than its predecessor 802.11ac. Better still, in a rare outbreak of common sense among tech experts, it has a name people can actually understand. In fact, previous standards have also been renamed.

And they make sense too?

Amazingly, yes. So 802.11ac (released in 2013) is now called Wi-fi 5, while 802.11n (2009) is Wi-fi 4, though it stops there.

So there’s no Wi-fi 3?

Not officially, because it’s no longer widely used. But counting back it would be 802.11g (2003), with Wi-fi 2 (1999) being 802.11a and Wi-fi 1 being 802.11b (ditto). Got all that?

Think so. Who’s made these changes?

The Wi-fi Alliance, which approves Wi-fi products so they all conform to the same standards worldwide. Products that work with Wi-fi 4, 5 and 6 will carry the appropriate logo (see main image). It replaces the ‘Wi-fi Certified’ logo, which didn’t tell you a product’s Wi-fi generation, forcing you to check in the specifications. Companies won’t have to use the logo, and some may be reluctant to go through the hassle of renaming 802.11ac as Wi-fi 5. But the Alliance is hopeful the new names will catch on.

Why is that?

Because the Alliance is made up of router manufacturers, including Asus, D-link, Netgear and Tp-link (all of whom are currently making Wi-fi 6 routers). It said these companies discussed the rebranding in a “very transparent” manner, so they should be keen to use the new names.

Netgear is definitely on board, saying the move “will help customers better understand and appreciate the difference” between Wi-fi generations. The Alliance also wants ‘Wi-fi 4/5/6’ to appear on your phone, tablet or laptop when you connect to a network, making it easier for you to choose the fastest. And with theoretical top speeds of 14Gbps (14,000Mbps), that’s very fast indeed.

How can it hit such speeds?

By packing more data into Wi-fi radio waves. It also divides the main Wi-fi channel into multiple sub-channels, devoting each to a different device. They’ll work faster because they won’t be fighting over the same signal - perfect for homes where everyone is using a separate device at the same time (though domestic speeds won’t hit that 14Gbps peak).

It works on both 2.4GHZ and 5GHZ channels, and will also prolong the battery life of your phone and laptop.

In what way?

Using the new Target Wake Time (TWT) feature that tells your device’s Wi-fi when to go to sleep because it’s not needed, and when to wake to receive the next transmission. This means the Wi-fi radio will spend more time in sleep mode, conserving power and boosting battery life.

So when will Wi-fi 6 arrive?

Next year, when manufacturers start releasing new routers, like Asus’s RT-AX88U (pictured left), which hits 6Gbps (6,000Mbps). But you’ll also need phones, tablets and laptops capable of receiving Wi-fi 6, and none exist yet. It may be a couple of years before your router and the devices connected to it can run at such blistering speed.

Wi-fi standards now have names people can actually understand