What is WiFi 6/6E

As an IT engineer at Zyonz Technologies, I hear these questions frequently. This article will provide an overview of the advantages of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E.
Here’s a brief look at the benefits we’ll explore in this article:

• 1. Increased AP Capacity
• 2. Greater Channel Width
• 3. More Efficient Bandwidth Sharing
• 4. Wi-Fi Sleeping
• 5. Backward Compatibility

 

As I mentioned, I answer questions like this from our customers every day. But I’m not here to talk about Zyonz

While it is true that Zyonz works with hundreds of customers to provide a broad range of managed IT support services, we also know that one company can’t possibly provide the best solution for every organization. So, we take a different approach than other providers.

Armed with this information, you’ll be able to confidently decide whether Wi-Fi 6/6e is the right solution for you.

What Is Wi-Fi 6?

It promised faster speeds (almost 3x faster than Wi-Fi 5) and improved the speed available when several devices operate on one network by communicating with multiple users at the same time (rather than in sequence).

How Do Wi-Fi 6 and 6E Compare?

1. Speed

most impactful difference is that Wi-Fi 6E devices use a dedicated 6E spectrum with up to seven additional 160 MHz channels while Wi-Fi 6 devices share the same congested spectrum—and only two 160 MHz channels—with other legacy Wi-Fi 4, 5, and 6 devices.

Wi-Fi 6E enables speeds up to 6x faster than Intel® Wi-Fi 5 on managed networks and nearly 3x faster than Wi-Fi 5 for home and consumer use

2. Latency

Wi-Fi 6E reduces the time it takes for data to pass from one point on a network to another by 75 percent (from Wi-Fi 5). This reduces lag time for applications like videoconferencing and gaming.

3. Interference

“greater reliability and efficiency” due to the exclusive 6 GHz spectrum they use, which is “not impacted by legacy device traffic.”

Top 5 Benefits Of Wi-Fi 6/6E

1. Increased AP Capacity

Wi-Fi 6/6E better suited to handle the demands of multiple mobile devices without sacrificing performance.

2. Greater Channel Width

One of the concepts that affect speed is channel width.
With 5 GHz channels you can aggregate 20 MHz channels into 40 MHz and 80 MHz channels, yielding higher speeds.
With Wi-Fi 6, you can reach 160 MHz channels
Wi-Fi 6E devices use a dedicated 6E spectrum providing access to up to seven additional 160 MHz channels.

3. More Efficient Bandwidth Sharing

Wi-Fi 6/6E provides other efficiencies to devices on the network, resulting in better speeds.

o More Antennas

Wi-Fi 6/6E has made advancements in the number of antennas it can support, using a maximum configuration of 8x8:8
More antennas allow for more concurrent communication, improving speeds, and even allowing multiple users to “talk” at the same time using the MU-MIMO technology.
Older standards and APs were limited to one user “talking” at a time.

o Scheduling Data

The 802.11ax standard does a better job of splitting up user time and “scheduling” the data which makes for a better end-user experience and capacity improvements.

4. Wi-Fi Sleeping

Wi-Fi 6/6E can effectively put the Wi-Fi of a device to “sleep” when it’s not being used, freeing up bandwidth and possibly leading to greater battery life in devices that support Wi-Fi 6/6E.

5. Backward Compatible

The 802.11ax standard itself and the APs supporting it are backward compatible.
This means that devices using 802.11 ac, n, g, b, and a should be good to go.