New iterations of consumer Wi-Fi are constantly making their way onto the market. One of the latest and somewhat enigmatic releases is Wi-Fi 6. Nowadays, it’s a staple, often the standard, in many internet providers’ offerings across the globe, including Jordan with Orange Fiber.
If you have been wondering what makes Wi-Fi 6 stand out from the earlier versions and whether it would be a worthwhile addition to your home, read on to find the answers to both of those questions.
What Is Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, AX Wi-Fi, or High-Efficiency Wireless (HEW), is the official market name for the sixth generation of Wi-Fi technology released in 2019. The successor to Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), it was primarily created to improve network performance and connectivity in high-density environments like crowded residential areas, corporate offices, and public spaces like malls, airports, and stadiums.
It enables several devices to connect simultaneously to a single router or access point without sacrificing speed and data transfer rates, all while optimizing power consumption.
Wi-Fi 6 operates on the same frequency bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz) as its predecessor; however, on the speed front, it’s a significant upgrade with a theoretical maximum of 9.6Gbps compared to Wi-Fi 5’s 3.5Gbps.
What Are the Benefits of Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 offers many features that support users’ growing demands for faster and more reliable internet connections. The main benefits of Wi-Fi 6 include:
1. Enhanced Security
Wi-Fi 5 relied on the WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2 security protocols, which were once an improvement over WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) but still had their fair share of vulnerabilities. An example of such weaknesses is their susceptibility to KRACK (Key Reinstallation Attack) attacks that first appeared in 2017 and targeted flaws in WPA2’s encryption to access sensitive user data when hackers were in close range of their intended victims’ Wi-Fi networks and devices.
Wi-Fi 6, however, stepped up its game by adopting the newer and more secure WPA3 protocol. It works with WPA and WPA2 to improve wireless security by implementing better encryption standards, stronger password protection, and easier configuration for smart home devices.
2. Increased Speed
Wi-Fi 6’s speed is mainly attributed to two technologies: Multi-User, Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO), and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).
MU-MIMO allows a router to communicate with several devices at once rather than sequentially, whereas OFDMA enables a single transmission to deliver data streams to multiple gadgets simultaneously.
Wi-Fi 5 had MU-MIMO, but it used a downlink with 4×4 antennas, meaning that routers could only connect four devices at a time. Once those devices were connected, the rest would have to wait their turn, which resulted in slower speeds and inconsistent network performance.
On the other hand, Wi-Fi 6’s MU-MIMO supports downlinks with 8×8 antennas. This handles up to eight gadgets at once without any delays or interruptions.
As for OFDMA, Wi-Fi 6 divides each channel into smaller sub-channels called resource units (RUs). Each RU can carry data for one client device, so rather than sending each device’s signal separately, the router can manage multiple devices in one transmission, increasing the network’s speed and reducing latency.
3. Better Battery Life for Devices
If you’re constantly lugging around a charger because your phone, tablet, or laptop battery keeps dying, Wi-Fi 6 will once more step in to save the day. Another feature it introduced in Wi-Fi 6 is Target Wake Time (TWT). It allows your devices to schedule specific times when they’ll communicate with your router, cutting down on the time when your device’s Wi-Fi radio is on to transmit and search for signals and, subsequently, conserving battery power.
For equipment that only needs to send short bursts of data, like small IoT (Internet of Things) home gadgets, this can make a massive difference in battery life.
4. Improved Access Point Capacity
According to Deloitte’s “Connected Consumer” survey of 2023, a typical household has an average of 21 network-connected devices. Take a minute to think about how many of your and your family’s devices are currently on your home’s Wi-Fi. Smartphones, laptops, tablets, printers, speakers, TVs, gaming consoles, smart home gadgets – the list goes on.
This is another area where Wi-Fi 6’s MU-MIMO and OFDMA capabilities benefit users. It enables you to boost your access point’s capacity, which means no frozen screens, buffering videos, or dropped connections when all your devices are running on the network.
Future-Proof Your Home Network with Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi 6 is a significant upgrade in terms of speed, security, and device management compared to its predecessors. Now available on major internet providers’ networks who are offering it in their home and business packages along with routers that only add to its already impressive capabilities like Flybox Orange, it’s become more accessible than ever.
