Everything You Need to Know About WiFi 6E
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It is predicted that by 2025 there will be approximately 100 billion internet connections worldwide. And for IoT, VR/AR and other future technologies, the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands aren’t enough. That’s why WiFi networks are being further enhanced, with the WiFi 6 standard being expanded to WiFi 6E, bringing the 6GHz transmission band to the fore. What will this mean for users in practice, and what benefits will it bring?
What is WiFi 6E?
WiFi 6E expands the popular WiFi 6 standard to include the 6 GHz frequency band. The WiFi 6E standard is essentially the same as WiFi 6 but offers a new frequency band from 5.925 GHz to 6.425 GHz that extends the available spectrum by a full 500 MHz.
Unlike existing bands, where channels are squeezed into a limited spectrum, the 6 GHz band does not suffer from overlapping or interfering channels. The 6 GHz frequency, therefore, offers more bandwidth and higher speed at lower latency. This means that it offers transmission resources for future innovation.
These include augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR), 8K streaming and many more. With license-free use of the 6 GHz bands, devices supporting the WiFi 6E standard can achieve multi-gigabit speeds over wider channels at a relatively low cost per deployment.
The most interesting thing about WiFi 6E is that it is reserved only for devices supporting that frequency band. Legacy devices built on any of the pre-WiFi 6E standards are excluded from this new band. With your device operating in the 6 GHz band, you don’t have to worry about competing for bandwidth with any other legacy device.
Newly introduced features such as OFDMA will work much more efficiently without legacy devices, unlocking the full potential of WiFi 6E. The overall performance increase will be revolutionary. On the other hand, WiFi in the 6 GHz bands may have a shorter range.
Physics makes it clear that wireless signals at higher frequencies attenuate faster in their propagation path, especially when they hit obstacles. As a result, the WiFi 6E standard suits short-range broadcast applications requiring high throughput and low latency.
Why do we need WiFi 6E in the 6 GHz bands?
Unlike the congested 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, the fully open 6 GHz spectrum is where only low-cost WiFi 6E connections are found, eliminating the network congestion issues typical of many current WiFi networks.
There is also no channel overlap in the new band, so network congestion is greatly reduced. WiFi 6E offers seven additional 160 MHz channels that double the bandwidth and throughput, allowing more simultaneous data transfers at the highest possible speeds.
Users can enjoy 8K movies, AR/VR gaming, and fast file downloads without buffering delays. However, as the description implies, a device with this designation will be required to support WiFi 6E. And, of course, not only on the router side but also in end devices — phones, laptops, tablets or even smart TVs with typically high bitrate (today in 4K, eventually in 8K resolution).
WiFi 6E and 5G
The WiFi 6E and 5G standards are today’s technology leaders where we need high-speed, reliable, low-latency connectivity without the need for cables. While WiFi 6E builds on WiFi 6 and essentially “just” adds a new bandwidth, 5G is the 5th generation of technology standards in mobile networking, launched in 2019.
Cellular and WiFi technologies have existed side by side for quite a long time. And they will continue to complement each other appropriately in the coming years so that users always have a choice according to their requirements.
For example, despite higher initial costs, the modern 5G network is already finding its way into industrial parks. It is thus important to recognise that these two types of wireless technology indirectly support each other in their development.
Indeed, once users get used to high-speed mobile networks in their city centre, they expect the same performance from their home or business WiFi.
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