In September 2019, the Wi-Fi Alliance officially introduced the 802.11ax standard. It is also Wi-Fi 6 (new name). And as expected, in 2020, manufacturers of various network equipment, mobile devices and computer equipment began to actively launch devices with support for the new Wi-Fi standard on the market. The 802.11ax standard replaces the previous 802.11ac standard. It was designed to improve wireless performance and solve some of the stability and congestion issues of Wi-Fi networks. The new Wi-Fi standard is an improved and refined version of the 802.11ac standard.
Wi-Fi 6 and 802.11ax are the same thing. It's just that the Wi-Fi Alliance decided to give simpler and more understandable names for the Wi-Fi standards. So the 802.11n standard became Wi-Fi 4, 802.11ac - Wi-Fi 5, and the new 802.11ax was called Wi-Fi 6. Everything is simple and clear.
The development of wireless networks is very fast. There is a need to increase the data transfer rate and connect a large number of devices. There are more and more access points that interfere with each other and create interference. It was on the solution of these problems that the specialists from the Wi-Fi Alliance were guided when developing Wi-Fi 6. What improvements were introduced to the new standard, how this affected the connection, stability and speed - we will consider in this article. I will try to explain it in simple language. I will also answer the most popular questions related to Wi-Fi 6.
What's new in Wi-Fi 6 and how is it better than the previous one?
We'll cover 4 major improvements:
- Connection speed.
- Connection stability when connecting a large number of devices.
- Work in places with many neighboring networks (where there is strong interference).
- Energy efficiency.
Wi-Fi 6 speed
Of course, everyone is primarily interested in the connection speed. Wi-Fi 6 enables wireless connectivity up to 11 Gbps. But you need to understand that the real connection speed will be much lower. Of course, the increase in speed compared to 802.11ac will be noticeable (almost 2 times). But there is one more important point here - the connection speed at the rate of your Internet provider. If your tariff is up to 100 Mbps, then there is more than enough 802.11ac standard. If up to 1 Gbps, then the transition to Wi-Fi 6, of course, can increase the real connection speed, since using equipment that works on 802.11ac it is unlikely that it will be possible to squeeze this gigabit wirelessly.
The speed was increased by changing the information encoding algorithm. Whereas the previous standard used 8-bit information coding, the new standard uses 10-bit coding.
The important point is that the 802.11ax standard can operate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
Improved performance when connecting a large number of devices
The more devices are connected to the router and the more actively they use the connection, the lower the speed and stability of the connection. With Wi-Fi 6, this situation has improved a lot. Routers supporting older Wi-Fi standards can simultaneously exchange data with a maximum of several devices. Thanks to OFDMA technology, which appeared in Wi-Fi 6, it became possible to conduct parallel data exchange with a large number of devices. Shorter packets are being transmitted, but to more devices. Graphics from TP-Link website:
This way devices receive data packets at the same time, rather than waiting in line. This significantly increases the network bandwidth and connection speed. Especially when a large number of devices are connected to the router.
Better work in places with a lot of Wi-Fi networks
If not all, then many people know that neighboring Wi-Fi networks create interference and networks overlap. This negatively affects the speed and stability of the connection. With the advent of support for the 5 GHz band, it was possible to slightly unload the networks. But since routers supporting the 5 GHz band are very popular, interference problems can also arise in this band.
The BSS Color feature, which appeared in Wi-Fi 6, signs each data packet with a digital signature of a specific network. That is, the router / receiver can distinguish data packets from neighboring networks and simply ignore them. This reduces the impact of neighboring networks, even if they are on the same channel as your network.
Wi-Fi 6 also supports the 6 GHz band (Wi-Fi 6E). But the problem is that the 6 GHz band has an even shorter wavelength compared to 5 GHz. And this greatly affects the passage of the signal through obstacles. Simply put, network coverage in this range will be even less. And we know that if we compare the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, then the latter is inferior in terms of the range of the network. So in the case of 6 GHz, the situation is even worse.
Reduced energy consumption
Target Wake Time is a function that tells devices (clients) when they need to wake up to communicate with the access point. That is, devices are not always in standby mode and wasting energy, but only when needed. This is primarily true for mobile devices.
Frequently asked questions about 802.11ax Wi-Fi
I will answer several popular questions. If you have any other questions on this topic - ask them in the comments. I will supplement the article by answering your questions.
Will Wi-Fi Coverage Increase After Switching to 802.11ax?
No, network coverage (range) will not increase. This standard operates on the same 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The range depends more on the power of the transmitter installed in the router. Well, from the antennas. In general, the power of all routers is approximately the same, since it is limited by the legislation of a certain country.
Should you buy a Wi-Fi 6 router in 2020?
In the article with recommendations for choosing a router in 2020, I did not recommend buying these routers yet. Why? The standard is very new. The network has information that the final approval of the Wi-Fi 6 standard is scheduled for mid-2020. Routers that are already on sale may be "raw". I would wait until early 2021 and there I have already looked at what options are on the market and what can be purchased. And the prices for this equipment should go down a little.
But if you really want to and you have devices with 802.11ax support - buy.
Is the Wi-Fi 6 router compatible with older devices?
Yes, full backward compatibility. You can even connect an old 802.11g device to a new router that supports the 802.11ax standard.
