Wi-Fi 6E: The Next Generation of Wireless Connectivity

Wi-Fi is one of the most essential technologies in our daily lives, enabling us to connect to the internet, stream media, play games, and work remotely. However, as the number and variety of wireless devices increase, so does the demand for faster, more reliable, and more secure Wi-Fi networks. That’s why the Wi-Fi industry has been constantly innovating and developing new standards to improve the performance and efficiency of Wi-Fi technology.

The latest version of the Wi-Fi standard is Wi-Fi 6E, which was announced in 2020 by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a group of Wi-Fi platform vendors that work with the FCC and electronics manufacturers to set standards for Wi-Fi technology. Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of the Wi-Fi 6 standard and utilizes the newly available 6 GHz frequency band in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands used by previous Wi-Fi standards. In this blog post, we will explain what Wi-Fi 6E is, how it differs from Wi-Fi 6, and what are the benefits and challenges of Wi-Fi 6E for home and business users.

What is Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6E is a new designation for Wi-Fi 6 devices that support the 6 GHz spectrum, which was opened up by the FCC in April 2020 for unlicensed use. The 6 GHz spectrum is a huge addition to the Wi-Fi spectrum, as it offers 1,200 MHz of bandwidth, compared to 400 MHz in the 2.4 GHz band and 500 MHz in the 5 GHz band. This means that Wi-Fi 6E devices can access up to 14 additional 80 MHz channels and seven additional 160 MHz channels, which are ideal for high-bandwidth applications like 4K video streaming, VR/AR, and cloud gaming.

The 6 GHz spectrum is also exclusive to Wi-Fi 6E devices, meaning that there is no interference from legacy Wi-Fi devices that operate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, such as Wi-Fi 4, 5, and 6 devices. This results in a cleaner and more reliable wireless environment, as Wi-Fi 6E devices can avoid the congestion and interference that plague the lower bands, especially in dense urban areas and crowded public spaces.

How does Wi-Fi 6E differ from Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6E is not a new standard, but rather a subset of Wi-Fi 6 devices that support the 6 GHz band. Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, is the previous generation of the Wi-Fi standard that was launched in 2019. Wi-Fi 6 introduced several improvements over Wi-Fi 5, such as:

• OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), which allows multiple devices to share the same channel and increase the network efficiency and capacity.
• MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output), which allows multiple devices to communicate with the router simultaneously and increase the network throughput and speed.
• 1024-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), which increases the amount of data that can be transmitted in each signal and increase the network speed.
• TWT (Target Wake Time), which allows devices to schedule their wake and sleep times and reduce the power consumption and battery drain.

Wi-Fi 6E devices inherit all these features from Wi-Fi 6, but also add the support for the 6 GHz band, which gives them access to more bandwidth, less interference, and faster speeds. However, Wi-Fi 6E devices are backward compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and older Wi-Fi standards, and can connect to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands when needed.

What are the benefits of Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6E offers several benefits for both home and business users, such as:

• Faster speeds: Wi-Fi 6E devices can achieve speeds of greater than 1 Gbps, thanks to the additional high-speed channels and the lack of legacy Wi-Fi interference in the 6 GHz band. This means that Wi-Fi 6E devices can deliver smooth and seamless experiences for online gaming, video conferencing, and cloud computing, as well as faster file transfers, backups, and updates.
• Lower latency: Wi-Fi 6E devices can achieve latencies of less than one millisecond, thanks to the reduced congestion and interference in the 6 GHz band. This means that Wi-Fi 6E devices can provide more responsive and real-time interactions for applications that require instantaneous feedback, such as VR/AR, gaming, and remote control.
• Higher reliability: Wi-Fi 6E devices can achieve higher reliability and efficiency, thanks to the exclusive and clean spectrum in the 6 GHz band. This means that Wi-Fi 6E devices can avoid the performance degradation and signal drops that occur in the lower bands due to the presence of other Wi-Fi networks and devices, such as routers, smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, and IoT devices.

What are the challenges of Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6E is a promising technology that can revolutionize the wireless connectivity, but it also faces some challenges, such as:

• Availability: Wi-Fi 6E devices are still relatively new and scarce in the market, as the 6 GHz spectrum is not yet available in all countries and regions. For example, the 6 GHz spectrum is currently only authorized for unlicensed use in the US, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, and some European countries. Therefore, Wi-Fi 6E devices may not be able to operate in the 6 GHz band in other parts of the world, and may have to rely on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands instead.
• Compatibility: Wi-Fi 6E devices are compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and older Wi-Fi standards, but they are not compatible with other devices that use the 6 GHz band, such as cellular networks, satellite services, and radar systems. Therefore, Wi-Fi 6E devices may have to coexist and coordinate with these devices to avoid interference and ensure a harmonious spectrum sharing.
• Cost: Wi-Fi 6E devices are likely to be more expensive than Wi-Fi 6 and older Wi-Fi devices, as they require more advanced hardware and software to support the 6 GHz band. Therefore, Wi-Fi 6E devices may not be affordable or accessible for all users, and may take some time to become mainstream and widely adopted.

Conclusion

Wi-Fi 6E is the next generation of wireless connectivity that offers faster speeds, lower latencies, and higher reliability than Wi-Fi 6 and older Wi-Fi standards. Wi-Fi 6E devices use the newly available 6 GHz spectrum, which provides more bandwidth, less interference, and more efficiency for Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi 6E devices are ideal for high-bandwidth and low-latency applications, such as 4K video streaming, VR/AR, gaming, and cloud computing. However, Wi-Fi 6E devices also face some challenges, such as availability, compatibility, and cost, which may limit their adoption and usage in some regions and scenarios. Wi-Fi 6E is an exciting and innovative technology that will bring more competition and innovation to the Wi-Fi industry, and we can’t wait to see what it can do.