The good news is that WiFi is about to get faster. Quicker bandwidth is always top of the wish-list, as devices, apps and games evolve to be more resource-heavy, demanding more robust networks and faster speeds.
Digital spaces are now employing enormous numbers of IoT terminals, requiring seamless WiFi coverage, and augmented reality, virtual reality and immersive applications cannot function without WiFi networks that have high bandwidth and ultra-low latency. Moreover, the application of autonomous decision-making robots relies on WiFi networks with zero packet loss and 100% stability.
“This drove the move towards 802.11ax, otherwise known as WiFi 6,” says Fred Saayman, Huawei business unit executive at Pinnacle. “There’s no doubt that WiFi 6 will be one of the most advanced technologies to meet the needs of today’s demanding technologies and speed-up all enterprise digital transformation initiatives over the next five years.”
However, he says WiFi 6, the next generation of WiFi, is about more than faster speeds alone and comes with many other benefits that will reveal themselves over time. It is in its infancy, only arriving this year, and likely to be available the next time you upgrade your laptop or mobile device.”
In terms of what it does, WiFi 6 will do pretty much the same basic thing, namely connecting you to your devices, but with a slew of new features that will make this happen better, more efficiently, and quicker, he explains.
So how much quicker is quicker? “The short, yet not full answer, is 9,6Gbps, which is up from 3,5Gbps enjoyed on WiFi 5. However, the 9,6Gbps doesn’t have to go to a single computer, as it can be divided between a whole network of devices, which translates into more potential speed for each device,” he adds.
In addition, Wi-Fi 6 introduces key 5G technologies, including Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), uplink Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO), and higher-order coding 1 024-QAM. “It also achieves four times higher network bandwidth and as many times more concurrent users than WiFi 5, and it reduces the average network latency from 30 milliseconds to 20 milliseconds.
But, according to Saayman, it’s not all about speed, WiFi 6 is all about improving the network when a bunch of devices are connected. OFDMA, which allows a single transmission to deliver data to several devices at the same time and MU-MIMO, which has been employed in modern routers and devices, for a while now, and is upgraded with WiFi 6.
“Both of these core technologies that have helped speed up connections in WiFi 6.”
So how does one take advantage of WiFi 6? Saayman says, unfortunately, existing devices cannot be upgraded so you will need to get new devices.
“Generations when it comes to WiFi, are dependent on new hardware, not software updates, so most of us will have to wait till upgrade time to enjoy the benefits. The good news is that new devices will feature WiFi 6 by default, so all new smartphones, wearables, gaming consoles and laptops will feature this standard in the future.”
There is one exception which can’t wait for an upgrade, and that is your router, he adds. If it doesn’t already support WiFi 6, you will need to go out and buy one that does. Without a WiFi 6 router, you will not be able to enjoy any of the benefits of Wi-Fi 6, as it simply won’t be compatible. You can still use WiFi 6 devices on your current router though, so there’s no danger of your new devices not working at all.
Saayman says Huawei is leading the charge when it comes to the WiFi 6 era.
“Huawei AirEngine WiFi 6 products support 5G-powered antenna and algorithm technologies to lower network latency from 30 milliseconds to 10 milliseconds. This enables seamless and smooth virtual or augmented reality teaching without user disorientation, wireless 4K HD conferences, and zero packet loss during AGV roaming.”