What is Wifi 6? How is it different from the current wifi?

Wifi 6 is the next generation wireless standard, faster than 802.11ac. Not just speed, Wifi 6 will provide better performance in congested areas, from stadiums to individual homes. And it will launch in 2019.

Wifi has many versions, is "set the number" must ask

Picture 1 of What is Wifi 6?  How is it different from the current wifi?
Wifi currently has many versions and has different version numbers.

Yes, Wifi now has multiple versions and has different version numbers! Even the confusing old Wi-Fi names like 802.11ac have been changed to more memorable names for Wi-Fi 5 users.

And here are the Wifi versions:

  1. Wifi 4 is 802.11n, released in 2009.
  2. Wifi 5 is 802.11ac, released in 2014.
  3. Wifi 6 is a new version, also known as 802.11ax, which is expected to release in 2019.

The Wifi Alliance says it wants these Wifi version numbers to appear in the software so you can know which Wi-Fi networks are newer and faster when connecting on a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Therefore, it is likely that you will soon see the Wifi version numbers on your phone, tablet or laptop.

Older versions of Wifi are not widely used and therefore are not officially "numeric". But if they do, they will have the following order:

  1. Wifi 1 will be 802.11b, released in 1999.
  2. Wifi 2 will be 802.11a, also released in 1999.
  3. Wifi 3 will be 802.11g, released in 2003.

Picture 2 of What is Wifi 6?  How is it different from the current wifi?
Icons that illustrate the WiFi version are being tested.

Wifi is faster

As usual, the latest Wifi standard provides faster data transfer speeds. If you use a Wifi router with a single device, the maximum potential speed of Wifi 6 will be up to 40% higher than that of Wifi 5.

Wifi 6 has very good speed thanks to more efficient data encryption, resulting in higher throughput. Basically, a lot of data is packed into the same radio wave. These signal encoding and decoding chips continue to be stronger and can process more data.

This new standard even speeds up on 2.4GHz networks. While many places have switched to 5GHz Wifi for less interference, the 2.4GHz network is still better at invading solid objects.

Longer battery life

The "target wake time" (TWT) feature means that your smartphone, laptop and other Wi-Fi devices will also have longer battery life.

Specifically, when your device is connected to Wifi, it can tell exactly when you should set it to "sleep" and when it needs to "wake" Wifi to receive the next line. This will save energy, as that means that the Wifi radio can spend more time in sleep mode. And that means longer battery life.

This will also help Internet of Things devices consume less power when connected via Wifi.

Better performance in crowded areas

Picture 3 of What is Wifi 6?  How is it different from the current wifi?
Intel says Wifi 6 will improve the average speed of each user in areas with many connected devices.

Wifi tends to be slow when you are in a crowded place and many devices are connected. In places like stadiums, airports, hotels, shopping centers or even a crowded office, Wi-Fi is slow.

The new Wifi 6, also known as 802.11ax , combines many technologies to support this. Intel says Wifi 6 will improve the average speed of each user at least four times in areas with many connected devices.

Search for "Wifi 6" and "Wifi 6 Certified"

When you buy a new device, you won't need to look up your specs and try to remember if 802.11ac or 802.11ax is the latest standard. The device manufacturer will only recommend Wifi 6 or Wifi 5.

You will also begin to see the "Wifi 6 Certified Certified" logo on devices that have passed the Alliance Alliance certification process. Previously, there was a "Wifi Certified" logo but it did not tell you which WiFi generation it was, unless you looked at the specifications.

Wifi 6 routers hope to support WPA3 to connect more securely to WiFi networks, but WPA3 support is not a requirement.

When will you be using Wifi 6?

Picture 4 of What is Wifi 6?  How is it different from the current wifi?
The Wifi Alliance hopes the new Wifi standard will be finalized and the hardware will be released in 2019.

Some routers may have advertised "802.11ax technology" , but Wifi 6 is still incomplete. In addition, no device is ready to connect to Wifi 6.

The Wifi Alliance hopes its Wi-Fi standard is too much - in the future, new routers, smartphones, tablets, laptops and Wi-Fi-connected devices will only come with technology. this.

As always, both sending and receiving devices need to support the latest generation of Wifi in order for you to enjoy the advantages. In other words, if you want Wifii 6 performance on your phone, you'll need both a wireless router (access point) and a smartphone that supports Wifi 6. If you're connecting a laptop only Wifi 5 support with your Wifi 6 router, that specific connection will work in Wi-Fi 5. But your router can still use Wifi 6 with your phone at the same time. .

Wifi version numbers are great but not required

Wifi version numbers are great, because it helps ordinary people easily remember and understand the generation of Wifi. It was a simple, easy change and should have been long ago. After all, many people can get faster Wifi speeds by upgrading their home routers, but not everyone knows it.

However, the Wifi Alliance has no right to force companies to use these version numbers, although they encourage their companies to adopt them. Some manufacturers may skip these version numbers and instead just call the new generation Wifi "802.11a" . Many companies are also likely not willing to rename the existing 802.11ac Wifi to Wifi 5.

Hopefully all companies will quickly adopt the name of the new generation of Wi-Fi , so that users can distinguish.