In these modern times, we are surrounded by devices that are constantly connected with the internet. Multiple devices mean overload on routers. Your old wifi routers cannot handle multiple devices with full efficiency. But, wifi 6 routers are your savior. Let’s explore, Wifi 6 routers and their new features that will make your life easier.
The market is getting a new smart device launched every day. It includes our mobile phones, smart TVs, virtual assistants, smart bulbs, smart cameras, and even smart fans. These devices are fulfilling the idea of smart homes.
All smart devices are dependent on wifi routers for the internet.
The current wifi systems can not manage the overload because of their limitations in bandwidth and low device management abilities. The demand for an upgrade was continuously rising in the market; so, the wifi Alliance introduced wifi 6 routers in late 2019.
Wifi 6 and history of Wifi naming convention
The wifi 6 is also known as 802.11ax; these terms are used interchangeably. It offers higher bandwidth, higher speed, lower latency, and better device management with increased device density.
Around 2018, wifi names were introduced like wifi 4, wifi 5, and wifi 6. Before that, it was just some pairs of letters. These names were hard to remember, so, to avoid confusion, new names were introduced:
- 11b is now wifi 1
- 11a is now wifi 2
- 11g is now wifi 3
- 11n is now wifi 4
- 11ac is now wifi 5
- 11ax is now wifi 6
Wifi 5 vs wifi 6 routers – Is wifi 6 worth it?
Wifi 5 was a better version of Wifi 4 but is not very compatible with handling smart devices compared to wifi 6. So let’s see a comparison, “Wifi 5 vs wifi 6“., the benefits of using wifi 6 routers over the previous standards.
Wifi 6 is the latest generation that’s why it is superior to wifi 5 in the following aspects-
1. Bigger data packets-
Wifi 6 uses bigger data packets than wifi 5. There is a term QAM; it is ‘Quadrature Amplitude Modulation’ mode. It combines two amplitude modulation channels into a single channel. Learn more about QAM from here.
Wifi 5 uses 256-QAM, whereas wifi 6 uses 1024-QAM. It improves the speed by 25% by sending 10 bits/symbol, which was earlier 8bits/symbol. Therefore, it improves the streaming performance, and it is best to stream 4k and 8k content.
2. Wifi 6 routers give higher coverage-
Wifi uses OFDM transmission technology, also known as ‘symbol,’ dividing data into smaller subcarriers, increasing stability and coverage.
Wi-Fi 6 uses a 4x longer OFDM symbol. Longer OFDM symbols provide 4x more sub-carriers which further increases the stability and speed. For more information about OFDM, click here.
3. Higher bandwidth-
Wifi 5 provides 80 MHz bandwidth, but wifi 6 comes with 160 MHz. It doubles the channel width, which results in better performance if several devices are connected.
4. Low conflicts with neighbour Wifi-
Wifi 6 uses BSS (Base Service Station) Color, which is a method to identify overlapping networks. Every wifi 6 device uses different BSS colors so the device can easily differentiate between the interfering signals. It results in extremely low signal interference than wifi 5 devices.
5. Low Power consumption-
Wifi 6 has a feature called ‘Target Wake Time,’ which smartly saves battery life. It puts the device in sleep mode when it does not transmit data and quickly wakes it up to start any required transmission.
6. Manage more devices simultaneously-
Wifi 5 uses MU-MIMO (Multi-User- Multiple Input and Multiple Output) technology to simultaneously serve multiple devices’ requests. The problem with this technology is that it only works for downloads. Wifi 6 introduced an 8×8 MU-MIMO that works for both downloads and uploads and hence is more efficient.
Conclusion
The advantages of Wifi 6 over Wifi 5 make it more relevant to the present scenario. So look for Wifi 6 enabled routers and smartphones to enjoy the latest features of Wifi routers. The Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ are the first smartphones to get certified by “Wifi 6”.
So, this is all about Wifi 6; I hope you enjoyed it. Take care, Geeks. We will meet again with another topic.