Wi-Fi 6: What You Need To Know About This Game Changer

By 2021, the number of WLAN connected devices will exceed 22 billion. One cannot over-emphasize the need for better connectivity options. Businesses need stable Wi-Fi in order to properly function and deliver good services to their clients.

The Wi-Fi Alliance upgrades its wireless networking protocols regularly. These protocols are based on the IEEE 802.11 network standard.  Wi-Fi has been around since the ‘90s. However, there have been significant upgrades in the recent decade.

What Is Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6 comes with some serious upgrades over its predecessors. However, these upgrades may not be easily observable to the normal user. The changes may not even alter the way we use Wi-Fi as of now. However, any incremental upgrades will follow this release amounting to significantly observable changes even for the average users. Make sure that your ISP provides support for it, which reminds me, I too need to check if it is included in my Spectrum internet plans.

Wi-Fi 6 comes with faster internet speeds, lower latencies, better wireless capabilities, more security, and Target Wake Time (TWT) capabilities. All of these features will greatly enhance the way we use the internet.

Super Fast Internet Speeds

Wi-Fi 6 comes with faster internet speeds. You will be able to download and upload data more conveniently and without hiccups. You can enjoy more throughput due to the high bandwidth. This means that playing games, watching movies, and streaming live matches will be easier.

How fast is Wi-Fi 6 exactly? The answer is that its maximum throughput is 9.6 Gbps in comparison to only 5.5 Gbps for Wi-Fi 5. Obviously, data losses will occur but you can get an idea about the blazing-fast speeds that Wi-Fi 6 will offer.

High Latencies No More

Wi-Fi 6 can manage the network traffic more efficiently in comparison to its predecessors. Tests show that this can result in 75% less latency. This is great news for gamers as they can easily play online games, stream without lag, and multitask easily.

Negligible Difference Between Wireless & Wired

We know that wired networks suffer from lesser data losses when compared to wireless networks. Wi-Fi 6 aims to bring this gap closer. With stable pings due to lesser latencies, this new upgrade will allow users to trust Wi-Fi connections more for heavy-duty tasks. Moreover, wireless connections are already in popularity due to their easy availability even on-the-go. The real proposition here is convenience. The difference between the two connections, both wireless and wired, will be seemingly negligible now.

Dragonfly Key Exchange System For Better Security

Another way that Wi-Fi 6 is going to revolutionize the world of wireless connections is by bringing more security to the table. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is an abundantly used security protocol. It uses passwords for encryption. WPA2, its successor, was quite popular for quite some time. This long-standing standard for wireless connectivity will now see replacement by Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE). SAE is also known as the Dragonfly Key Exchange System. With stronger encryption capabilities and added security features, Wi-Fi 6 will be more secure than the previous network protocols from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Target Wake Time & More Battery Life

Wi-Fi 6 comes with a very unique feature. This feature is called Target Wake Time. TWT, for some devices, will be able to disconnect Wi-Fi from the device when it is not using it. This will allow users to save data as well as phone batteries. Cool, right? I have always had a hard time turning my Wi-Fi off. As a result, my phone battery drains out pretty fast. This is one of the reasons I have to watch shows on Spectrum TV. With that said, I’ll still keep the TV subscription because I get access to many channels.

Wi-Fi 6 is here and it is definitely going to change our network communications. The technology is relatively new but will be accessible at large soon enough. For faster speeds, better network traffic management, and enhanced security, make sure to tap into the world of Wi-Fi 6.