Wi-Fi 6E has burst onto the scene, and it’s an upgrade on its predecessor, the Wi-Fi 6. The “E” in Wi-Fi 6E stands for “Extended” since Wi-Fi 6E extends the capabilities of Wi-Fi 6 to the 6 GHz band for more capacity, wider channels, and less interference.
How factual are these improvements that the Wi-Fi 6E is bringing? What are the features that make Wi-Fi 6E a game changer? All these questions and probably more are roaming through your mind. Well, the good news here is that you’ll find answers in this article.
This piece will look at the features of the Wi-Fi 6E and everything you stand to gain. Let’s get started!!
What is Wi-Fi 6E?
As Introduced by Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi 6E is the upcoming standard for an extension of Wi-Fi 6 (also known as 802.11ax). This enables the operation of features in the unlicensed 6 GHz band, in addition to the currently supported 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. When the IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standard was first announced, it was limited by law to a wireless spectrum covering only the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Now, in a 2.4GHz band, you have only three non-overlapping channels—and that bandwidth is shared by you, your family members, and your neighbors. But now, with Wi-Fi 6E and 6 GHz bands, it’s a whole different story. Essentially, the Wi-Fi 6 E is a massive upgrade on Wi-Fi 6.
What Wi-Fi 6E gets you
Looking back to April 2020, the Federal Communications Commission, by a unanimous vote, agreed to open up the 6GHz band for unlicensed use. With that policy change, significantly more airwaves are open that routers can use to broadcast Wi-Fi signals. Interestingly, the opening of the 6GHz band is the biggest spectrum addition to Wi-Fi since 1989; there are 14 additional 80MHz channels, and seven additional 160MHz channels available for routers and smart devices, which all point to the fact that there is going to be fewer signal interference unlike before.
There is an additional 1200 MHz of spectrum available for use in the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi applications. This broader spectrum delivers ultimate Wi-Fi performance with higher throughput and wider channels, while simultaneously eliminating the need to support legacy devices, resulting in less network congestion.
Furthermore, the 6GHz band allows for internet speeds of greater than 1Gbps; yes you read that right. Not only that, the increased spectrum translates to lower latency (less than one millisecond) for online games, video calls, or any other virtual session where you need a fast response to keyboard commands, voices, etc.
To top it all off, probably the best part of the Wi-Fi 6E is when it comes to home network capacity. As a result of less spectrum congestion, efficient whole-home gigabit coverage, and multi-gigabit Wi-Fi capacity, it means that homeowners can finally get to enjoy a better Wi-Fi experience. You can do everything you want; imagine virtual reality gaming anywhere in your house, plus someone else having an online business presentation without having any worries regarding bandwidth drop due to other family members or friends streaming Netflix or even your neighbors. Pretty amazing!!
The introduction of Wi-Fi 6E also addresses Wi-Fi spectrum shortage issues by providing additional and contiguous channel bandwidth, which in turn supports an ever-growing number of devices at unprecedented speeds. Even enterprises are not left out; the added 1200 MHz in the 6 GHz band will enable enterprises to deliver faster, more reliable enterprise Wi-Fi networks. With the growing demand to connect more devices to the network, Wi-Fi 6E will enable enterprises and service providers to support new and emerging applications and keep each connected device performing at an optimum level. These networks will be highly scalable and resilient, with an improved ability to support more users at multigigabit speeds.
As a result of more capacity in the 6 GHz band, which solves a lot of connection and congestion issues, you’ll experience no interference from microwaves, etc., because only 6E-capable devices can use the band. Essentially, this means Wi-Fi 6E enables faster speeds and lower latencies than Wi-Fi 6 and earlier iterations plus minimal interference.
How Wi-Fi 6E networks can provide increased capacity
As explained earlier, Wi-Fi 6E still uses all the features and capabilities of 802.11ax(Wi-Fi 6); the only thing is that it does so by operating in the 6 GHz band. Via this, you get an improved “802.11ax” which translates to boosting network speed and improved overall network performance in a case where many devices are connected. Today, Wi-Fi uses two bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Wi-Fi 6E utilizes a third band: 6GHz. So, Wi-Fi 6E extends the same Wi-Fi 6 capabilities into the 6 GHz band to allow greater efficiency, higher throughput, and increased security.
Wi-Fi 6E networks will provide increased capacity by operating on the 6 GHz band coupled with 59 additional 20 MHz channels, 29 additional 40 MHz channels, 14 additional 80 MHz channels, and 7 additional 160 MHz channels. It doesn’t end there. The existing 802.11ax features are incorporated and improved on; an 8×8 uplink/downlink MU-MIMO, OFDMA, and BSS Color to provide up to four times more capacity to handle more devices. There is also a Target wake time (TWT) to improve network efficiency and battery life of the device, and 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation mode (1024-QAM) to increase throughput for emerging, bandwidth-intensive uses by transmitting more data in the same amount of spectrum.
Conclusion
By now, you’ve most likely seen the gap between what the Wi-Fi 6 offers and what the Wi-Fi 6E offers. As a result of the growing demand to connect more devices to the network, network traffic is significantly increased. Furthermore, additional devices require more bandwidth, and organizations everywhere want and need faster speeds to support their business applications. All these reasons, coupled with the fact that devices are now everywhere, the need for an additional available spectrum was inevitable, and there you have it, the Wi-Fi 6E; a model with a bid to provide answers to all the crucial needs above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many devices can Wi-Fi 6E handle?
Wifi 6E, although with higher throughput and higher efficiency than Wi-Fi6, also supports delivering data simultaneously to up to 8 devices, as opposed to having to take turns servicing connected devices (as with Wifi 4 and before). There is also a Target wake time (TWT) to improve network efficiency and battery life.
Which devices support a 6GHz wireless signal?
Well, Wi-Fi 6E is hardware-dependent. Client devices manufactured before 2020 are not likely to support 6GHz Wi-Fi. The client devices that support WiFi6E are supported from the chipset level. Here’s an example, for PCs, it’s supported by the Intel AX210 wireless network adapter; for Mobile Phones, they are usually supported with the Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 8Gen1 chipset. Essentially, the newest High-End Android mobile phone will support a 6GHz wireless signal.
Here are some devices that support 6GHz:
- Laptop and Desktop with Intel NIC AX210
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 & Galaxy Z Flip 3
- Xiaomi Mi 11 &Mi 11 Ultra
- Google Pixel 6
- Pixel 6 Pro
However, the fact that your device includes WiFi 6E-capable hardware doesn’t translate to you being able to enjoy a 6GHz signal. The regulators of some regions have not approved the 6G band. Hence, you should consult your client device manufacturers to find out if the device supports 6Ghz Wi-Fi.
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