The newest mobile phone releases such as the Galaxy S10 5G, Xiaomi 5G Mi Mix 3 are hyping up 5G connectivity but there’s an arguably more exciting connectivity upgrade on the horizon – Wi-Fi 6.
While it’s true that our demand for mobile data consumption has increased over the years, we’ve exponentially consumed more data on Wi-Fi vs mobile data. For example, our home internet, our favourite café Wi-Fi, or the cowork space connectivity that we rely on, all usually deal with Wi-Fi connectivity. Often, it’s a deal breaker when these places have slow or unreliable connectivity. After all, Wi-Fi could potentially mean the difference between getting work done efficiently or not getting any work done at all. Or if you don’t rely on Wi-Fi that much to work, it’s the difference between getting a nice streaming or gaming experience and a crappy one.
What’s difficult is that you can’t just pay your way to get better Wi-Fi. You have to do some heavy lifting such as a buying and configuring a better modem. That’s aside from paying for a high-bandwidth connection from your ISP. You also have to consider how many people are using Wi-Fi to get the maximum efficiency for your device.
Such is the importance of this new Wi-Fi innovation. Hopefully, the next device you need to buy already has this technology built-in.
Improved Throughput
Speed is probably the most basic parameter of Wi-Fi connectivity. In this aspect, there’s not a lot to be excited about because the current consumer fibre internet connectivity plans have a median speed of just around 72Mbps in the American household. That’s a fraction of the current standard in Wi-Fi technology which is pegged at 3.5Gbps.
Wi-Fi 6’s ability to give you around 9.6Gbps, then, shouldn’t have much bearing for you if your usage is just under the normal circumstances. However, as the 8K monitors and televisions start to become more readily available, internet speed requirements are pegged to rise soon. It’s good to be ready for these kinds of contingencies.
Moreover, for enterprise users that consume a lot of data, the 3.5Gbps distributed to multiple access points such as smartphones, laptops, and other devices connected to just one router might already be a little deficient. Having the 9.5Gbps capacity available for use from just one Wi-Fi 6 enabled router should help save some money on additional routers for high-density hotspots.
Better Multi-User Experience (OFDMA)
Wi-Fi 5 tends to get bogged down when a lot of people are logged in to the router. Which is often why crowded places don’t even bother getting a Wi-Fi connection. But, for cafes, malls, and cowork spaces or any other crowded areas that rely on Wi-Fi connectivity to thrive, Wi-Fi 5 rears its ugly limitations as it can only support a limited number of users.
These places often get an additional modem but that comes at the cost of speed and, more importantly, reliability. This is because multiple modems cause interference to each other. This is what causes lags and dropped connections in crowded networks such as your local malls.
Furthermore, there’s another limitation to Wi-Fi 5 that’s not often given much attention. It can only communicate with one access point at the same exact moment. Therefore, you may experience some lag if you simultaneously ask for a refresh of a webpage on your computer and ask your smart light to change its colour. This is because Wi-Fi 5 can communicate with just one device at a time. While it can accomplish these tasks so quickly that it’s difficult to notice, it’s easy to imagine how it can get bogged down when there are a mall-full of access points giving commands simultaneously.
Essentially there’s just one channel for data requests and deliveries to go through. It transfers huge amounts of data very quickly for sure but when it’s shared between multiple devices, it can get pretty cramped in there.
Wi-Fi 6 could change this paradox because aside from allowing more users to simultaneously connect to it, it has the capacity to answer their data requests at the same exact time. This new orthogonal frequency-division multiple access or OFDMA essentially makes Wi-Fi congestion a thing of the past if you have a Wi-Fi 6 enabled router and device.
We no longer just have a smartphone and a computer connected to our Wi-Fi these days. We also have smart lights, smart refrigerators, and other IoT devices. This makes this OFDMA feature such a welcome addition to Wi-Fi technology coming into the future.
Longer Battery Life for Your Devices (TWT)
Wi-Fi 6’s efficiency doesn’t only help with the speed and volume of data transferred; it also helps with lessening the battery consumption on your connected devices. Essentially, data transfers cost less power on the new Wi-Fi 6 standard.
It accomplishes this by communicating with devices exactly when to put your device’s Wi-Fi radio to sleep and when to wake it. This new feature is called Target Wake-up Time and it can help your device conserve energy by turning their Wi-Fi radios on only when they’re needed. This greatly helps both smartphones and IoT devices by letting users, through the router, to schedule check-in times for specific devices rather than having their Wi-Fi radios request data constantly.
Better Security Features (WPA-3)
When it comes to security, Wi-Fi 6 should also come with some improvements. From a tech support standpoint, the new connectivity standard can see more and manipulate more data from the connected device so it's easier to Technically, Wi-Fi 5 can also benefit from this but Wi-Fi 6's advanced capabilities help magnify this.
Aside from this, it also has WPA-3 protection. This makes it more difficult for hackers to crack network passwords. Furthermore, if ever the network becomes compromised, WPA-3 can automatically make some data less useful in getting into other access points once the network is breached.
Do We Need It?
Wi-Fi 5 isn’t terrible. It should be enough for the regular home even in the near future.
However, Wi-Fi 6 is a much-improved version of Wi-Fi technology that’s difficult to ignore. The fact that it’s gotten to the point that Wi-Fi 6 compatible hardware are becoming cheaper by the second is also a big reason why it’s such a compelling upgrade right now.
The ultimate question, however, is, “Do you need it?”
The short answer is no, normal users, don’t need it yet. Will you need it in the future? That’s a huge yes. It’s only a matter of time until we all do.
While it’s true that our demand for mobile data consumption has increased over the years, we’ve exponentially consumed more data on Wi-Fi vs mobile data. For example, our home internet, our favourite café Wi-Fi, or the cowork space connectivity that we rely on, all usually deal with Wi-Fi connectivity. Often, it’s a deal breaker when these places have slow or unreliable connectivity. After all, Wi-Fi could potentially mean the difference between getting work done efficiently or not getting any work done at all. Or if you don’t rely on Wi-Fi that much to work, it’s the difference between getting a nice streaming or gaming experience and a crappy one.
What’s difficult is that you can’t just pay your way to get better Wi-Fi. You have to do some heavy lifting such as a buying and configuring a better modem. That’s aside from paying for a high-bandwidth connection from your ISP. You also have to consider how many people are using Wi-Fi to get the maximum efficiency for your device.
Such is the importance of this new Wi-Fi innovation. Hopefully, the next device you need to buy already has this technology built-in.
Improved Throughput
Speed is probably the most basic parameter of Wi-Fi connectivity. In this aspect, there’s not a lot to be excited about because the current consumer fibre internet connectivity plans have a median speed of just around 72Mbps in the American household. That’s a fraction of the current standard in Wi-Fi technology which is pegged at 3.5Gbps.
Wi-Fi 6’s ability to give you around 9.6Gbps, then, shouldn’t have much bearing for you if your usage is just under the normal circumstances. However, as the 8K monitors and televisions start to become more readily available, internet speed requirements are pegged to rise soon. It’s good to be ready for these kinds of contingencies.
Moreover, for enterprise users that consume a lot of data, the 3.5Gbps distributed to multiple access points such as smartphones, laptops, and other devices connected to just one router might already be a little deficient. Having the 9.5Gbps capacity available for use from just one Wi-Fi 6 enabled router should help save some money on additional routers for high-density hotspots.
Better Multi-User Experience (OFDMA)
Wi-Fi 5 tends to get bogged down when a lot of people are logged in to the router. Which is often why crowded places don’t even bother getting a Wi-Fi connection. But, for cafes, malls, and cowork spaces or any other crowded areas that rely on Wi-Fi connectivity to thrive, Wi-Fi 5 rears its ugly limitations as it can only support a limited number of users.
These places often get an additional modem but that comes at the cost of speed and, more importantly, reliability. This is because multiple modems cause interference to each other. This is what causes lags and dropped connections in crowded networks such as your local malls.
Furthermore, there’s another limitation to Wi-Fi 5 that’s not often given much attention. It can only communicate with one access point at the same exact moment. Therefore, you may experience some lag if you simultaneously ask for a refresh of a webpage on your computer and ask your smart light to change its colour. This is because Wi-Fi 5 can communicate with just one device at a time. While it can accomplish these tasks so quickly that it’s difficult to notice, it’s easy to imagine how it can get bogged down when there are a mall-full of access points giving commands simultaneously.
Essentially there’s just one channel for data requests and deliveries to go through. It transfers huge amounts of data very quickly for sure but when it’s shared between multiple devices, it can get pretty cramped in there.
Wi-Fi 6 could change this paradox because aside from allowing more users to simultaneously connect to it, it has the capacity to answer their data requests at the same exact time. This new orthogonal frequency-division multiple access or OFDMA essentially makes Wi-Fi congestion a thing of the past if you have a Wi-Fi 6 enabled router and device.
We no longer just have a smartphone and a computer connected to our Wi-Fi these days. We also have smart lights, smart refrigerators, and other IoT devices. This makes this OFDMA feature such a welcome addition to Wi-Fi technology coming into the future.
Longer Battery Life for Your Devices (TWT)
Wi-Fi 6’s efficiency doesn’t only help with the speed and volume of data transferred; it also helps with lessening the battery consumption on your connected devices. Essentially, data transfers cost less power on the new Wi-Fi 6 standard.
It accomplishes this by communicating with devices exactly when to put your device’s Wi-Fi radio to sleep and when to wake it. This new feature is called Target Wake-up Time and it can help your device conserve energy by turning their Wi-Fi radios on only when they’re needed. This greatly helps both smartphones and IoT devices by letting users, through the router, to schedule check-in times for specific devices rather than having their Wi-Fi radios request data constantly.
Better Security Features (WPA-3)
When it comes to security, Wi-Fi 6 should also come with some improvements. From a tech support standpoint, the new connectivity standard can see more and manipulate more data from the connected device so it's easier to Technically, Wi-Fi 5 can also benefit from this but Wi-Fi 6's advanced capabilities help magnify this.
Aside from this, it also has WPA-3 protection. This makes it more difficult for hackers to crack network passwords. Furthermore, if ever the network becomes compromised, WPA-3 can automatically make some data less useful in getting into other access points once the network is breached.
Do We Need It?
Wi-Fi 5 isn’t terrible. It should be enough for the regular home even in the near future.
However, Wi-Fi 6 is a much-improved version of Wi-Fi technology that’s difficult to ignore. The fact that it’s gotten to the point that Wi-Fi 6 compatible hardware are becoming cheaper by the second is also a big reason why it’s such a compelling upgrade right now.
The ultimate question, however, is, “Do you need it?”
The short answer is no, normal users, don’t need it yet. Will you need it in the future? That’s a huge yes. It’s only a matter of time until we all do.