Wi-Fi 6

What is Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11 ax) is the sixth-generation WLAN standard, defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard by Wi-Fi Alliance. While carrying forward the advantages of previous generations of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 6 also enhances efficiency, flexibility, and scalability. The direct impact is to increase network speed and capacity for next-generation wireless applications. Wi-Fi 6 and 802.11ax mean the same thing. The Wi-Fi Alliance created the term "Wi-Fi 6" to make 802.11ax easier to remember for marketization， which helps people compare it more easily to cellular standards like 5G.

Why Do We Need Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6, upgraded from Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), is aimed to bring better high-efficiency wireless (HE) to the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums Wi-Fi networks. Here's why we need it:

Better Performance: Wi-Fi 6 delivers higher data rates consistently. It can connect more clients in dense environments and provide users with a smooth wireless roaming experience.

Improved Experience: It focuses on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that enhance the overall user experience.

Handling More Devices: It can manage environments where many users have multiple devices, all needing network access simultaneously.

Support for Real-Time Applications: As the demand for massive data flow grows, Wi-Fi 6 can handle mission-critical applications such as 4K, 8K video, AR/VR, and high-definition, high-resolution image files. It also addresses the demand for latency-sensitive applications such as video collaboration, VR gaming, immersive AR, panoramic live broadcast, etc.

Integration with IoT: It supports simple, low-power devices like HVAC systems and healthcare sensors.

Reliable Communication: It ensures low latency and reliable connections for critical applications like medical imaging and warehouse robotics.

What Makes Wi-Fi 6 So Fast?

The peak Wi-Fi speed is determined by four factors: constellation density, bandwidth per channel, number of spatial streams, and overhead per symbol. Wi-Fi has upgraded from all four perspectives: it has increased constellation density by adding 10124 QAM, used denser tone density to increase broadband throughput in the same spectrum, doubled from 4 spatial streams to 8 spatial streams, and increased the fixed symbol duration Ts (3.2 μs) to Ts (12.8 μs).

Wi-Fi speed = Quantity of Spatial Streams x symbol duration

More Spatial Streams: Wi-Fi 6 supports up to 8 spatial streams (compared to 4 in Wi-Fi 5), which allows more data to be transmitted simultaneously using multiple antennas, significantly boosting speed.

Higher 10124 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation): Wi-Fi 6 uses 1024-QAM, which packs more data into the same radio waves compared to the 256-QAM used by previous standards.

Longer Symbol Duration: Wi-Fi 6 improves efficiency and reliability by extending the symbol duration to 12.8 microseconds (from 3.2 microseconds in Wi-Fi 5). This change results in better handling of signal reflections and interference.

More Data Subcarriers: Wi-Fi 6 uses OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), which increases the number of data subcarriers. This means more data can be transmitted in the same bandwidth, enhancing overall throughput.

What are the Features of Wi-Fi 6?

Compared to Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 has four key improvements:

• Higher Bandwidth: It uses 1024-QAM and supports up to 160MHz channels, achieving theoretical speeds of up to 9.6 Gbps.

• Higher Capacity: With OFDMA and UL MU-MIMO, it can handle four times more devices at once, improving multi-device performance.

• Lower Latency: Technologies like OFDMA and BSS Coloring reduce wait times, cutting latency from 30 to 20 milliseconds.

• Lower Power Consumption: TWT and 20MHz-only features allow devices to wake up only when needed, saving battery life.