In an article from the summer of 2017, we explain who they are the differences between the frequencies de 2.4 GHz si 5GHz Supported by Wi-Fi routers and connected devices. At the same time, we explain what the standards mean 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11nand 802.11ac and at what download speed you can get with them. You can find the article here.
In April 2018, Wi-Fi Alliance announcement (non-profit organization that develops and certifies Wi-Fi technology) announces the introduction of a new standard. 802.11ax. To make it simpler, the standard name was dropped, and the new technology was renamed Wi-Fi 6, while previous technologies have been renamed. 802.11. ac is now Wi-Fi 5and 802.11n became Wi-Fi 4.
What is Wi-Fi 6 and what speeds can be reached with this technology
Wi-Fi 6 is the newest technology of the Wi-Fi standard. This does not mean that something has changed in the frequency spectrum. Wi-Fi 6 compatible routers also operates in the standard bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz respectively. But it is changing transmission technique si the technique of simultaneous data manipulation, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) uses a technique called Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), and the capacity is 512-QAM. Wi-Fi 6 gets there 1024-QAM, which allows the transmission of 10 bits at the same time. This translates to improved speed up to 25% compared to Wi-Fi 5.
But the great innovation of Wi-Fi 6 is Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). OFDMA allows the breakdown of a wireless channel into smaller pieces, so that each client to benefit from a dedicated bandwidth. As a novelty is also the change of the channel width for the 5 GHz band. It has been doubled since 80 MHz to 160 MHz, which provides greater data support. The 2.4 GHz band channel remained unchanged at 40 MHz.
According to Intel, this will lead to an improvement of approximately 40% of speed for each user, especially in crowded areas.
Mobile phones / smartphones with Wi-Fi support 6
Being a new technology, it has not yet been implemented on a large scale by mobile device manufacturing companies.
Apple added support for Wi-Fi 6 on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro si iPhone 11 Pro Max, but none model from iPad or MacBook does not support this standard. The owners of Samsung Galaxy series Notes 10, S10 si fold they can also enjoy this support.
Load speed and stream will feel real in crowded spaces in cafes and malls where there will be Wi-Fi 6 routers.
We don't find many laptops with this standard either. Dell launched in late 2019 modethe XPS 13 with hardware that allows Wi-Fi 6, and HP came with the Specter x360 13 with the new generation of Intel processors optimized for Wi-Fi 6. Intel Wi-Fi 6 chipset is found on the 10th generation of Intel (Ice Lake) processors.
Routers with Wi-Fi 6
If you own a Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) router, you currently have no reason to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6. You most likely have a iPhone 11 or a Samasung Galaxy Note 10 / S10, the only ones currently compatible with the new standard. Keep in mind that in a home with few connected devices, Wi-Fi 5 is sufficient. If you absolutely have to buy a new router, you can consider one with Wi-Fi 6, but the offer is limited compared to Wi-Fi 5. You will find some modethem from TP-Link, NETGEAR si ASUS online stores, and the prices are quite high.
At CES 2020 were announced several manufacturers will launch Wi-Fi routers 6 to the end of this year. So if you can wait ... you could you save some money.
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