The next generation of Wi-Fi is here, and it is going to make your internet even faster and more reliable. So what is this new technology? It’s called Wi-Fi 6.
What is Wi-Fi 6?
Your router uses frequencies to broadcast your home network's wireless signal. These frequencies help reduce congestion on your network, which means you get more bandwidth. Until now, routers have been either single-band (2.4 GHz) or dual-band (5 GHz). The next generation of routers are now tri-band (6 GHz) or Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 6 is the newest frequency in which you can transmit your Wi-Fi connection and has the potential to boost device speeds up to 40%.
Will my current devices work with Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 works with any device dating back to the early 2000s. But, because these devices aren’t compatible with the new technology, they will be running on a standard band speed. To get the full benefits of Wi-Fi 6, you will need a Wi-Fi 6 compliant device.
How will this new technology impact my internet?
We are using the internet more and more, which means there is a lot more traffic on our home network. Wi-Fi 6 helps your devices maintain their speed on busier networks with something called MU-MIMO. MU-MIMO stands for multi-user, multiple inputs, multiple outputs. This technology allows your router to communicate with multiple devices at the same time. Most routers can communicate with four devices, and Wi-Fi 6 allows up to eight. It’s like adding more delivery trucks to a shipping route for faster deliveries.
The other new technology that Wi-Fi 6 uses is called orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). OFDMA allows your router to dedicate a part of the frequency channel to each connected device. Using the truck analogy, OFDMA can look at your delivery trucks and see if they are full or not and use the remaining space to make deliveries to customers along the way. With this, you get more data transmitted from your router to your device.
How can I get Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 is still an emerging technology and will be available to All West subscribers in the next few months.