Over the past couple of decades, many wireless devices and technologies have emerged. Houses and offices are filled with all kinds of gadgets, most of which can connect to the network via WiFi. But the problem is that the more such gadgets per unit area, the worse the connection performance. If this goes on, it will be simply impossible to work in a wireless network – already now “overpopulation” makes itself felt in apartment houses and large offices.
This problem should be solved by a new technology – WiFi 6, which appeared relatively recently. Now the standard WiFi 6 has become a reality, so we can hope for the soon appearance of a large number of devices compatible with the new technology.
What does it cost us a WiFi network to build
Channel bandwidth based on WiFi 6 can theoretically reach 10 Gbps. But this is only in theory, such characteristics can be achieved only near the access point. Nevertheless, the increase in data transfer rate is impressive, WiFi 6 provides a 4-fold increase in bandwidth.
But the main thing is still not the speed, but the ability of devices that support the new standard to work in a complex environment with a large number of access points per unit area. This has already been mentioned above. This is made possible by the availability of many antenna transceivers.
One WiFi 6 access point can handle traffic for eight separate devices without any speed loss. All previous standards provided for speed division between users, with turn-by-turn access to client devices. WiFi 6 makes it possible to schedule a device’s airwaves based on the requirements of the application that is transmitting information at a given time. Accordingly, data transmission delays are minimized.
One more advantage of the new technology is the possibility of multistation access with frequency division of channels. But it used to be used mainly in mobile networks, and now it has been integrated into WiFi systems.
You would think that WiFi 6 consumes a lot of power to implement all this. But no, in contrast, gadgets that support the new wireless standard have lower power consumption. Technology developers have added a new feature called target wake time. With this feature, gadgets that do not transmit data go to sleep mode, which reduces network load and extends battery life.
Where will WiFi 6 be used?
Above all, in areas with a maximum concentration of devices with wireless communication modules. These are, for example, large companies with large offices, public places – airports, restaurants, parks. These are also industrial facilities where internet things and many connected systems work.
Another possibility is VR and AR, because for normal operation of these technologies it is necessary to receive and transmit large amounts of data. Loaded network leads to the fact that VR and AR applications, which depend on network connections, begin to work worse than usual.
The internet at stadiums will finally work smoothly, so fans will be able to order drinks and food without leaving their seats. For retail, this technology is also important because companies will be able to quickly identify customers by providing personalized service.
The industry will also be happy to work with WiFi 6 because already now the wireless network can’t handle the transfer of huge amounts of data from one device to another, and in a couple of years it will be even harder.
“Friendship” WiFi 6 with 5G
The point is that they allow you to transfer data very quickly. But while 5G works better in the open air, WiFi 6 works well in confined spaces like offices, industrial sites, etc.
One should think that in the same public places WiFi 6 will complement 5G, giving users the ability to work in a network without interference even in very busy conditions. An example of such usage is intelligent street and building lighting systems. 5G can easily be used to control street lights. But WiFi 6 is better suited for controlling smart gadgets indoors.
Devices with WIFi support already
Access Points and other equipment supporting WiFi 6 standard will soon enter the market in large quantities. Models of access points with the corresponding wireless module are already ready.
It is worth noting that to power such devices, you need switches with increased. They allow not pulling a separate power cable to each point, but to power directly over the cable. Soon the switches will also come on sale.
And then what?
Technology does not stand still and the current moment is not an exception. It’s only when WiFI 6 technology appears that it’s already improving. So, after a while WiFi 6E technology will be developed, which will allow to transfer data even faster than before and almost without any interference.
By the way, there are companies which, without waiting for the certification process to be completed, started developing new 6E-based devices. By the way, the frequency spectrum to be allocated for this technology is 6 GHz. This solution allows to slightly offload the 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz bands.
In general, WiFi 6 is not a panacea for IT, this technology has disadvantages. But it provides an opportunity to solve the most important problem for modern society and business – data transmission in overloaded channels. And at the moment this nuance is so important that WiFi 6 can even be called a revolutionary technology.