Wi-Fi 6E the biggest upgrade in 20 years from Wi-Fi Alliance

Wi-Fi platform vendors have long been citing the lack of enough spectrum in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands as true gigabit wireless becomes commonplace. In fact, despite support for 160 MHz channels in the Wi-Fi 6 standard, very few consumers are able to actually utilize it because the dynamic frequence selection (DFS) feature is often disabled by default. DFS is necessary to prevent Wi-Fi devices operating in the 5 GHz band from interfering with radars that are licensed users of the channels in that band. Wi-Fi devices essentially use unlicensed spectrum for communication. As more and more gigabit wireless devices get deployed, the available spectrum capacity in the 5 GHz band may soon get exhausted. wifi 6e.

Wi-Fi Alliance is an industry-backed group that oversees the implementation of Wi-Fi, said ahead of the vote.

“This is the most monumental decision around Wi-Fi spectrum in its history, in the 20 years we’ve been around,”

Kevin Robinson, marketing leader for the Wi-Fi Alliance,

What is Wi-Fi 6E ?

The Wi-Fi Alliance is introducing a new terminology to distinguish upcoming Wi-Fi 6 devices that are capable of 6 GHz operation – Wi-Fi 6E. This is essentially the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11ax (higher performance in terms of faster data rates as well as lower latency) in the 6 GHz band. Wi-Fi 6E devices are expected to make it to the market relatively quickly after regulatory approval, as it only requires changing the antenna tuning / RF front end on existing devices.

As explained earlier, 6 GHz addresses Wi-Fi spectrum shortage by providing contiguous spectrum blocks to accommodate up to 14 additional 80 MHz channels and 7 additional 160 MHz channels. Wi-Fi 6E devices can make use of the wider channels and additional capacity to provide better performance and support denser deployments. At CES 2020, the Wi-Fi Alliance is also announcing the development of interoperability testing for Wi-Fi 6E devices.

This is the biggest spectrum addition since the FCC cleared the way for Wi-Fi in 1989, so it’s a huge deal. The new spectrum basically quadruples the amount of space available for routers and other devices, so it will mean a lot more bandwidth and a lot less interference for any device that can take advantage of it.

Devices are expected to start supporting 6GHz Wi-Fi by the end of 2020, so its implementation isn’t far away. When it arrives, expect to see it branded under the name “Wi-Fi 6E.”

Key benefits of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 technology include:

• Higher data rates
• Increased capacity
• Performance in environments with many connected devices
• Improved power efficiency

How Will This Fix Your Bad WI-FI?

If you’ve ever had trouble connecting to your Wi-Fi network, there’s a good chance spectrum congestion was the problem. Whenever you have too many devices trying to connect over the same band of frequencies, some devices will start to get dropped. So if you see a long list of nearby Wi-Fi networks in your area, that may be why your connection is getting slower and less reliable. There are simply too many competing signals for your computer to get through.

When Will WI-FI 6 Devices be available in stores ?

The first wave of devices using 6GHz Wi-Fi is expected in the final quarter of 2020, according to Kevin Robinson, marketing leader for the Wi-Fi Alliance. But deployment should really kick off in early 2021 when the Wi-Fi Alliance begins offering a certifications program for Wi-Fi 6E devices.