The next generation of Wi-Fi is launching this year. Known as Wi-Fi 6, it will become available inside new phones and laptops.
It will come with new technologies that connect you to the Internet more efficiently – speeding up connections in the process. The quoted speed for Wi-Fi 6 is 9.6 Gb per second, compared with Wi-Fi 5 at 3.5 Gb per second.
However, in reality, those speeds are theoretical maximums that you’re unlikely to ever reach, or actually need. Currently, the typical download speed required for applications is only around 1 percent of the theoretical maximum speed.
The higher speed offered by Wi-Fi 6, though, is still important because that 9.6 Gb per second can be shared across a number of connected devices, rather than applying to just one.
This means more potential speed for every device. At a time when the number of devices at any location is ever-increasing (for work or personal use), the benefit is clear.
The new technologies in Wi-Fi 6 will help mitigate the issues that come with putting dozens of Wi-Fi devices on a single network, and will enable:
- routers to communicate with more devices at once
- routers to send data to multiple devices in the same broadcast
- Wi-Fi devices to schedule check-ins with the router.
Together, those features should keep connections strong, even as more and more devices start demanding data.
However, it is difficult to predict the speed of each individual device, and if you are currently only connecting one device to your Wi-Fi rather than several, there is likely to be little benefit (at least in the short term) of moving up to Wi-Fi 6.
It is important to stress that in order to benefit from the efficiencies of Wi-Fi 6, you will need to buy new phones / laptops etc. Wi-Fi generations rely on new hardware, not just software updates, so you won’t see the difference with existing devices. A new Wi-Fi 6 router will also be required.
If you have any questions about Internet connectivity or the devices that you use on your Wi-Fi, please give us a call or enter your contact details here.