Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax) works to improve on the limitations and speed degradation in high-density wireless environments, office spaces, event venues and shopping centres. This standard also introduces many new technologies that enhance overall client performance with a focus on the battery life of mobile devices.
I will look at some of the technical differences introduced since Wi-Fi 5. Finally, I will give my recommendations on how to time your upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 and the future Wi-Fi 7 standard.
Wi-Fi 6 Improvments & Technologies
Summary
- Introduces OFDMA, significantly improving wireless network ability to respond to multiple clients simultaneously.
- Adds Upload support to MIMO functionality boosting multi-client communications and reducing per-client latency.
- Introduces Spatial Frequency Reuse and expands NAV functionality reducing collisions and improving network responsiveness.
Technology Brief
Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA)
The primary new technology introduced in Wi-Fi 6 works to segment client communications into resource units and schedule communications reducing collisions and interference expanding simultaneous multiple client communications.
Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO)
The MIMO from Wi-Fi 5 is modified to include Uplink as well as Downlink, enabling the AP to communicate in both directions with multiple clients simultaneously. Reduces latency on your network allowing for faster load times.
Trigger-based Random Access
Introduced in Wi-Fi 6 acts in support of OFDMA
NAV
Expands to Two NAV points reducing client collisions.
Target Wake Time (TWT)
New to Wi-Fi 6, introduced better communications scheduling for Wi-Fi connection packets and grouping for data communications. Reduces communication frequency improving mobile client battery life.
Fragmentation
Wi-Fi 6 introduces Dynamic fragmentation over the Wi-Fi 5 static fragmentation, client communications are more efficient reducing overall network overheads and improving speed.
Upgrading Guidance
- Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) network devices should immediately be replaced by Wi-Fi 6 as it expands on significant improvements developed in the Wi-Fi 5 standard. Wi-Fi 5 & 6 also equipment generally includes the 5GHz frequency reducing interference (Wi-Fi 6E includes 6GHz however support is limited).
- Environments with a high density of clients benefit from the improvements of Wi-Fi 6 as this is the target of the standard.
- Networks with a large quantity of VOIP or video calls will also benefit from the reduced latency meaning less delays or droppouts.
- Existing Wi-Fi 5 networks should move to Wi-Fi 6 during the next upgrade cycle, idealy every 5 years. There are no conflicts between Wi-fi 4 & 5, but mixing device types will result in different network access speeds and reduce many of the Wi-Fi 6 benefits.
Looking ahead to Wi-Fi 7 Standard in 2024
Although devices have already started shipping labeled Wi-Fi 7 the exact technology has yet to be standardized. These devices are targeted at enthusiasts and early testers.
The focus on Wi-Fi 7 will be to significantly improve the connection speed for wireless clients. The most exciting aspects is the introduction of Muli-link Operations (MLO), supporting client connections across multiple bands to avoid interference and increase throughput.
Speed improvements will come from a wider 320MHz band range, this increases interference issues in office environments.
A major change will be the need to connect access points to 10GB/s switchports to benefit from the increased wireless bandwidth.
Initially I do not see Wi-Fi 7 being adopted for company environments except in isolated use cases, like video editing. Its major market will be for public venues and personal use.
