We have a new champion when it comes WiFi speeds and it's Wifi 6E. With promises of gigabit speeds and less interference. Unlike previous generation wifi, wifi 6e is the real deal and it delivers. The new wifi 6E standard blows away all previous generation wifi speeds and more. Wi-Fi 6E adds support for 6GHz spectrum, plus faster wireless speeds and lower latencies, you will need a new router and Wi-Fi 6E-compatible devices to tap into those new airwaves and speeds. So let's dig in, Wi-Fi 6E expands on the existing Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard and allows access to a new 6 GHz band. Wi-Fi 6E takes the efficiency features from Wi-Fi 6 like OFDMA, WPA3, and Target Wake Time and extends them to the 6 GHz band to provide more contiguous spectrum and less interference. With Wi-Fi 6E, enterprises can support new use cases that demand multi-gigabit speeds like high-definition video.
In April of 2020, the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to open up the 6GHz band for unlicensed use. With that policy change, significantly more airwaves are open that routers can use to broadcast Wi-Fi signals. The opening of the 6GHz band is the biggest spectrum addition to Wi-Fi since 1989. The jump from 5GHz to 6GHz essentially quadruples the amount of airwaves (14 additional 80MHz channels, and seven additional 160MHz channels) available for routers and smart devices. That means less signal interference.
The 6GHz band allows for internet speeds of greater than 1Gbps. Not only that, but the increased spectrum means lower latency (less than one millisecond) for online games, video calls, or virtual computing sessions in which you need instantaneous response to keyboard commands, voices, or mouse clicks. The new wifi 6e standard is going re-invigorate the stale, slow and clunky wifi networks we currently have and may even be used in a business environment for applications beyond just surfing the web and email
Should you upgrade? Well it depends, do you want the latest and greatest? Are you willing to pay a premium? Then yes. If your router died and you need a new one then yes. But for most people it's probably best to wait until the prices come down to Earth.
If you need any help with a new wifi setup for your home or business please do not hesitate to give us a call.