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1024-QAM TECHNOLOGY

Quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) is a highly developed modulation scheme used in the communication industry in which data is transmitted over radio frequencies.  Higher QAM levels increase throughput capabilities in wireless devices. While the older Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) standard is limited to 256-QAM, the new Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard incorporates an extremely high optional modulation scheme (1024-QAM). In real-world terms, 1024-QAM enables a 25% data rate increase (throughput) in Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) access points and devices.

11ac: 256 Subcarriers in 3.6 μs (0.4 μs GI)

11ax: 1024 Subcarriers in 13.6 μs (0.8 μs GI)

Frequency f

Frequency f

802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)

802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)

Symbol Duration(μs)

3.6 (3.2 symbol + 0.4 GI)

13.6 (12.8 symbol + 0.8 GI)

Number of Data Subcarriers

234

980

Valid Data Subcarriers Rate

65

72.05882

Improvement

1.108597

MORE SPEED AND GREATER STABILITY

Wi-Fi 6 introduces support for up and downlink OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access).  OFDMA improves performance in high-density environments by enabling bandwidth within channels to be segmented, so multiple devices can receive data in the same time frame.

 

When bandwidth is split into more resource units, it allows more user data and types of traffic to be transmitted between clients and the router at the same time. This dramatically improves how efficiently the wireless spectrum is used, resulting in faster uploads and downloads and improved responsiveness—and a much better user experience. This smart use of bandwidth increases data transmission efficiency, reducing power consumption, and dramatically increasing data throughput.can help improve connection density, spectrum efficiency, latency and area traffic capacity.

Wi-Fi 6 expands the WiFi band from 80 MHz to 160 MHz, doubling the channel width and creating a faster connection from your router to the device. With Wi-Fi 6, you can enjoy 8K movies, large file downloads and uploads, and responsive smart home devices – all without buffering.

More Bandwith on a Wider Channel

160 MHz Channel Width

160 MHz

80 MHz

Wi-Fi 6

80211.ax

8 x 8 MU-MIMO - Connect to More Devices Simultaneously

MU-MIMO Services multiple devices simultaneously on limited spectrum by allowing more downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) data to be transferred at once. This allows an access point to transmit data to a larger number of MU-MIMO-enabled devices concurrently.

With 8 x 8 MU-MIMO, more than 8 streams are available for both uploads and downloads. This means that whether you’re streaming, downloading, torrenting, playing VR/AR, MMO’s or RPG’s; with Wi-Fi 6’s 8 streams, there’s more than enough bandwidth for everyone.

More Bandwith on a Wider Channel

160 MHz Channel Width

Wi-Fi 6 expands the WiFi band from 80 MHz to 160 MHz, doubling the channel width and creating a faster connection from your router to the device. With Wi-Fi 6, you can enjoy 8K movies, large file downloads and uploads, and responsive smart home devices – all without buffering.

OFDMA

OFDMA increases efficiency.

OFDMA reduces latency.

Ideal for low-bandwidth applications.

MU-MIMO

MU-MIMO increases capacity

MU-MIMO results in higher speeds per user​.

Ideal for high-bandwidth applications.

MU-MIMO is similar to multiple trucks serving users simultaneously.

OFDMA and MU-MIMO

Two technologies that are utilized based on the application.

Minimize Conflicts with Nearby Equipment

BSS COLORING

BSS Coloring improves reliability in dense environments where there are overlapping access points (AP) by prioritizing – or coloring – traffic. This technology effectively shuts out and ignores traffic on the same frequencies that is likely communicating on another network.

Overlapping Signal Interference

Overlapping Signal Separation

Two Networks without BSS Color

Two Networks with BSS Color

TARGET WAKE TIME (TWT)

Resource scheduling significantly improves battery life.

AP and devices negotiate and define specific times to access the medium.

Reduced contention and overlap between users.

Significantly increases the device sleep time to reduce power consumption.

EXTEND THE BATTERY LIFE OF DEVICES

TWT (Target Wake Time)

TWT (Target Wake Time) is a new Wi-Fi 6 feature where the access points negotiate with attached devices to agree when they should wake up to transmit data. This pre-scheduling means devices can deep-sleep for extended periods, dramatically reducing current consumption and significantly increase battery life. 

MU-MIMO

MU-MIMO increases capacity.

MU-MIMO results in higher speeds per user​.

Ideal for high-bandwidth applications.

OFDMA

OFDMA increases efficiency.

OFDMA reduces latency.

Ideal for low-bandwidth applications.

MU-MIMO is similar to multiple trucks serving users simultaneously.

OFDMA and MU-MIMO

Two technologies that are utilized based on the application.

Overlapping Signal Interference

Overlapping Signal Separation

Two Networks without BSS Color

Two Networks with BSS Color

WI-FI 6 FUNDAMENTALS

INNOVATION AND PERFORMANCE IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS

Most homes today have significantly more Wi-Fi enabled devices than they did even five years ago. From smartphones and tablets to televisions and IoT devices, just about everything can connect to a wireless network. Wi-Fi 6 was designed to communicate better with multiple devices that need data simultaneously, and more efficiently prioritizes traffic across those devices.  The next-generation 802.11ax Wi-Fi standard, also known as Wi-Fi 6, is the latest step in a journey of nonstop innovation.

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) provides the wireless foundation for a host of current and emerging uses. From streaming ultra high-definition movies to mission-critical business applications requiring high bandwidth and low latency, the new wireless standard promises higher data rates, increased capacity, better performance in high density environments and improved power efficiency. The section below includes an introductory look at the building blocks of this new technology.

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