Improving User Experience with Wi-Fi 6E

As wireless networks must cope with an increasingly large number of devices that rely on Wi-Fi connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E will enable manufacturers to continue to produce equipment and applications that are bandwidth intensive. Currently, all Wi-Fi devices are required to share two bandwidths – 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. With so many new devices using Wi-Fi as the primary way they connect to the home network, the available bands can become congested.

The introduction of Wi-Fi 6E addresses this problem of limited spectrum by providing additional contiguous channel bandwidth, while increasing the potential for higher speed transmission. The added 1200 MHz in the 6 GHz band will enable homeowners to take advantage of faster, more reliable enterprise-class Wi-Fi networks. These networks will be highly scalable and resilient, enjoy simplified architectures, and ability to support a greater number of users at multi-gigabit speeds. Even in very congested environments with many mobile and IoT devices, high speed communication will be possible.

Wi-Fi 6E also increases the network ability to support applications that require higher throughput, such as 8K video streaming and video conference. This first generation of Wi-Fi 6E chipsets is now available for manufacturers to begin the development of both access points and mobile devices. Aruba Networks recently introduced a 6E access point and it is likely that other manufacturers will introduce 6E models some time in 2022.

How Does Wi-Fi 6E Work?

Wi-Fi 6E provides all the features and capabilities of 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), but it does so by operating in the 6 GHz band. Wi-Fi 6 was a significant leap forward in speed, but also introduced a number of innovative technologies to improve overall network performance when connecting a large number of devices running high-bandwidth, low-latency applications.

Wi-Fi 6E networks continue to provide increased capacity by operating on the 6 GHz band with 14 additional 80 MHz channels and 7 additional 160 MHz channels. However, in addition to provide these additional bands, it will continue to offer the following Wi-Fi 6 features:

OFDMA, 8x8 uplink/downlink MU-MIMO and BSS Color to provide up to four times more capacity to handle a greater number of devices.
Target wake time (TWT) to improve network efficiency and device battery life, including all IoT devices.
1024 quadrature amplitude modulation mode (1024-QAM) to increase throughput for emerging, bandwidth-intensive uses by transmitting a larger amount of data in the same amount of spectrum.

Realizing the Benefits of Multigigabit Ethernet

With the support of an additional 1.2 GHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band, Wi-Fi 6E will drive up the access point uplink requirements and require multi-gigabit Ethernet connectivity to the access layer switching infrastructure.

In order to take full advantage of this change, other components in the network will need to be rated for similar performance. These typically include the network router and switches, both of which will need to be able to support 802.3bz (multi-gigabit Ethernet) to match these new soaring bandwidth requirements.

A BROAD SPECTRUM OF CHOICES

THE 6 GHz BAND - A MULTILANE EXPRESSWAY FOR INTERNET TRAFFIC

Wi-Fi 6E expands on the existing Wi-Fi 6 standard by offering access to a new 6 GHz band. This new standard builds on the efficiency features of Wi-Fi 6 (OFDMA, WPA3, and Target Wake Time) by extending them into the 6 GHz frequency range, a more contiguous spectrum with less interference. With Wi-Fi 6E, homes and business will be able to support new technologies that require multi-gigabit speeds such as Ultra High Definition (UHD) video, Augmented and Virtual Reality devices, and numerous gaming applications.

This new 6 GHz band significantly decreases competition for the current limited number of frequencies available to most devices. Additionally, the large contiguous blocks of spectrum provided by Wi-Fi 6E will allow for extremely high throughput and concurrent data transmission, resulting in superior immersive experiences such as video conferencing or virtual learning. y unlocking more WiFi channels for use, the 6GHz WiFi band delivers a crystal-clear signal and ultra-fast WiFi speeds that have all your devices covered

What is Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6E is the latest standard from the The Wi-Fi Alliance, a global nonprofit organization that seeks attain a single, worldwide standard for high-speed wireless local area networking. As of 2011, the alliance included 600 of the most successful, technically sophisticated corporations in the world.

While a number of manufacturers have recently introduced new wireless products based on the Wi-Fi 6 standard, the Wi-Fi Alliance has been working on establishing standards for expanded set of standards that would improve wireless performance beyond the Wi-Fi 6 certification. The latest addition is Wi-Fi 6E.

Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of Wi-Fi 6 (also known as 802.11ax), enabling the operation of features in the unlicensed 6 GHz band, in addition to the currently supported 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. This new standard will provide significant advantages in performance due to an additional 1200 MHz of spectrum available for use in the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi applications. Additionally, Wi-Fi 6E devices will operate in 14 new 80 MHz channels and 7 added 160 MHz channels. This broader spectrum will simplify network design and deliver significantly better Wi-Fi performance with higher throughput and wider channels.