What is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)? Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, is the latest generation and standard for wireless networking that replaces the 802.11ac, or Wi-Fi 5, standard. Prior to the release of Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi standards were identified by version numbers ranging from 802.11b to 802.11ac.
Expect speeds of up to 46 Gbps with the new standard. As we kick off 2023, we've seen quite a few Wi-Fi 7 wireless routers announced which will be available later this year.
Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 6e
Now that approval has come through, Wi-Fi 6e-certified devices are free to be sold and used in Australia. There is a catch, though. While the older 2.4GHz band is slower than the newer 5GHz band, it has a greater reach: roughly 30 metres compared to the 10 metres of 5GHz.
Highlights: Wi-Fi 6 is the most recent iteration of the Wi-Fi network protocol and is a substantial upgrade over its predecessor. Wi-Fi 6 can be faster due to technologies like traffic prioritization, OFDMA, and beamforming. This new protocol is also more secure and uses new encryption technologies such as SAE.
Select the Wi-Fi network icon on the right side of the taskbar, then select Properties underneath the Wi-Fi network name. On the Wi-Fi network screen, under Properties, look at the value next to Protocol. It will say Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) if you're connected to a Wi-Fi 6 network.
Yes, you should definitely upgrade to a Wi-Fi 6 router to get the best performance from your home internet. Wi-Fi 6 is faster, can connect to more devices, and is more secure than older technologies.
If you want to take advantage of WiFi 6 speeds when it comes to internet, your best bet is an NBN Ultrafast plan. The NBN Ultrafast WiFi plans below are ranked in terms of price.
Telstra Smart Modem Gen 3 comes with Wi-Fi 6 technology, which delivers more Wi-Fi speed, on more devices, in more corners of your home. It also has advanced security and other features, making it our most powerful and intelligent home Wi-Fi modem yet.
Following are the drawbacks or disadvantages of WiFi 6 or 802.11 ax technology : ➨OFDM subcarrier spacing is narrower at 78.125 KHz. This means good phase noise oscillators and highly linear RF front ends are essential. ➨As 1024-QAM is used to achieve higher data rates, EVM specification is tight.
WiFi 6 routers are 100% backwards compatible with WiFi 5 and older WiFi devices. While you may not get to experience WiFi 6 from day one, you can make sure that your network is ready for new devices with WiFi 6 sooner than later.
The best way to know if your router has Wifi 6, is to look on the packaging for the phrase 'wifi 6', or to contact your broadband provider.
Wi-Fi 8 is the next generation of Wi-Fi and a successor to the IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) standard. In line with all previous Wi-Fi standards, Wi-Fi 8 will aim to improve wireless performance in general along with introducing new and innovative features to further advance Wi-Fi technology.
Which WiFi standard is fastest? The fastest WiFi standard currently available is WiFi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax), and it offers speeds of up to 9,608 Mbps.
Most exciting and noteworthy, WiFi 7 will be much faster than WiFi 6. For the same WiFi radio configuration, the speeds will be 2.4x faster. So, maximum speeds with a typical mobile phone with WiFi 7 can reach up to 5Gbps.
Some WiFi client devices might experience trouble connecting to the 6 GHz band due to previously configured and saved network settings. If your device can't detect or connect to the 6 GHz band, try resetting its network settings to the factory defaults, and then reconnect to your WiFi network.
Wi-Fi 6 supports 1024-QAM, which itself is already impressive. However, Wi-Fi 7 will have four times that, or 4096-QAM. Greater QAM means better performance for the same channel width. As a result, Wi-Fi 7 will have a much higher speed and efficiency than previous standards when working with supported clients.
The latest version of this technology is Wi-Fi 6, also referred to as 802.11ax.
With WiFi 5, MU-MIMO enables routers to connect with a maximum of four devices simultaneously. With WiFi 6, this number increases to a maximum of eight devices.
Our verdict: Upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 when you can
You get real-world speeds above 1,000Mbps in some cases, better multi-device support, better security, and better battery longevity. If you want the fastest Wi-Fi speeds to date, option for Wi-Fi 6E instead.
Ideally, you should use the 2.4GHz band to connect devices for low bandwidth activities like browsing the Internet. On the other hand, 5GHz is the best suited for high-bandwidth devices or activities like gaming and streaming HDTV.