The 6 GHz band and other features of the new standard


When Wi-Fi 6 with OFDMA technology first appeared on the horizon, the network fell in love with comparisons with the road. Like Wi-Fi 5 was a narrow rural road that only one horse could drive at a time, and Wi-Fi 6 became a full-fledged two-way city avenue. To continue this analogy, the new Wi-Fi 6E will be an eight-lane highway. And all because it will be able to operate in the 6 GHz band in addition to the current 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

Initially, most simple Wi-Fi 4 routers could only communicate with one device at a time at 2.4 Hz. For a while this was no problem. But the more laptops, smartphones, tablets and TVs became in every apartment, house and office, the more the communication quality fell. After all, in fact, the router exchanged data with each of them in turn. Network equipment manufacturers tried to solve the problem with the fifth version of Wi-Fi with dual-band receivers, directional antennas, support for MU-MIMO and other things. However, these crutches worked only for the time being, since the needs of mankind for the speed of data exchange are growing much faster.


With this feature, Wi-Fi 6E can take full advantage of the extra 1200 MHz of spectrum, offering much higher throughput in locations with many active connections. Wi-Fi 6E devices will use 14 additional 80MHz channels and 7 additional 160MHz channels. This wider spectrum simplifies network design and maximizes Wi-Fi performance with higher bandwidth and wider channels. This eliminates the need to support legacy devices, resulting in less network congestion.

Features of the Wi-Fi 6E standard

  • Dedicated frequency 6 GHz.
  • A mesh of 64 uplinks and downlinks with the ability to use MU-MIMO, OFDMA, etc. Thanks to this, the number of devices with which Wi-Fi 6E can effectively interact will grow by 4 times.
  • 1024-QAM modulations provide extended network coverage and increased channel capacity up to 9.6 Gbps.
  • The Target Wake Time function will allow the router to gently disconnect idle devices from the general stream and also silently include them in the general stream.
  • The BSS Coloring feature marks neighboring networks and causes the router to ignore them, separating connected devices into “own” and “foreign”.

So what is good about 6 GHz and what is its advantage? To simplify, the higher the frequency, the more data can be transmitted with a lower latency. If you are nearby, for example, with a router, then it will be possible to transmit and receive huge amounts of data with minimal delay and in minimal time. Who will benefit from this? Definitely all gamers and streamers for whom a high-quality and stable signal is critical, so you often have to fork out for such routers. WiFi 6E can be useful for companies that work heavily with streaming video or often use video conferencing.

Wi-Fi routers supporting Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

There are also disadvantages


And although Wi-Fi 6E has excellent prospects for further development, the new standard is not for everyone and not always. Despite the long-established interference mechanisms that were used in previous versions of WiFi, the new standard provides a slightly lower throughput and communication range compared to Wi-Fi 5. Therefore, it is not the best option for spacious offices and workspaces.

A much more serious problem is that the 6 GHz band is used for its own purpose in many countries. In some countries, including Russia, this frequency is occupied by fixed radio communications and radio relay lines. Others, including the US, Britain, the UAE, South Korea and many EU countries have already given the green light to "clear the line." In some countries, they are looking for a solution that will suit both ours and yours. For example, the frequency of 6 GHz can only be used at home, and in a large area of a conditional plant this will be prohibited by law.

What technique does the new protocol support?


In order to use a Wi-Fi 6E network, you must have a Wi-Fi router that supports the appropriate standard, as well as a smartphone, laptop or computer with a 6 GHz communication module. Despite the fact that the Wi-Fi 6E standard was announced at the beginning of 2021, there are still few routers, smartphones, laptops and other equipment with its support on sale.

All the new products are currently visiting technology exhibitions, but you shouldn’t worry about it, because according to experts’ forecasts, they will flood into the market in the next year or two. First of all, this concerns smartphones and routers, secondly, PCs, laptops, smart TVs and virtual reality systems.

Since the new standard is actually an add-on to Wi-Fi 6, new devices with 6E support will use two communication modules instead of one - one for Wi-Fi 6 and the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, the second for Wi-Fi 6E and 6 GHz. Naturally, devices with two modules will remain compatible with previous communication standards, otherwise they would be closed to the mass market.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra turned out to be one of the first smartphones in the world of smartphones with Wi-Fi 6E. Then Xiaomi quickly stepped onto the scene with its Mi 11 Ultra, Google Pixel 6 and a whole scattering of gaming smartphones from Asus. As for routers, the gaming Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, capable of providing speeds up to 4800 Mbps in the 5 or 6 GHz band, can become the first sign with support for the new standard.