i3 - July/August 2019 - 14

Tech

By Murray Slovick

A T EC H TO WATC H

he smartphone revolution has triggered an insatiable
appetite for mobile access to information. The GSM
Association estimates there are more than 8.98 billion
mobile connections worldwide, surpassing today's world population of 7.69 billion according to U.N. figures.

Many devices rely on Wi-Fi connectivity,
creating the need for a fast and secure
wireless service that provides uninterrupted experiences for users. There also
is a growing requirement to support
4K/8K video, augmented and virtual
reality (AR/VR) and IoT apps.

The Roll out of Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6 supports new applications on existing Wireless LAN (WLAN) infrastructure.
From a connectivity perspective, Wi-Fi 6
offers the best online experience yet.
Previously, the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) referred to
the latest generation Wi-Fi standard as
802.11ax. Wi-Fi 6 is part of a revised naming scheme developed by the Wi-Fi
Alliance to make it simpler for consumers
to recognize which of the IEEE 802.11
standards each Wi-Fi device supports. The
new naming system identifies Wi-Fi generations by a numerical sequence which correspond to major advancements in Wi-Fi.
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That means 802.11ax is Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ac is
now Wi-Fi 5, and 802.11n is Wi-Fi 4.
Wi-Fi devices may also depend on a
user interface icon to display a Wi-Fi signal indicator and a numerical representation of the connection. When a device
displays a signal indicator icon accompanied by the number 6, indicating a Wi-Fi
6 connection, users will know that the
device is using the latest version of Wi-Fi.

Key Capabilities of Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6 brings multi-gigabit speeds four
times as fast as previous versions, and performs well in dense environments including stadiums, concert halls and other
public venues. Top improvements include:
● Higher speed. Each new Wi-Fi standard improves speed, in this case 9.6 Gb/
sec bursts, up from 3.5 Gb/sec on Wi-Fi 5
(both theoretical maximums - not realworld Wi-Fi use). However, most Wi-Fi 6
routers deliver up to four times better performance than Wi-Fi 5 devices, improving

the user experience and the performance of
bandwidth-hungry apps such as voice,
video and collaborative activities.
● Greater range. Wi-Fi 6 is still the
access choice for indoor networks but also
will allow you to watch Netflix in your garden or Skype a friend from your garage.
● Fast response. The new Wi-Fi 6
transmission protocol with orthogonal
frequency division multiple access technology reduces latency by 60 percent
compared to Wi-Fi 5, ensuring immersive VR experiences.
● More data. Multi-user multiple input,
multiple output allows more data to be
transferred at one time, enabling access
points to handle more devices simultaneously, providing the capacity, coverage and
performance required by users. It also lets
Wi-Fi 6 devices schedule "check-ins" with
the router, keeping connections strong
as more devices are added to the network and demand increases for greater
bandwidth from streaming video, audio
and online gaming.
● Enhanced battery life. Target wake
time enables devices to determine when
and how frequently they wake up to send
or receive data, reducing the amount of
time they need to keep their antennas
powered on to transmit and search for
signals. So, Wi-Fi 6 devices can spend
more time in sleep mode, significantly
improving battery life.
● Robust high-efficiency signaling.
This improves operation at significantly
lower received signal strength indication
levels, to measure how well your device can
hear a signal from an access point or router.
Wi-Fi 6 is on a faster rollout out than
5G with migration taking place in
phases. Samsung has introduced its new
Galaxy S10 series, the world's first
smartphone platform operating on the
Wi-Fi 6 standard. Also, vendors like
ASUS, Cisco, D-Link, Huawei, Netgear
and TP-Link already have Wi-Fi 6 access
point merchandise available, showing
strong market potential.
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Photo: Daniel Grizelj/Getty Images. Icon: YuriyVlasenko/Getty Images.

Wi-Fi 6: Next-Gen Connectivity

i3 - July/August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i3 - July/August 2019