Everything You Need To Know About Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6 is coming, and promises big things for our wireless networks. Here’s what to expect.

- Matt Hanson

Wi-Fi 6 is probably the most exciting thing to happen to your wireless network in 2019. Now it’s launched, you’ll start to hear the term increasingly bandied about by router makers and ISPs. But what exactly is Wi-Fi 6, and how can it benefit you? Here, we take a close look at what Wi-Fi 6 promises and explain the impact it can have on home networks. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about the standard, including how to upgrade your network to get the most out of the new tech.

You may have already come across Wi-Fi 6’s previous name: 802.11ax. Thankfully, the Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit organisation that ensures Wi-Fi products meet certain standards, acknowledged that the former naming conventions were far too convoluted. As Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance, explains:

“For nearly two decades, Wi-Fi users have had to sort through technical naming conventions to determine if their devices support the latest Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi Alliance is excited to introduce Wi-Fi 6, and present a new naming scheme to help industry and Wi-Fi users easily understand the Wi-Fi generation supported by their device or connection.”

“Wi-Fi 6” is certainly going to be a lot easier to remember than “802.11ax,” which supersedes 802.11ac (now known as Wi-Fi 5). It brings the naming convention more in line with 3G, 4G, and 5G. Going from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 is a clear upgrade – whereas it’s not clear whether 802.11ax is newer or older than 802.11ac.

If your current router is only a few years old, it’s likely to be a Wi-Fi 5 model. While Wi-Fi 6 is backward compatible with older devices, you’ll need a Wi-Fi 6 router to benefit from the full potential of the new technology.