In Wi-Fi 6, MU-MIMO and OFDMA mechanisms form a unity of complementation. Both focus on improving the efficiency of Wi-Fi networks and reducing latency for time-sensitive applications. MU-MIMO and OFDMA have their advantages and applications respectively: OFDMA is ideal for low-bandwidth, small-packet applications such as IoT sensors, whereas MU-MIMO increases capacity and efficiency in high-bandwidth applications like mission-critical voice calls or video streaming.
Minimize Potential Conflicts With BSS Color Technology
BSS color, also known as BSS coloring, is a mechanism that intelligently color-codes the shared frequencies with a number. Basic Service Set (BSS) refers to a set of wireless clients associated with the same access point. BSS color adopted in 802.11ax will help to remedy the inefficient reuse of channels. It inserts an identity in a transmitted Wi-Fi signal. Once the receiving devices detect this "colored" signal, the following info will be known: which BSS is sending it, the strength of its signal, and a new logic sequence will be created to optimize the process of deciding when to transmit it and when not.
Legacy high-density Wi-Fi deployments are typical with multiple access points assigned to the same transmission channels due to a limited amount of spectrum, resulting in network congestion and slowdowns. With BBS coloring, a spatial reuse technique, Wi-Fi 6 will improve system-level performance as well as optimize the efficient reuse of spectrum in densely populated areas. Co-channel interferences will effectively be diminished, especially fit for dense deployment scenarios.
Reduce Power Consumption With TWT Technology
Target Wake Time (TWT) allows devices to negotiate when and how often they will wake up to send or receive data, increasing the sleep time, and substantially improving battery life for devices. Introducing this new technology in Wi-Fi 6, devices will be planned out communications with a router, reducing the amount of time they need to keep their antennas powered on to transmit and search for signals. That is to say, the devices remain inactive until it's their turn to transmit data using a scheduling scheme negotiated with the APs. It's like parking a vehicle in the cell phone waiting area, rather than circling the airport for arrivals. Wi-Fi 6 Target Wake Time featuring less congestion and energy savings will create better experiences for the users.
Safer Network Environment
Wi-Fi makes a huge breakthrough for the security update with a new security protocol called WPA3. Resolving the previous issues left by the WPA2, WPA3 replaces cryptographic protocols susceptible to off-line analysis with protocols that require interaction with the infrastructure for each guessed password, so that the infrastructure may place temporal limits on the number of guesses. The WPA3 technology makes it harder for hackers to crack passwords by constantly guessing them, and it makes some data "less useful" even if hackers manage to obtain it. Some devices and routers can support WPA3 with an optional choice. However, for Wi-Fi 6 devices, this WPA3 technology is required to ensure stronger security.
A New Comer: Wi-Fi 6 Is Just Getting Started
How will Wi-Fi 6 work? Can I deploy Wi-Fi 6 now? What about my current devices? Take your time. View the three prerequisites in the beginning:
A Wi-Fi 6 Router: If your router doesn't support Wi-Fi 6, you won't enjoy its benefits no matter how many Wi-Fi 6 devices you bring home.
Wi-Fi 6-supported Devices: Wi-Fi generations rely on new hardware, not just software updates, so you'll need new phones, laptops, and such devices to get wireless connectivity.
Required Bandwidth: Normally speaking, Wi-Fi will exert its actual strength with the bandwidth above Gigabit-level.
After clarifying the abovementioned factors, another question may arise: Do I really need Wi-Fi 6? Upgrading to the new Wi-Fi 6 standard is truly nice and catches up with the trend certainly, but obviously not everyone needs it.
If you have or plan to purchase Wi-Fi 6 terminal devices like phones, laptops, and some other smart home device, or you just have a large number of devices in your household, then a Wi-Fi 6 router might be the optimal Wi-Fi router for you. Wi-Fi 6 may be worthy to invest in these situations since it's suitable for those who possess multiple Wi-Fi 6-supported devices and demand for speedy and stable networks.
If your network speed is far behind 1 Gbps, then shifting to Wi-Fi 6 is relatively meaningless. Or if hundreds of connected devices are involved, like in a shopping mall or in some public areas, Wi-Fi 6 will only play out its advantages on the condition that all the devices support Wi-Fi 6. With routers only support Wi-Fi 4 now, updating to Wi-Fi 5 first and waiting for Wi-Fi 6's popularization may be a wise decision.
