Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

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Wi-Fi 6 improves the per-stream data rate over an 80 MHz channel to 600 Mbps.

• aka 802.11ax
• uses advanced modulation and signal encoding to improve the amount of data sent per packet by 40%
• radio spectrum usage is designated as high efficiency (HE)
  • reflects the improvements in data per packet
• aim is to approximate 10G connection speeds (ax11000)
• As with Wi-Fi 5, products are branded using the combined throughput of all radios
  • E.g., AX6000 claims nominal rates of 1,148 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz radio and 4,804 Mbps over 5 GHz
• Wi-Fi 6 works in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
• Supports up to 8 clients simultaneously
• Wi-Fi 6e standard adds support for a new 6 GHz frequency band
  • 6 GHz has less range, but more frequency space, making it easier to use 80 and 160 MHz channels
• Wi-Fi 6 can support up to eight clients, giving it better performance in congested areas
  • Wi-Fi 5 supports up to four simultaneous clients over 5 GHz only
• adds support for uplink MU-MIMO
  • allows MU-MIMO-capable clients to send data to the access point simultaneously
• introduces orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) modulation scheme
  • improves simultaneous connectivity
  • allows sub-carriers or tones to be allocated in groups of different sizes
    • referred to as resource units (RUs)
    • each of which can communicate in parallel
  • where small RUs are used
    • reduces throughput, but provides more opportunities for a larger number of devices to transmit
      • effect is to reduce latency where numerous small data packets are being transmitted
  • provide better support for IoT devices
  • stations that require more bandwidth can be assigned larger RUs
  • RUs can be assigned based on class of service parameters
    • e.g., prioritizing VoIP traffic
  • allows an access point to support legacy Wi-Fi 4/5 stations efficiently
• can work alongside MU-MIMO to improve client density—sustaining high data rates when more stations are connected to the same access point