Wi-Fi 6 is the marketing term assigned to the IEEE Standard of 802.11ax HE by the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA). While not officially ratified by the IEEE until the end of 2020, 802.11ax products were first seen on the market in the middle of 2019. As the next amendment to the 802.11 standard after 802.11ac in 2013, 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) was greatly anticipated by both vendors and network operators alike. While there was much talk around the top end speed and QAM offered in this new amendment, the innovation of this latest offering lies elsewhere.
By utilizing OFDMA, 1024 QAM, and UL/DL MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi 6 networks solve the problem of more devices being able to connect to a Wi-Fi network. These devices can be traditional devices like laptops, tablets, and phones as well as new mobile devices like wearable smart devices or stationary devices related to IoT and Smart Building/Homes. By utilizing the adaptive nature of OFDMA to adjust to the needs at hand, networks will become much more efficient, which leads to a better performing network, which leads to happier end users.
