For a few years, Wi-Fi 6 was hyped as the solution to wireless networks that had become overcrowded with smartphones, computers and countless smart home devices that all required their bandwidth. In 2020 we finally saw a massive influx of Wi-Fi 6 devices, just in time for the arrival of a new protocol, Wi-Fi 6E, which companies like Netgear are already embracing as a massive improvement in congested wireless networks.
Wi-Fi 6 (also known as Wi-Fi 802.11ax for those who refuse to leave the old naming scheme) improved Wi-Fi 820.11n’s dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band technology by increasing the bandwidth on each channel for more devices at the same time with less interference, which increases wireless transfer rates. Wi-Fi 6 was a big improvement for wireless network technology, but at the same time it was also a kind of patch for older technologies that were quickly overwhelmed by the number of wireless devices we use regularly and their demand for more and more bandwidth.
If 2.4 GHz was the paved suburban road that led to your home, while 5 GHz was the main two-lane thoroughfare that takes you downtown, Wi-Fi 6E introduces a new 6 GHz band that is the equivalent of a huge multi-lane highway that has many devices to operate at maximum speed simultaneously. The top speeds it will theoretically allow will be similar to what the 5 GHz band offers, but the real advantage of the 6 GHz band is that it offers 59 non-overlapping channels (compared to 25 non-overlapping channels on the 5 GHz band, and only three channels on the 2.4 GHz band), which will drastically reduce the interference that is a major contributor to slower bandwidth speeds on a busy network.
The 6 GHz band spans 1,200 MHz, allowing Wi-Fi 6E compatible devices to simultaneously access multiple 160 MHz high-bandwidth channels, which will be much appreciated by anyone jumping on the 8K TV bandwagon. Most importantly, although older Wi-Fi protocols were backward compatible, no older devices can use the new 6 GHz band, only new ones that support it. Using the highway analogy again, your devices won’t get stuck behind a decades-old device that can’t meet the speed limit.
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It seemed like it took a few years Wi-Fi 6 became an industry buzzword until the time when consumers could actually get their hands on Wi-Fi 6 compatible hardware, but Wi-Fi 6E looks like it will enjoy a much faster rollout. One of the first Wi-Fi 6E wireless routers is Netgear’s new Nighthawk RAXE500 arriving later this year. Powered by a quad-core 1.8 GHz processor, the router can deliver multiple gigabit-speed wireless connections to devices using the Wi-Fi 6E 160 MHz channels, plus fast wired connections with five additional gigabit LAN ports (including one multi-gigabit 2.5G port) and a pair of USB 3.0 ports
As with any new technology, there are some good reasons not to run out and buy a Wi-Fi 6E router just yet. The first reason is the price. The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 will retail for $ 600 at launch, whatever your well-equipped Wi-Fi 6 mesh network system with at least three nodes spread around your home. The second reason is that there are very few devices that can actually connect to a Wi-Fi 6E network. Only in recent months have companies like Intel, Broadcom and Samsung released (or submitted for FCC approval) devices that can take advantage of Wi-Fi 6E speeds. Your new iPhone 12 Pro? No. Any gadgets you found under the tree for Christmas? Sorry. It will be some time before consumers can actually reap the benefits of Wi-Fi 6E. So for now, your best plan is to stick around as long as possible until 6E routers like the new Nighthawk start to drop in price.