Jump to content

Wi-Fi 6 Explained: The Next Generation of Wi-Fi


The AchieVer

Recommended Posts

What Does 802.11ax Bring to the Table?

 

Wi-Fi is set to get better and faster with its upcoming major update. While plenty of routersare already available with chips using draft specifications, 802.11ax Wi-Fi won't be finalized until December 2019, ushering in a wave of updated devices touting new wireless capabilities that will contribute toward next-generation networks with more speed and less congestion.

802.11ax also known as 'high-efficiency wireless' will be commonly referred to as Wi-Fi 6.

This is a new naming standard set by the Wi-Fi Alliance, with previous generations now being known as Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). This labeling convention is expected to appear on devices as shown below.

Technically, Wi-Fi 6 will have a single-user data rate that is 37% faster than 802.11ac, but what's more significant is that the updated specification will offer four times the throughput per user in crowded environments, as well as better power efficiency which should translate to a boost in device battery life.

2018-12-24-image-2.jpg

To achieve those improvements, 802.11ax implements a variety of changes including several multi-user technologies which have been borrowed from the cellular industry – namely MU-MIMO and OFDMA – techniques that greatly improve capacity and performance by enabling more simultaneous connections and a more thorough use of spectrum.

Home users who upgrade their hardware can look forward to some improvements from these technologies, especially over time as the number of devices per household increases – some estimates suggest there will be as many as 50 nodes per home by 2022.

However, as mentioned, Wi-Fi 6 is anticipated to have a more immediate impact in areas where networks are highly congested and will ultimately aid in laying a foundation for the number of nodes expected on upcoming smart infrastructure (e.g. Internet of Things devices). Along with addressing overlapping coverage from the sheer number of devices and network deployments emerging as IoT rolls out, Wi-Fi 6 will be equipped to handle the ever-increasing demand for faster multi-user data rates.

2018-12-24-image.png

Source: Intel

Overall, Wi-Fi 6 builds on 802.11ac with more than fifty updated features, though not all of them will necessarily be included in the finalized specification.

Here's some of what Wi-Fi 6 is expected to accomplish:

  • More overall bandwidth per user for ultra-HD and virtual reality streaming
  • Support for more simultaneous streams of data with increased throughput
  • More total spectrum (2.4GHz and 5GHz, eventually bands in 1GHz and 6GHz)
  • Said spectrum split into more channels to enable more routes for communication
  • Packets contain more data and networks can handle different data streams at once
  • Improved performance (as much as 4x) at the maximum range of an access point
  • Better performance/robustness in outdoor and multi-path (cluttered) environments
  • Ability to offload wireless traffic from cellular networks where reception is poor

802.11n vs. 802.11ac vs. 802.11ax

  802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) 802.11ac Wave 2 (Wi-Fi 5) 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Released 2009 2013 2019
Bands 2.4GHz & 5GHz 5GHz

2.4GHz & 5GHz, spanning to 1GHz - 7GHz eventually

Channel Bandwidth

20MHz, 40MHz (40MHz optional)

20MHz, 40MHz80MHz, 80+80MHz & 160MHz (40MHz support made mandatory)

20MHz/40MHz @ 2.4GHz, 80MHz, 80+80MHz & 160MHz @ 5GHz

FFT Sizes

64, 128

64, 128, 256, 512

64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048

Subcarrier Spacing

312.5kHz

312.5kHz

78.125 kHz

OFDM Symbol Duration

3.6ms (short guard interval) 4ms (long guard interval)

3.2ms (0.4/0.8ms cyclic prefix)

12.8ms (0.8/1.6/3.2mscyclic prefix)

Highest Modulation

64-QAM

256-QAM

1024-QAM

Data Rates

Ranging from 54Mb/s to 600Mb/s (max of 4 spatial streams)

433Mb/s (80MHz, 1 spatial stream) 6933Mb/s (160MHz, 8 spatial stream)

600Mb/s (80MHz, 1 spatial stream) 9607.8Mb/s (160MHz, 8 spatial stream)

SU/MU-MIMO-OFDM/A

SU-MIMO-OFDM

SU-MIMO-OFDM Wave 1, MU-MIMO-OFDM Wave 2

MU-MIMO-OFDMA

Released in 2013, 802.11ac (now also known as Wi-Fi 5) was standardized in 2013 and while this specification is largely adequate for today's typical home usage, it only uses bands in the 5GHz spectrum and lacks the level of multi-user technologies that will support a growing number of devices connected at once.

As a point of reference for the changes coming in Wi-Fi 6, here is what 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) expanded on 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4):

  • Wider channels (80MHz or 160MHz versus a max of 40MHz in the 5GHz band)
  • Eight spatial streams instead of four (spatial streams illustrated)
  • 256-QAM versus 64-QAM modulation (transmits more bits per QAM symbol)
  • Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) on 802.11ac Wave 2, enabling four downlink connections at once instead of only one on Single-User MIMO (still 1x1 on uplink)

When Wi-Fi 6 is launched in full, the specification will be backward compatible with previous standards, incorporating both 2.4GHz and 5GHz along with eventually expanding that spectrum to include bands in 1GHz and 6GHz when they become available.

Perhaps more noteworthy than the inclusion of this additional spectrum are the technologies that will put this bandwidth to use. With more spectrum available, Wi-Fi 6 can split the bandwidth into narrower (more) sub-channels, creating more avenues for clients and access points to communicate along with enabling support for additional devices on any given network.

While Wi-Fi 5 can serve four users on downstream at once courtesy of MU-MIMO – a considerable improvement over the single-user MIMO on Wi-Fi 4 – today's AC wireless (Wi-Fi 5) can still only handle one user at a time on upstream. On paper, 802.11ax will increase that to eight users on both up and downlink, with the potential to deliver four simultaneous streams to a single client.

However, we've read that uplink MU-MIMO may not be supported on the first round of 802.11ax-certified hardware, and few if any current devices can benefit from four spatial streams, much less the eight supported on Wi-Fi 6, as most existing MU-MIMO-equipped smartphones and laptops only have 2x2:2 or 3x3:3 MIMO radios.

This number formatting (AxB:C) is used to demonstrate the maximum amount of transmit antennas (A), the maximum amount of receive antennas (B) and the maximum amount of spatial data streams (C) supported by a MIMO radio. While a Wi-Fi device must support MU-MIMO to directly benefit from that technology, hardware without MU-MIMO chips should indirectly benefit from the additional air time available on MU-MIMO-enabled access points.

2018-12-24-image-2.png

Wi-Fi 6 also introduces support for up and downlink "Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access" (OFDMA), a modulation scheme that is equated to a multi-user version of OFDM (the spec on 802.11ac/n), which will reduce latency, boost capacity and improve efficiency by allowing as many as 30 users at once to share a channel.

To help you visualize those technologies, instead of one clerk serving a single line of customers individually, the combination of MU-MIMO and OFDMA can be equated to having many clerks and many lines, with each clerk capable of serving multiple customers at once.

 

source

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 11
  • Views 1.4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Just now, hey said:

Yeh yeh, I reckon soon you'll be explaining Wi-Fi 7. 

 

As and when it's available , surely I will. :)

 

Regards

Link to comment
Share on other sites


What Does 802.11ax Bring to the Table?

(OP article is greyed out)

 

Wi-Fi is set to get better and faster with its upcoming major update. While plenty of routersare already available with chips using draft specifications, 802.11ax Wi-Fi won't be finalized until December 2019, ushering in a wave of updated devices touting new wireless capabilities that will contribute toward next-generation networks with more speed and less congestion.

802.11ax also known as 'high-efficiency wireless' will be commonly referred to as Wi-Fi 6.

This is a new naming standard set by the Wi-Fi Alliance, with previous generations now being known as Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). This labeling convention is expected to appear on devices as shown below.

Technically, Wi-Fi 6 will have a single-user data rate that is 37% faster than 802.11ac, but what's more significant is that the updated specification will offer four times the throughput per user in crowded environments, as well as better power efficiency which should translate to a boost in device battery life.

2018-12-24-image-2.jpg

To achieve those improvements, 802.11ax implements a variety of changes including several multi-user technologies which have been borrowed from the cellular industry – namely MU-MIMO and OFDMA – techniques that greatly improve capacity and performance by enabling more simultaneous connections and a more thorough use of spectrum.

Home users who upgrade their hardware can look forward to some improvements from these technologies, especially over time as the number of devices per household increases – some estimates suggest there will be as many as 50 nodes per home by 2022.

However, as mentioned, Wi-Fi 6 is anticipated to have a more immediate impact in areas where networks are highly congested and will ultimately aid in laying a foundation for the number of nodes expected on upcoming smart infrastructure (e.g. Internet of Things devices). Along with addressing overlapping coverage from the sheer number of devices and network deployments emerging as IoT rolls out, Wi-Fi 6 will be equipped to handle the ever-increasing demand for faster multi-user data rates.

2018-12-24-image.png

Source: Intel

Overall, Wi-Fi 6 builds on 802.11ac with more than fifty updated features, though not all of them will necessarily be included in the finalized specification.

Here's some of what Wi-Fi 6 is expected to accomplish:

  • More overall bandwidth per user for ultra-HD and virtual reality streaming
  • Support for more simultaneous streams of data with increased throughput
  • More total spectrum (2.4GHz and 5GHz, eventually bands in 1GHz and 6GHz)
  • Said spectrum split into more channels to enable more routes for communication
  • Packets contain more data and networks can handle different data streams at once
  • Improved performance (as much as 4x) at the maximum range of an access point
  • Better performance/robustness in outdoor and multi-path (cluttered) environments
  • Ability to offload wireless traffic from cellular networks where reception is poor

802.11n vs. 802.11ac vs. 802.11ax

  802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) 802.11ac Wave 2 (Wi-Fi 5) 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Released 2009 2013 2019
Bands 2.4GHz & 5GHz 5GHz

2.4GHz & 5GHz, spanning to 1GHz - 7GHz eventually

Channel Bandwidth

20MHz, 40MHz (40MHz optional)

20MHz, 40MHz80MHz, 80+80MHz & 160MHz (40MHz support made mandatory)

20MHz/40MHz @ 2.4GHz, 80MHz, 80+80MHz & 160MHz @ 5GHz

FFT Sizes

64, 128

64, 128, 256, 512

64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048

Subcarrier Spacing

312.5kHz

312.5kHz

78.125 kHz

OFDM Symbol Duration

3.6ms (short guard interval) 4ms (long guard interval)

3.2ms (0.4/0.8ms cyclic prefix)

12.8ms (0.8/1.6/3.2mscyclic prefix)

Highest Modulation

64-QAM

256-QAM

1024-QAM

Data Rates

Ranging from 54Mb/s to 600Mb/s (max of 4 spatial streams)

433Mb/s (80MHz, 1 spatial stream) 6933Mb/s (160MHz, 8 spatial stream)

600Mb/s (80MHz, 1 spatial stream) 9607.8Mb/s (160MHz, 8 spatial stream)

SU/MU-MIMO-OFDM/A

SU-MIMO-OFDM

SU-MIMO-OFDM Wave 1, MU-MIMO-OFDM Wave 2

MU-MIMO-OFDMA

Released in 2013, 802.11ac (now also known as Wi-Fi 5) was standardized in 2013 and while this specification is largely adequate for today's typical home usage, it only uses bands in the 5GHz spectrum and lacks the level of multi-user technologies that will support a growing number of devices connected at once.

As a point of reference for the changes coming in Wi-Fi 6, here is what 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) expanded on 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4):

  • Wider channels (80MHz or 160MHz versus a max of 40MHz in the 5GHz band)
  • Eight spatial streams instead of four (spatial streams illustrated)
  • 256-QAM versus 64-QAM modulation (transmits more bits per QAM symbol)
  • Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) on 802.11ac Wave 2, enabling four downlink connections at once instead of only one on Single-User MIMO (still 1x1 on uplink)

When Wi-Fi 6 is launched in full, the specification will be backward compatible with previous standards, incorporating both 2.4GHz and 5GHz along with eventually expanding that spectrum to include bands in 1GHz and 6GHz when they become available.

Perhaps more noteworthy than the inclusion of this additional spectrum are the technologies that will put this bandwidth to use. With more spectrum available, Wi-Fi 6 can split the bandwidth into narrower (more) sub-channels, creating more avenues for clients and access points to communicate along with enabling support for additional devices on any given network.

While Wi-Fi 5 can serve four users on downstream at once courtesy of MU-MIMO – a considerable improvement over the single-user MIMO on Wi-Fi 4 – today's AC wireless (Wi-Fi 5) can still only handle one user at a time on upstream. On paper, 802.11ax will increase that to eight users on both up and downlink, with the potential to deliver four simultaneous streams to a single client.

However, we've read that uplink MU-MIMO may not be supported on the first round of 802.11ax-certified hardware, and few if any current devices can benefit from four spatial streams, much less the eight supported on Wi-Fi 6, as most existing MU-MIMO-equipped smartphones and laptops only have 2x2:2 or 3x3:3 MIMO radios.

This number formatting (AxB:C) is used to demonstrate the maximum amount of transmit antennas (A), the maximum amount of receive antennas (B) and the maximum amount of spatial data streams (C) supported by a MIMO radio. While a Wi-Fi device must support MU-MIMO to directly benefit from that technology, hardware without MU-MIMO chips should indirectly benefit from the additional air time available on MU-MIMO-enabled access points.

2018-12-24-image-2.png

Wi-Fi 6 also introduces support for up and downlink "Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access" (OFDMA), a modulation scheme that is equated to a multi-user version of OFDM (the spec on 802.11ac/n), which will reduce latency, boost capacity and improve efficiency by allowing as many as 30 users at once to share a channel.

To help you visualize those technologies, instead of one clerk serving a single line of customers individually, the combination of MU-MIMO and OFDMA can be equated to having many clerks and many lines, with each clerk capable of serving multiple customers at once.

 

source

Link to comment
Share on other sites


@teodz1984

 

I have used dark gray font and that’s probably giving it a grayed out effect.

 

I appreciate your efforts to rectify the same as per your requirements.

 

Regards

Link to comment
Share on other sites


The default colour is black .

 

However,quite a few members read it in dark mode. 

 

This was the feedback which I got, hence upon their request I started using dark gray color.

 

Regards

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Bandwidth are pretty congested unless someone has allocates a chunk to the new version.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


1 hour ago, The AchieVer said:

The default colour is black .

 

However,quite a few members read it in dark mode. 

 

This was the feedback which I got, hence upon their request I started using dark gray color.

 

Regards

But it isnt good for the rest of use using the LIGHT MODE

Maybe they should be thinking of sperate palette for dark and light modes, like CSS 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


The AchieVer
5 hours ago, teodz1984 said:

But it isnt good for the rest of use using the LIGHT MODE

Maybe they should be thinking of sperate palette for dark and light modes, like CSS 

Next time the font color will be black.

 

Regards

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...