With the advent of WiFi, the internet has become a daily tool that we all use at home, at work, in coffee shops, and even on public transport. Providers of Wifi are always trying to make connections better and faster, with WiFi 6 major advancements have been made to reliability and a more stable connection.
The router is one of the most important aspects of connecting to WiFi, more than ever connections especially in public places are becoming slower and slower due to the sheer number of people using the service. WiFi 6 is the new generation router and can handle the extra traffic. WiFi 6 also known as 802.11ax offers many advantages of the WiFi 5 and should be considered for home or business which depend on a fast and quality connection. Here are just some of the reasons why you might consider upgrading your router.
Why you Should Consider Upgrading to WiFi 6
In September 2019 the WiFi Alliance began to certify devices and we are now seeing the effects, router prices have begun to fall. With the new certification, they have become a lot cheaper and accessible to more and more people. Whilst the new technology has become cheaper it may still be worth waiting and using your WiFi 5 router if you do have a good connection at the moment it may be something that you can wait to upgrade.
That being said it is inevitable that you will upgrade eventually and with the prices being at an all-time low for WiFi 6 and the manufacturers most likely not going to lower the prices of their equipment too much further, now could be a good time to invest. With the difference in speed and reliability, there is not really too much point in waiting to upgrade.
The Advantages to Small Business
With the release of WiFi 6 business can gain many advantages over their competitors still using WiFi 5, here are some of the benefits:
- The ability to handle multiple devices
- Much improved speed
- Latency
- An increase in security
The WiFi router is undoubtedly one of the most integral parts of equipment in the modern office. Without it maintaining contact with customers and clients can not be maintained. Communication between colleagues would also be very difficult. Often overlooked by office management the WiFi in a place of work is integral to the smooth running of a business.
Security is paramount to any business and WiFi has taken it to the next level, especially when your employees are out of the office it is comforting to know that you and the person you are exchanging data with are using the most secure WiFi available.
A Closer Look at the Benefits of Upgrading
Speed is what we all want from our WiFi and Wifi 6 does not disappoint. Working with cloud technology has become essential for home and business users alike and anything that can help to keep hackers and cybercriminals at bay is an essential tool that we should all be using. Since WiFi 5 was introduced about 5 years ago the need for a security update has been long overdue and WiFi 6 is instrumental in improving the speed and security of our connection.
Improving Speed
With a near 40% increase in speed WiFi 6 is just the thing to help you improve the issues you may have with speed, two main factors are improved:
- Carrying more data packets, this is the equivalent of buying a larger delivery truck.
- By increasing the bandwidth you can increase the traffic on your network 3 fold.
Handling More Devices
In today’s world, it is not just the humble computer at your work station or resting on your lap in the home, we now enjoy a plethora of ways to access the internet, smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches have become normal for everyday use. By using WiFi 6 your connection is secure and the sending of data does not rely on other users, simultaneous uploading and downloading is not affected, rather than having to wait for other users to finish.
Battery Life of Your Device
A great improvement with WiFi 6 is the extended battery life of your devices. As we know being connected to WiFi is a major drain on our WiFi, with the new technology being introduced this is less of a concern, even when not using our phones or computers the WiFi is still connected and will continue to drain the battery. With WiFi 6 routers taking much less of our battery life it is much more economical.
The Range of Your Signal
With offices and homes getting bigger the range of your router is being put under pressure and can affect the signal that you receive, potentially not receiving a signal at all. WiFi 6 has a range of more than 50% than conventional WiFi 5. This allows you to roan free about your business or dwelling with an uninterrupted signal when working or looking at your favorite streaming content.
The Advantages to Your Business
The advantages for home users of WiFi 6 over the previous versions are obvious, creating faster download and streaming speed. But, for small or large businesses having cutting edge technology over your rivals is key to success. With faster connections productivity can be increased dramatically, security is improved, and viewing media seamless.
Searching the internet will be greatly improved, no more waiting for internet searches or uploading videos and media to YouTube to promote your business, with WiFi 6 it will be a much, much quicker process. Conference calls will be made much more secure and faster driving innovation within the business and help to reach a global client base.
Just how Much Faster is WiFi 6?
We are constantly looking for faster WiFi, with our ever-increasing demand for speed and reliability of the connection we use, consuming more bandwidth than ever due to the ever-expanding collection of devices in our homes and offices. With WiFi 6 you can enjoy speeds of 9.6 Gbps compared to 3.5 Gbps on WiFi 5 networks, an impressive upgrade. This speed can be used and split up amongst anybody using your router.
Just a few years ago the number of devices usually connected to a router was on average 5 per household but this number is dramatically increasing, now estimated at 9 connected devices and that figure will dramatically increase as more and more of us are using smartwatches, tablets, Pc’s and smartphones. The need to have a modern network equipped to handle all these devices is essential to maintaining a solid and fast connection to your WiFi.
How do you Upgrade to WiFi 6?
Many of the devices bought recently will be able to use WiFi 6 unfortunately many of our older devices will not be compatible with the new technology. As you upgrade your devices most will be WiFi 6 ready. It is worth checking and not worth running out to buy a new mobile device just yet as the places you enjoy using WiFi will still not have changed from their old router. But, it is something to consider when looking to buy a new device such as tablets, laptops, PCs, home entertainment systems, and smartphones. It’s the same as 5G, it will take time for the new technology to become mainstream.
With your router, it makes no difference in a home or business environment how advanced the device you are using if the router can not support the WiFi 6 network and its new technology. Ask your local tech center for advice on this and they will be happy to advise you on the best router and device technology that is most appropriate for you.
WiFi 6 is Capable of Extending Your Battery Life
With the improved speeds, the battery life is extended significantly for your various devices. By using a feature called Target Wake Time the use is limited to when you actually need to use WiFi, although with computers or laptops that need a constant connection unless they are in sleep or hibernate mode you won’t see much of a difference.
The Availability of WiFi 6
The new routers are already for sale but the devices to use the new tech are slowly being developed and trickled out to consumers. High-end phones have been the first to introduce this new technology with Qualcomm leading the field with its Snapdragon 855 chip leading the field.
As the manufacturers start to produce more and more WifI 6 compatible products the price will continue to drop and make the new more secure and speeder devices available to us all.
Summary
WiFi 6 is the future of WiFi and whilst it may take some time to roll out across the board it is something to consider investing in, whether in a home or business environment the advantages of the security and speed offered make it a worthwhile investment. Certainly, the next time you consider upgrading your router or mobile devices you should ask about WiFi 6.