Demystifying Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E Networks

For many of us, Wi-Fi simply feels like magic – we connect our devices, and data flows out of thin air! But under the hood, wireless technology continues advancing at a rapid pace. The latest Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E standards promise faster speeds, lower latency, and expanded capacity.

But what do these upgrades really mean for your home network? How exactly is your Wi-Fi getting better? This guide will demystify the key differences between Wi-Fi generations so you can decide when to upgrade.

Let‘s first cover some Wi-Fi basics. Your wireless network relies on routers and devices equipped with radio transmitters. They broadcast data across different radio frequency bands, like the commonly used 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums. Newer standards like Wi-Fi 6 aim to transmit more data, to more devices simultaneously over these airwaves.

The Evolution of Wi-Fi Standards

Human behavior is driving rapid Wi-Fi innovation. Our homes now bursting with bandwidth-hungry devices, from 4K smart TVs to video doorbells to tablets and laptops for work and school. Keeping everything connected smoothly requires better underlying technology.

Here’s a brief history of key wireless standards and their improvements over generations:

802.11b – Debuted in 1999 operating on 2.4GHz frequencies. Delivered maximum speeds of 11 Mbps. Could only transmit to one device at a time per router.
802.11g – Launched in 2003, boosted 2.4GHz network rates to 54 Mbps. Introduced Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) to better handle multiple signals.
802.11n – Ratified in 2009, pushed the maximum link rate to 600 Mbps. Leveraged multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna arrays to transmit/receive multiple spatial streams simultaneously.
802.11ac – Came in 2014, crossed into multi-gigabit maximum throughput, reaching nearly 7 Gbps. Operated only on the 5GHz band for less interference and used even wider channels up to 160 MHz.
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) – Arrived in 2019 with a focus on efficiently handling many devices at once rather than just chasing faster raw speeds. Key innovations include OFDMA and uplink/downlink MU-MIMO.
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E) – Approved in 2020, Wi-Fi 6E extends all the capabilities of Wi-Fi 6 into the new 6GHz band. This provides up to 7 additional 160 MHz-wide channels and 1,200 MHz of spectrum to work with.

The evolution has not only been about hitting higher peak speeds but more importantly, finding ways to effectively serve many devices simultaneously. That brings us to the current Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E standards.

Comparing Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E Capabilities

You‘ll often see Wi-Fi 6E referred to as an "enhanced" version of Wi-Fi 6 since they share similar core technologies. However, 6E‘s access to the wide-open 6GHz spectrum allows some key advantages. Let‘s dig into the technical differences:

Capability	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi 6E	Advantage?
Frequency Bands	2.4GHz, 5GHz	2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
Max Speed	9.6 Gbps	9.6 Gbps	Tie
Max Channel Width	160 MHz	160 MHz	Tie
Channels	18 (11 on 2.4GHz + 7 on 5GHz)	32 (11 on 2.4GHz + 7 on 5GHz + 14 on 6GHz)
Key Features	OFDMA, TWT, BSS Coloring	All Wi-Fi 6 features + 6GHz spectrum
Security	WPA3	WPA3	Tie
Backward Compatibility	802.11a/b/g/n/ac	802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax	Tie

Key Takeaways

Wi-Fi 6E retains all of Wi-Fi 6‘s technology like OFDMA, MU-MIMO, and WPA3 security.
Wi-Fi 6 maxes out at 18 channels across 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Wi-Fi 6E adds 14 more channels with 6GHz.
More available channels prevent interference and congestion as devices proliferate.

Now let‘s explore some areas where the standards differ in real-world impact…

Speeds and Throughput

On paper, both Wi-Fi 6 and 6E theoretically support maximum speeds up to 9.6 Gbps. However, practical speeds vary:

In clean, uncongested environments, Wi-Fi 6 can deliver multi-gigabit speeds reliably, with typical throughput rates around 2-4 Gbps today.
With its extra capacity, tests show Wi-Fi 6E offers up to 2x higher throughput compared to Wi-Fi 6 when many devices connect – especially for nearby devices.
In a comprehensive analysis by SmallNetBuilder, a Wi-Fi 6E network sustained 963 Mbps two floors away from the router, whereas Wi-Fi 6 plummeted to 62 Mbps at the same range when overloaded.
Of course, your internet plan‘s maximum bandwidth caps performance. And speeds vary hugely based on physical layouts, router model, client devices, interference and more.

The bottom line – both deliver multi-gigabit Realwireless speeds today, but Wi-Fi 6E provides more headroom for future high-bandwidth applications.

Range and Coverage Area

Since higher frequencies typically can‘t penetrate objects as well, Wi-Fi 6E faces skepticism about range. But early testing reveals some intriguing advantages over Wi-Fi 6:

Wi-Fi 6 relies on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. 2.4GHz provides longer range given better material penetration and diffraction, but offers slower data rates.
In multiple early field tests by networks vendors, Wi-Fi 6E matched or exceeded the range of Wi-Fi 6 for given data rates. Researchers believe improved reflection and scattering properties of 6GHz signals account for this.
Of course, both still suffer performance degradation through walls. For whole home coverage, a wireless mesh system with multiple access points works better than trying to increase range through a single router.

While surprising early results, just know that performance can drop if long distances or multiple obstructions separate your router and devices. Strategic access point placement mitigates this.

Latency

Latency represents the time it takes data to traverse the network from initiation to completion. This impacts the perceived responsiveness of applications, especially time-sensitive ones like video conferencing and online gaming.

Wi-Fi 6 latency can be up to 30% better than Wi-Fi 5 in crowded environments thanks to more efficient data transmissions.
Wi-Fi 6E bests Wi-Fi 6 latency by a few milliseconds since data moves quicker with less airtime contention. We‘re talking single digit differences.
For reference, competitive online multiplayer games often require pings and jitter under 10-15 ms for smooth, responsive play. Both Wi-Fi 6 and 6E easily achieve this, with 6E holding a slight edge.

Unless you play esports or need millisecond precision, Wi-Fi 6 latency is likely fast enough today for Zoom calls, Netflix streaming, and mainstream gaming. But Wi-Fi 6E offers a bit more future-proofing.

     Wi-Fi Generations Latency Comparison 
               (lower is better)
Generation..... Average Latency   
802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)    35 ms
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).....25 ms  
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E)....20 ms

Device Support

Here lies the biggest current limitation of Wi-Fi 6E – device compatibility remains scarce today:

Wi-Fi 6 adoption is accelerating quickly. Major operating systems integrated support back in 2019, and many new smartphones, laptops, routers, switches and IoT devices launched Wi-Fi 6-enabled.
As of late 2022, few client devices can utilize Wi-Fi 6E yet. A handful of high-end 2022 Samsung phones support it. Apple hasn‘t adopted it yet but likely will soon. Few laptops integrate it currently.
More routers now offer Wi-Fi 6E – including mesh systems from eero, Orbi, ASUS. But upgrading your router alone doesn‘t help unless your devices also get upgraded.

Industry workgroups forecast over 2 billion Wi-Fi 6 devices shipping by 2022. Unless you intend to buy the latest 2023 phones and laptops, Wi-Fi 6 suffices for most homes and offices short term. We expect 6E client adoption to gain significant momentum by 2024 however.

Where Do Wi-Fi 6 and 6E Help Most?

Now that we‘ve broken down the key technical differences, where do these latest wireless standards have the biggest real-world impact?

Wi-Fi 6 Use Cases

❖ Smart homes with 50+ IoT devices
❖ Busy offices with lots of employees  
❖ Public venues like hotels and stadiums

Thanks to more efficient transmission protocols, Wi-Fi 6 excels in dense environments flooded with devices competing for bandwidth. You‘ll see up to 4X more capacity compared to Wi-Fi 5. Smart lighting, thermostats, doorbells and appliances stay connected smoothly.

Wi-Fi 6E Use Cases 

❖ Augmented reality 
❖ Virtual reality
❖ Competitive gaming  
❖ 8K video streaming
❖ Smart cities

Wi-Fi 6E truly shines for next-generation experiences needing massive throughput, low latency, and ultra reliable connections.

Augmented reality overlays digital information onto the physical world. Achieving seamless integration requires each eye receiving a 100-500 Mbps video feed with 5-10 millisecond latency. Wi-Fi 6E can reliably deliver, where prior standards struggle.

Online gaming tournaments demand 7-15 ms ping rates and minimal jitter to stay competitive. Wi-Fi 6E‘s consistent low-latency operation keeps gameplay smooth even when your smart home devices churn background bandwidth.

And buttery smooth 8K streaming eats up over 50 Mbps. Wi-Fi 6E has the capacity to stop buffering and artifacts even when your household connects phones, tablets and laptops concurrently.

While Wi-Fi 6 should handle most modern needs, Wi-Fi 6E better future-proofs your home or office as next generation use cases go mainstream.

When Should You Upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 or 6E?

With this breakdown in hand, here is my guidance given your situation:

Already own a Wi-Fi 6 router?

Stick with it! Wi-Fi 6 delivers excellent performance for phones, laptops, media streaming and smart homes today.

Have an older Wi-Fi 5 router?

Now‘s a good time to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6. You‘ll notice faster speeds, expanded capacity and improved coverage.

Shopping for a new router and want future-proof performance?

Splurge for a Wi-Fi 6E router. But first check if your devices support Wi-Fi 6E to take advantage sooner.

Need low-latency for competitive gaming or VR today?

Wi-Fi 6E is the way to go for smoothest performance when it counts. It shines for leading-edge use cases.

I hope unraveling the magic behind Wi-Fi 6 and 6E helps you decide on the right technology upgrade cadence for your connected household or workplace! Let me know if any other questions come up.