A new step in the evolution of Wi-Fi generations is happening this week. The Verge reports that the Wi-Fi alliance, which is the group charged with overseeing US Wi-Fi standards, is launching Wi-Fi 6, an infrastructure update that will offer reported speeds of up to 9.6 GB per second.
It’s important to note that the Wi-Fi 6 program doesn’t mean that household Internet speeds will suddenly be near 10 GB per second – due to various factors, some inherent latency exists.
However, in addition to creating faster speeds, Wi-Fi 6 helps to deal with multiple devices, which is key in a consumer environment where more households are connecting more pieces to their local networks.
The new standard will also bring benefits in terms of cybersecurity.
“Last year, Wi-Fi started getting its biggest security update in a decade, with a new security protocol called WPA3,” wrote Jacob Kastrenakes at The Verge this past February. “WPA3 makes it harder for hackers to crack passwords by constantly guessing them, and it makes some data less useful even if hackers manage to obtain it. … Current devices and routers can support WPA3, but it’s optional. For a Wi-Fi 6 device to receive certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance, WPA3 is required, so most Wi-Fi 6 devices are likely to include the stronger security once the certification program launches.”
All in all, Wi-Fi 6 promises to be a significant boost to many local area networks, but it’s important to understand where this term came from.
In the old days, a standard called 802.11 represented the lingua franca of Wi-Fi standard development. However, that designation with letter suffixes was seen to be too confusing for consumers, so the Wi-Fi alliance which to whole numbers. Yesterday’s network ran on Wi-Fi five – now we’re getting the boost to 6.
New devices will include the Wi-fi 6 standard, so look for them as you upgrade.
