The Wifi Alliance announces a shakeup of wireless networking name conventions as it announces Wifi 6-- the next generation of wifi connectivity bringing about further capacity and performance, with lower power consumption.
Wifi 6 is what what we formerly known as the 802.11ax standard. Essentially the alliance realised the current wifi naming convention only leads to user confusion, bringing the need for simpler system. Thus, Wifi 1 is the very first version of the standard, 1999's 802.11b. It was followed by 802.11a, now known as Wifi 2. Wifi 3 is 802.11g, Wifi 4 is 802.11n and Wifi 5 is the version currently in use, 2014's 802.11ac.
The alliance plans to push the branding even in software, with devices showing which version of wifi they are currently connected to. As a result users can choose the superior wifi network, since it is obvious the network with a "5" is better than the one with a "4."
As for the latest version of the wireless networking standard, Wifi 6 allows for greater efficiency and lower latency in higher demand environments via "uplink and downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access" (OFDMA). Improved medium access control (MAC) control signalling further increases capacity and throughput while reducing latency, while increased symbol durations allow for more robust outdoor network operations.
"Market needs have evolved, and new techniques are required to manage them," the Wifi Alliance says. "Wifi 6 addresses challenges revealed by the continued, expanding success of wifi in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and plays a crucial part in the quest for the increased capacity and performance required by next generation connectivity."
Go Wifi 6