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We already covered how Wi-Fi 6 is making waves in the IT industries, along with the highly anticipated 5G technology. But just like any advancement, Wi-Fi is also seeing another evolution – Wi-Fi 6E.

Wi-Fi 6 is the latest generation of Wi-Fi. Its certification began towards the end of 2019, and now in 2020 there are routers and compatible devices that have already been deployed around the world. Wi-Fi 6 brings significant performance improvements compared to previous Wi-Fi generations. It is up to 40% faster than Wi-Fi 5, and supports four-times higher network bandwidth and user concurrency compared to Wi-Fi 5. It also performs better in dense or congested environments, able to increase network efficiency by more than four times, and extends the battery life of devices.

So, what exactly is Wi-Fi 6E?

Well, Wi-Fi 6 operates between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies.  However, this April, the Federal Communications Commission has approved the unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi, which results in the creation of Wi-Fi 6E.

What is the difference between Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 6, which itself was released for public use not too long ago?

Wi-Fi 6E will be able to provide even better performance than the existing Wi-Fi 6, as it will operate on the higher 6 GHz band spectrum. Although a higher bandwidth means a shorter distance covered, Wi-Fi 6E will be greatly beneficial for spaces like offices, arenas and public transportations, as more bandwidth will be available for its numerous users.

The question now is – can you already use Wi-Fi 6E for your operations? Probably yes, but not this year, as deployment is still ongoing, and production of compatible devices is still in development. Nevertheless, whether it takes off or not depends on the level of adoption from various tech industries.

But if it does indeed become mainstream, you can only benefit from the 6 GHz band using Wi-Fi 6E-enabled user devices and a Wi-Fi 6E-enabled access point – although Wi-Fi 6E will be backwards compatible with other existing Wi-Fi standards.

We’ll have to wait and see whether companies will rally behind Wi-Fi 6E over the next year or so. For now, you’ll have to make do with the still shiny Wi-Fi 6 enabled devices that have started to emerge in the market.

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