Wi fi 6 support

One of the latest additions to the router market with support for Wi-Fi 6, repeating the Archer AX6000 model from the same line for most of its parameters and features. TP-Link Archer AX11000 router features the ability to simultaneously use 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands with a total bandwidth of 10.8 Gbps.

Russians were allowed to use the latest high-speed Wi-Fi. It took two years.

The ban on using the standard of Wi-Fi 6E networks was lifted in Russia. Now it is possible to build them in the houses and offices. Wi-Fi 6E works in the 5.9-6.4 GHz band, as a result it was blocked for two years in Russia, because these frequencies are occupied by fixed radio communications and radio relay lines. There are no routers with Wi-Fi 6E support in Russian retail yet.

The State Commission for Radio Frequencies (GKRCh) has officially allowed the development of Wi-Fi networks in Russia under the Wi-Fi 6E standard, according to Kommersant. This standard implies the use of a new frequency range for the deployment of networks, and previously for several days its operation on the territory of Russia was strictly prohibited.

For the first time, it became known in early December 2022 that the Russians can still be allowed to use the modern standard of wireless networks. However, the probability of prolongation of the ban was quite high, as the frequency range, namely, 5.9-6.4 GHz, in Russia is occupied by fixed radio communications and radio relay lines.

Nevertheless, at a meeting of the SCRF, held on December 23, 2022, an approval was issued. Now the standard Wi-Fi 6E will begin to spread throughout Russia. However, this time it was not without restrictions at all.

Internet in concrete boxes

The Wi-Fi 6E standard was introduced worldwide back at the very beginning of 2021. Thus, it has only reached Russia almost two years later, when the whole world is already on the threshold of an even more advanced and perfect Wi-Fi 7.

Wi-Fi 6E can only be used to build wireless communications networks indoors. The rule applies to homes (private and apartment buildings) as well as offices.

It's still unclear whether the appearance of Wi-Fi 6E networks in shopping malls would constitute a violation. On the one hand, it's definitely not residential or exactly office space, but on the other hand, it's still a building.

Certainly it is not worth waiting for Wi-Fi 6E networks in Russia. At least not for the foreseeable future.

What is it?

In brief, WiFi 6E is the latest wireless network standard from the WiFi Alliance. Calling it a new generation is hardly possible, because it is still an improved version of Wi-Fi 6, which is called an extension of the standard. Additionally, 14 new 80 MHz channels have "grown" here, plus 7 160 MHz channels. But the main difference in the expansion is that only WiFi 6E devices are capable of operating in the 6 GHz band.

• 8×8 upstream/downstream MU-MIMO, OFDMA and BSS Color channels to provide the ability to handle up to four times as many devices;
• Targeted wake-up time (TWT) to improve network efficiency and battery life of devices, including Internet of Things devices;
• 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation mode (1024-QAM), allowing more bandwidth for new bandwidth-intensive applications and transmitting more data in the same amount of spectrum.

There is a disadvantage, too – WiFi 6E is not a very long-range technology. A less thick wall is an obstacle to signal transmission. Thus, the connection will only work in buildings with a minimum of overlap or even in an open space. As with WiFi 6, WiFi 6E has several ways of dealing with interference – for example, with other routers and other devices that are "noisy" nearby.

Another problem is that very few states now officially allow frequencies in the 6 GHz band. Above, we talked about open spaces – but so far, permits have only been issued to work with this technology indoors. In short, WiFi 6E is a system for home and office use. So far, you can't deploy such a network in an open area of, say, a business – it's forbidden.

All right, but what about support?

Since the standard itself is still in its infancy, there are no devices of this type yet – they are only being developed. Most likely, software will appear before the "hardware" – it will allow to test the devices that are being prepared for withdrawal. At CES 2020, Broadcom announced that it has systems on a chip that support the new technology. These systems can be integrated into WiFI 6 devices to make sixth-generation devices compatible with the extended version, 6E, with minimal resources.

The main problem is with the use of the 6 GHz frequency. The devices that support the previous standard are not able to do this, so we have to add a new module.

Asus RT-AX88U.

The model features not only support for Wi-Fi 6, but also a modern design, including chopped edges, gold inserts and a distraction-free backlight that can be turned off with a special button. If necessary you can turn off the wireless network, leaving only wired connectors – one WAN and 8 LAN, each with the possibility to transmit data at the speed up to 1 Gbps.

The Asus RT-AX88U is powered by 1.8 GHz quad-core processor, 1 Gbyte of RAM and 256 MB of RAM. Wireless technology support is provided by two Broadcom BCM43684 chips, compatible with the new standard. Data is transmitted using four MIMO 4×4:4 antennas.

The total throughput of the router reaches almost 6000 Mbit/s, of which up to 20% can be transmitted in the 2.4 GHz band and up to 80% at 5 GHz. Support for Media Bridge and AiMesh technology allows you to connect multiple routers into a common network, getting a high-speed network across a large suburban home or office.

Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000

The Rapture GT-AX11000 model from the ASUS ROG lineup has an original design, decent functionality and support for three frequency bands. Thanks to this, the maximum data transfer speed has increased to almost 11 Gbit/s. This is made possible by a quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Broadcom BCM43684 controllers. Another chip, Aquantia AQR109, provides data rates up to 2.5 Gb/s. This hardware allowed to implement in the firmware VPN-server for secure connection to the Internet and to protect user data.

The device is considered a gaming device, so a few of its features are designed specifically for gamers. First of all, it is a three-level traffic acceleration system with Game Boost, GameFirst V and Gamers Private Network technologies. Their use provides optimized data packet transmission, reducing delays by 30-60% and the probability of information loss by almost 90%.

Functionality is enhanced with the Gaming Center program, and information security is enhanced with AiProtection Pro. AiMesh technology allows you to connect multiple devices into a common network.

What are the advantages of Wi-Fi 6 compared to previous generations?

The maximum bandwidth of Wi-Fi 6 is 3-4 times higher than that of Wi-Fi 5. So devices on a Wi-Fi 6 network will work much faster. At the same time, signal latency is reduced. This is important in the case of video communication, gaming and streaming.

Wi-Fi 6 technology has also received a number of improvements in security and even autonomous operation of devices on such a network.

The usual Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security protocol uses passwords to connect to a Wi-Fi network. However, in the case of Wi-Fi 6, password protection has been enhanced with the Dragonfly Key Exchange system. This is a more sophisticated authentication method that makes it more difficult to crack passwords to connect to a Wi-Fi network.

Wi-Fi 6 has also introduced a target wake-up time (TWT) feature. When devices are paired with the router but are not actively communicating with it, they go into sleep mode. As a result, less power is wasted.

What devices support Wi-Fi 6?

The Wi-Fi Alliance has already certified a number of devices that support the new technology. These include routers, computers, tablets, smartphones, TVs and even cameras. An access point differs from a custom router in that it doesn't provide an IP address, but only allows you to connect to the Internet. It only supports wireless connections and is used wherever you want to increase the number of devices to be connected or to increase the signal propagation area. To a router or modem connected to an ISP, the access point can be connected via Wi-Fi or via cable. Thus, Huawei OptiXstar, AX3 and AirEngine series routers from Huawei, as well as MateBook series laptops and P40, P50, Mate smartphones, etc. have already been certified. The routers for Wi-Fi 6 offer speeds of 10Gbps and above, provide more stable coverage and stable applications, and more stable roaming. AirEngine include integration of 5G and AI technologies.

A list of certified devices with Wi-Fi 6E can be found here. It should be noted that not every device with Wi-Fi 6 support will support Wi-Fi 6E.

What devices support Wi-Fi 6

The main thing that matters is that Wi-Fi 6 is not an absolute novelty. That's why many products on the market already support it. However, often users do not even know that they have it, because manufacturers and sellers for some reason rarely talk about the presence of such technology in the gadget.

What phones support Wi-Fi 6

• Samsung Galaxy Fold
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20
• Samsung Galaxy S20
• Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra
• OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro
• OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro
• Huawei P40 Pro
• iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE
• iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max and 12 Mini
• Motorola Edge Plus.

These are the most popular models, but there are some others. The main thing, pay attention to the specs.. It is advisable to check them on the manufacturer's website, as sellers often do not attach importance to it.

What laptops work with Wi-Fi 6

• Asus Chromebook Flip c436
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 (m1)
• Apple MacBook Air (m1)
• Lenovo Yoga c940
• Lenovo Yoga 6 13
• Dell XPS 13 (2020)
• HP Envy 17.3
• HP Spectre x360
• LG Gram 17
• Microsoft Surface Laptop Go.

Again, this is not all and there are other laptops. Especially, these are only the models with Wi-Fi 6 that are out at the time of writing this article.

What routers support Wi-Fi 6

• Asus RT-AX86U AX5700 Router
• TP-Link Archer AX50 (AX3000) Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 Router
• TP-Link Archer AX11000 Next-Gen Tri-Band Gaming Router
• Netgear Nighthawk Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router (RAXE500)
• eero 6 Mesh Router
• eero Pro 6 Mesh Router

This is by no means a complete list of models with Wi-Fi 6, but if you have one of these, keep in mind that you also have a new type of network.

Wi-Fi 6E: the fight for 6GHz

For now, Wi-Fi 6 devices can function in two frequency bands, 2.4 and 5 GHz. Gadgets that support Wi-Fi 6E (where E stands for extended, extended) will be able to operate in the 6 GHz band on top of that.

On April 23, 2020, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved the free use of the 6 GHz band in the United States. Devices supporting the latest generation of Wi-Fi 6E, announced by the Wi-Fi Alliance on January 3, can now legally operate on that frequency in the U.S. So far, these devices are not available for sale, and the list of countries where they can be officially used does not include anyone other than the U.S. yet. However, Kevin Robinson, Chief Marketing Officer at the Wi-Fi Alliance, called the current expansion of the frequency spectrum one of the most significant events in the history of Wi-Fi in the last 20 years. Is this true?

What's new?

For starters, we need to recall that Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) devices can currently operate in two frequency bands – 2.4 and 5 GHz. Gadgets that support Wi-Fi 6E (where E stands for extended) will additionally be able to operate in the 6 GHz band. In short and simple terms, this will allow more devices to work simultaneously without interference, delays, and at high speeds. The Wi-Fi Alliance says that support for the 6 GHz band will be the norm for all future Wi-Fi standards. The Wi-Fi 6E Certified sticker makes it easy for customers to tell if the equipment they're purchasing supports 6 GHz. The Wi-Fi 6 standard originally implied the possibility of working in additional bands from 1 to 7 GHz – everything rests solely on the decisions of local radio frequency regulators. The fact is that some frequencies suitable for Wi-Fi are also used by aviation, ship, military and weather radars. So when organizing wireless networks in those parts of the band, you have to use Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), which constantly checks the frequency/channel to see if it is being used by any radar: if the answer is positive, then the device must change the channel. There is a simpler option – banning free use of those frequencies. No matter how you look at it, positive decisions on radio frequency spectrum delimitation do not come easily to most countries. And now the American FCC gives as much as 1200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band (5925-7125 MHz) for free use, which does look very generous in comparison with previous scenarios in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. For example, in the 5 GHz band in most countries allowed for Wi-Fi are a total of no more than 400 MHz, and those are "jagged" and not continuous (in Russia it is 5150-5350 and 5650-5850 MHz). And when working in the 2.4 GHz band, we are talking about a maximum of 100 MHz (2400-2500 MHz) of international ISM-band (Industrial, Scientific, Medical).
Accordingly, to date, all available channels are forced to huddle within the same 100 or 400 MHz, which constantly leads to mutual overlap and significant interference. Moreover, in apartment buildings dozens of routers and other devices are constantly running on the same channels, which worsens communication even more. The 2.4 GHz band is particularly crowded today: even though 11 channels are available in the U.S. and 13 in Russia, most of them overlap with each other, which causes interference when traffic is heavy. Even the few channels that are usually considered non-intersecting (say, the standard 1-6-11) actually interfere with each other, because the actual channel boundaries are very contingent in practice. Of course, there are recommendations for minimizing such effects in the tight 2.4 GHz band, but users, with few exceptions, do not follow them. In addition, if in the 2.4 GHz band, increasing the channel width from 20 to 40 MHz almost does not improve the quality of communication, and sometimes can even worsen it, then in the 5 and 6 GHz bands from the channel width depends on the maximum rate of data transmission in it. At the same time 20, 40, 80 and 160 MHz options are available. Naturally, the greater the width of a single channel, the fewer non-intersecting channels can be accommodated in the band allowed for Wi-Fi operation. That is, in the current 400 MHz available in the 5 GHz band, there is room only for two maximum 160 MHz wide channels. And in some countries, due to additional restrictions, there is even less – no more than one channel. The 1200 MHz "new" 6 GHz band allowed in the U.S. has enough room for 14 additional 80 MHz channels and seven additional 160 MHz channels each. This is currently the freest, widest and fastest Wi-Fi band. Minimum interference, maximum speeds – that could be the advertising slogan for Wi-Fi 6E. But that's in theory, and we'll see what happens in reality. The situation is complicated by the fact that the higher the frequency at which the transmitter operates, the shorter the wavelength, and a wave with a shorter length is worse at overcoming obstacles, including indoor. In addition, more powerful devices are required to transmit the signal at these frequencies. These nuances will have to be taken into account when implementing 6 GHz Wi-Fi scenarios in large rooms.

Why do we need a new standard?

In Russia, Wi-Fi operates on 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies. The 2.4 GHz band has long been crowded, as it has not been used in wireless networks for years – decades. 5 GHz is much freer, but it's also gradually getting congested.

In theory, the Wi-Fi 6E standard, by moving to 6 GHz, can provide a more stable and reliable wireless connection. In some cases, wireless data transfer speeds could also increase.

This can be achieved, among other things, by eliminating "conflicts" with other devices that use the 2.4 GHz band. For example, the Bluetooth connection works on it, the publication was told in the Ministry of Digital. Also wireless mice and keyboards use this frequency to connect to the signal receiver.

Bandwidth overload causes signal interference. Music and voice in wireless headphones begin to "stutter", the wireless mouse cursor begins to "twitch", and typing on the keyboard becomes hell because of missing letters. Owners of household drones, which communicate on the same frequency, also suffer.

The pace of adoption

In the two years since Wi-Fi 6E began to spread, almost all network equipment manufacturers have started releasing custom routers that support this standard. The very first ones were shown at CES 2021 in January 2021.

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Nevertheless, due to the lack of support for this standard in Russia, domestic retailers are in no hurry to bring routers capable of operating on 6 GHz into the country. CNews editorial staff made sure that at the time of publication they were not in the catalogs of at least Citilink, M.Video, Eldorado and some other large chains.

When exactly they will appear in the domestic retail, is unknown. CNews editorial staff addressed the question to the retailers' representatives and awaits an answer.

Testing Archer AX50 and the power of Wi-Fi 6

All settings are also available in the application

Once configured, the router is extremely user friendly: you can create separate network wireless connections for each band or leave the "single" with the router rules to choose the frequency of connection for each device.

Everything is correct, fast. But you can evaluate Archer AX50 only with real loads and the speed of the provider up to gigabit. That's what we did the basic tests with, using the iPad Pro 2020 as a connectivity consumer Wi-Fi 6.

Speed per meter from Archer AX50 router

The results are surprising: Archer for 3 thousand rubles beats last year's flagship network devices by all parameters.

Apart from the obvious speed advantage (you can finally feel the gigabit power!) the connection is slightly faster than usual. And on Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices – almost no delay.

Speed at 10 meters from Archer AX50 router

The lags are not observed even with a surplus of consumers in the form of a dozen connected active consumers (smartphones, PCs with streaming video). Earlier Wi-Fi standards cope poorly with such a scenario.

We also tried in the test an absolutely unbelievable case by installing another active router next to AX50. In that case, when using the 801.11ax connection, the speed drops almost twice. But delays and pings do not increase, so the user will not notice the speed drop.

Is it worth upgrading to Wi-Fi 6?

Compared to AC1200 and AC2100 routers, the difference is obvious. According to our tests, even in a room "littered" with other people's networks, the AX2400

► has a minimum ping,
► provides uniform playback of 4K video,
► provides a connection to the router without delay.

And that's in a scenario where more than 10 801.11ax enabled gadgets were playing video!

We understand that not all readers are now owners of flagship models of iPhone and iPad, and can not take full advantage of the new standard.

It is worth making the transition for growth – even having 2-3 devices on Wi-Fi 6 you can feel the difference. If not in speed, then in comfort of use.

In addition, it is Wi-Fi 6 and devices with its support that can open gigabit network connections: this is the standard that allows you to effectively use many gadgets at once and not to worry about the presence of the neighbor's routers.

Crowds and neighbors are no obstacle for Wi-Fi 6

Wireless access points have one unpleasant feature: if you connect a lot of equipment to them, the speed sometimes drops a lot. This is especially critical for crowded places like airports, shopping malls, hotels, and even offices. Wi-Fi of the previous generations in such conditions works very slowly. In the case of the "six", the developers have provided a number of technologies that speed up data transfer and reception in such scenarios. For example, Intel claims at least a fourfold increase in speed in congested networks.

Wi-Fi 6 will improve connectivity in public places, apartment buildings, and networks with a large number of gadgets.

Wi-Fi 6 improves speed and signal stability by dividing the wireless channel into multiple subchannels. Any of them transmits information that is specific to a particular device. This feature is called Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).

Improved multi-user MU-MIMO technology allows not only to simultaneously broadcast a signal over the air, as it was implemented in Wi-Fi 5, but also to receive it. Even two sixth standard routers placed next to each other can operate on the same channel without interfering with each other. The secret is that each access point ignores the "alien" signal, preferring only its own.

What happens to Wi-Fi next?

Qualcomm said it's starting to work on the next generation of Wi-Fi. They've already introduced an official technical name for it – 802.11be. The upcoming technology will please with such innovations:

• the maximum data transfer rate will increase to 30 Gbps;
• there will be a 6 GHz band in addition to 2.4 and 5 GHz;
• The number of simultaneously connected devices with CMU-MIMO technology will increase;
• amplitude modulation will increase from 1024 to 4096 bits to improve the information content of the radio signal.

The mass introduction of Wi-Fi 7 is supposedly planned for 2024. And in the next four-plus years, we will experience all the benefits of Wi-Fi 6, the adaptation of which has just begun.

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