Wifi plus what is it

I was asked in the comments why I didn't use a regular WiFi repeater for such an elementary action. Well, today let's figure out how such a thing works, what are its pros and cons.

The biggest update in 20 years: What is Wi-Fi 6E and why is it so important?

The Wi-Fi 6 standard was announced in October 2019, and by early 2020, its support began to appear in new gadgets: computers, mobile devices and, of course, routers. The technology differs from Wi-Fi 5 primarily in its maximum speed: due to the use of more efficient chips and new coding tools, it has increased by 40%. Wi-Fi 6 also provided a faster connection in crowded places and reduced power consumption. The next step in the development of wireless networks is Wi-Fi 6E. Nevertheless, there may be difficulties with its diffusion.

What is Wi-Fi 6E and how does it differ from Wi-Fi 6?

In April 2020, the Wi-Fi Alliance – a group of manufacturers engaged in the development, promotion and licensing of Wi-Fi – adopted a new specification: Wi-Fi 6E. The main innovation that distinguishes the standard from Wi-Fi 6 is the support of the 6 GHz frequency band. The basic specification can only work in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrums: the new technology should make data transmission faster, as well as reduce any possible delays and reduce the significance of interference from neighbors – at least in theory.

The higher the frequency of the wireless network on which the equipment operates, the less difficult it is to use Wi-Fi – especially in apartment buildings and large office centers. If the next episode of your favorite show takes too long to load, the video conference keeps getting interrupted, and your service provider claims that everything is fine with the network itself, it's probably because of interference. Apparently, your network is operating on the same channel as your neighbors, so there is a conflict. However, this usually only applies to networks in the 2.4 GHz spectrum: with 5 GHz there is less of a problem, and with 6 GHz even less of a problem.

Immediately after the presentation of the new specification, the network immediately started talking about how this is one of the biggest innovations in the world of wireless networks since 1989. At first it seems like the difference between 5 GHz and 6 GHz shouldn't be that noticeable, but it gives 21 extra channels to avoid interference.

WiFi or WiFi Plus, which wireless network is better to connect to?

A Wi-Fi connection's signal directly affects your connection speed and depends on several factors, such as where the router is located, where its antennas are pointed, or the channel and range settings. At any rate, there are companies that present options with our same network to connect to shared WiFi or Plus. But what are the differences and which one is better to connect to?

Routers and Wi-Fi connections have been with us for a long time. They are already part of the decor of any home and any building or office. But just because it's there and we use it daily doesn't mean we know it completely. For example, while not all homes have it, there is one known as the WiFi Plus network. .

So it is a network that we can connect to that has the same name as a regular network, "regular network," but with the word "Plus" added at the end. This provision is primarily held by Movistar users, who implemented this alternative several years ago.

Those who have used it have made sure that the signal can be fed in two ways By the same router. In fact, as we say, the Wi-Fi network between them is almost identical, but its differences are in the two speeds and coverage: the one we chose earlier and the other, Plus, which usually has larger amplitude. . But then, is it better than the regular one?

Offers higher speed, but less coverage .

But let's go piece by piece. The WiFi Plus networking service provides wireless Internet access and connectivity between computers in the same home. It's done with a WiFi modem to which you can connect computers and other everyday devices.

Yes, indeed; as long as they have the appropriate software and hardware to access Wi-Fi networks, which they usually have, although not everyone does. For its part, as you can see, Movistar allows you to use both. choose each according to our own interests.

One of them has to do with 2.4Ghz network, which is the most stable and offers greater coverage , which allows you to connect to the Internet in more remote rooms. However, as we mentioned earlier, WiFi Plus offers faster download and upload speeds than that.

Then there is the 5Ghz, which matches the WiFi Plus. Unlike the previous one, it offers higher speeds But less coverage . Or what's the same: with it we will have faster speeds the closer we are to the router. The problem is that it is not available on all devices, so not all users have access to it.

Specifically; You are probably trying to connect to a Movistar Plus Wi-Fi network, but your device does not support it because it does not use the appropriate standard to connect to that network, so it will always connect to another network. Because it is newer, there are fewer devices connected to it, so it is assumed to be A network with less interference. .

Is it better than "normal"?

How is it better? This is not a one answer question, as it all depends on the situation. Yes, Wi-Fi Plus is indeed faster than Wi-Fi, but it is so over short distances. As you get further away from the router, the speed drops off. And the same thing happens if you change rooms or if there are walls between your connected device and the router.

Pros and cons of the technology

The user is entitled to ask a quite logical question: "And why all this when there is already Bluetooth?" First, not all devices are equipped with a bluetooth adapter. Some modern televisions have been deprived of this option by the manufacturer. Second, data transfer via Wi-Fi has important advantages.

• It is possible to connect to a device that does not have a built-in Bluetooth adapter.
• Unlike Bluetooth, the data transfer is simultaneous in both directions.
• Transmission speed is significantly faster and the range is greater.

• Not all devices with a Wi-Fi module support this technology.
• There are compatibility problems, it is not always possible to set up a connection and transfer files.
• The connection is not secure: Wi-Fi Direct works without a password.
• The technology is power-consuming and drains the battery faster than Bluetooth.
• Wi-Fi Direct creates its own wireless network and can interfere with other networks, such as your router's.

Standards and device support

Wi-Fi Direct works on the same frequency as your smartphone and supports the same communication standards. But the connection will be set at the speed of the slowest device. That is, if one phone knows how to work in the 5 GHz band with the 802.11n standard, and the other only with 802.11g at 2.4 GHz, then the latter will set the tone.

The maximum transmission speed, depending on the frequency and standard, will be:

Connection settings are determined automatically, you can not set them manually.

Enabling and disabling the function on the router

Some routers do not physically have the UPU button, but the technology itself is supported by such wireless routers. Below we consider how to connect devices to a wi-fi network via WPS if there is no button on the router.

TP-Link

If the button is missing on the TP-Link router, we open the router web-interface and click the WPS/QSS function. For instructions on how to access the TP-Link router control panel, click here.

By default, this technology is always enabled and you click the "Disable WPS" button to disable it. The software connection is made by means of a PIN-code, which is indicated on the bottom of the device. Usually it is a combination of 8 digits. In these settings you can view the PIN-code and generate new values.

ASUS

The principle of setting the UPU on Asus is similar. Enter the router web interface at 192.168.1.1. Open the tab "Wireless Network – WPS" and set your parameters.

Zyxel Keenetic

To set up WPS on Zyxel Keenetic router, do the following. In web-interface you have to open "Wi-Fi" tab and switch it on. To disable WPS on the router, proceed the same way.

D-Link .

Open the router control panel, where we find the menu "WPS Wi-Fi" to enable WPS. In the tab that opens, turn on the technology, as this device leaves it disabled by default.

What is the WPS button on the router for and how do I use it?

The button is needed to activate the WPS technology. There is such a button on almost all routers. It is usually labelled WPS. It looks something like this on a D-Link router.

Not seldom the button is combined with the function of resetting the router. Very often it is found on routers from TP-LINK.

So be careful, Do not hold down the "WPS/RESET" button for too long.. After holding it for about 5 seconds, your router will be reset to factory defaults.

And on new routers from ZyXel, the button to enable the WPS function looks like this.

How to Connect an Android Smartphone to Wi-Fi via WPS

To connect the Android smartphone to Wi-Fi network via WPS Go to the Wi-Fi settings on your Android and Click on the button with three dots.

After that, a small menu will open. Here you need to select the item "WPS button".. Pressing this button starts the process of connection via WPS. In fact, this button in the menu emulates the pressing of the hardware WPS button.

After that a connection indicator will appear on the screen.

Now the only thing left to do is to is to press the WPS button on the router and hold it down for about 3-4 seconds.

After that, the Android smartphone will think for about 10 seconds more and the screen will indicate that you are connected to the selected Wi-Fi network.

The problem with previous generations of WiFi

The main problem is that if you connect a lot of devices to a wireless access point, the speed drops. This is familiar to anyone who has tried to connect to a shared hotspot in a coffee shop, mall or airport. The more devices connected to the access point, the slower the Internet works. All of these devices are "competing" for bandwidth. And the router tries to choose which device to give access to. Sometimes it turns out that the smart bulb gets access rather than the phone running the all-important video conference.

And this is a very important flaw that is sensitive to the average user. Companies who care about reliable communications are getting by, somehow, by installing additional access points, redundant links, etc.

What about WiFi 6?

Increased performance and channel stability

The new standard cannot be called a panacea and is not a qualitatively new technology but an improvement of the existing one. However, one of the innovations is very important, we are talking about OFDMA technology. It significantly increases the speed and stability of the channel, allowing to divide it into several (and, if necessary, a large number of subchannels. "All sisters get their earrings", as the saying goes. Well, in the case of WiFi 6, each gadget has its own communication channel. This is called orthogonal frequency division multiple access.

The old standard, if you take a logistics company as an analogy, sends shipments one at a time, with each customer being sent a separate vehicle with his or her load. These vehicles do not leave at the same time, but rather on a schedule, strictly after each other. In the case of WiFi 6, one car carries all parcels at the same time, and upon arrival, each recipient chooses his or her own parcel.

Plus, the improved MU-MIMO technology makes it possible to simultaneously transmit the signal, which the devices that supported the previous wireless standard were able to do, as well as to receive it. The result is that there is no signal interference, if you take two WiFi 6 enabled access points and put them side by side, they will work each on their own communication channel, without too many problems. And each will receive the signal that is directed by "their" device. And the number of simultaneous connections is increased to 8.

The previous communications standard did not allow the access point to distinguish "their" traffic from "someone else's". As a result, in apartment buildings, the data transfer rate is relatively low, because routers, picking up other people's signals, "think" that the link is busy. WiFi 6 does not have this problem thanks to the BSS Coloring feature, which allows you to recognize "insiders" and "outsiders". The data packets are digitally signed so there is no confusion.

Measuring speed

Not to be unfounded, here are some graphs. Here's how the Wi-Fi worked before the repeater was installed in the far rooms:

As you can see, the Internet is barely a soul in the body, and the speed doesn't smell. With the installation of the repeater in the desired room, the level of reception has increased greatly, but the speed – for obvious reasons – not, because the repeater repeated the already pretty dried up signal. But after repositioning the repeater in the "right" place, selected empirically, the signal quality has increased, the speed is quite acceptable.

The result does not even need to be commented on. At the same time next to the router itself you can measure not much more, and the speed loss when the repeater is plugged in was about 10-15%:

As for Upvel's repeater, I see one big plus here. Maybe it is Chinese inside, but the quality of its performance is not affected, while the localization and design of the user manual will allow even those users, far away from high technology, to cope with the network expansion.

And so – it works, has been working for quite a long time and without any problems, what else do you need?

To sum it up

To sum it up, a Wi-Fi repeater is not a panacea, and it will not boost the speed up to the "original" one, which logically follows from the way it works. But when it's necessary to throw Wi-Fi a little farther away or to snag a Wi-Fi with a purely wired device, it can help you out.

Among the models on sale at Ulmart, the ASUS RP-N14 stands out: it's easy to configure, has an extremely friendly Web interface and… you'll laugh, it can work as an Internet radio. Like a radio, Carl! And there's a 3.5mm minijack output and a corresponding tab in the web interface.

So, let's go back to the genre of such devices. As an alternative to the Extender, you can use some cheap router (if its software and hardware allow it to work as a repeater, of course), but it takes more space and needs to be set up. But sometimes ease of operation is the key factor, and in this Wi-Fi repeaters will give a head start to any router.

Pros:

• Generally, cheaper and simpler than PLC adapters;
• Easier to set up and operate than alternatives;
• Allows you to hook almost any wired device to a wireless network;

Cons:

• Cuts the wireless connection speed, and for all network users;
• Requires selecting the "ideal" place of installation.

That's all for now, stay tuned and let your Wi-Fi keep on beating, and let Roskomnadzor not interfere with your favorite sites!

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