New Technologies
If you’re like most business owners today, there’s a good chance you struggle to keep up with technology. Since the dawn of the Internet, then smartphones and other mobile devices, smart home devices and more, technology has literally exploded.
The number of new technology solutions available to businesses that could significantly improve functionality is so numerous, it can be overwhelming. Below, we’re going to discuss what Wi-Fi 6 is and how to prepare your business for migration to Wi-Fi 6.
What Is Wi-Fi 6?
It’s understandable if you haven’t heard a lot about Wi-Fi 6, or 802.11ax, but its announcement is part of an attempt by the Wi-Fi Alliance to bring the new technology into public awareness. Wi-Fi 6 represents the next generation, new standard of WiFi service.
This new standard of Wi-Fi brings wireless networks key benefits like faster speeds, reduced latency, improved power efficiency, longer battery life for IoT devices, and is designed to increase throughput.
New Goals = Better Performance
The prominent goal of this new version of Wi-Fi is to enhance throughput-per-area in highly concentrated areas like shopping malls, corporate office buildings and highly populated apartment buildings, or any highly populated consumer area.
Higher spectral efficiency is credited for increasing overall throughput by 400% over an entire network in the new Wi-Fi 6 protocol. It boasts a 37% data rate increase and 75% lower latency, contributing to the overall 400% increase.
MU MIMO and OFDMA
MU MIMO (multi-user, multiple input/multiple outputs) and OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) technologies underlie the wireless network upgrades of Wi-Fi 6.
OFDMA and MU MIMO technologies work together in Wi-Fi 6 to increase performance and enable more users and more devices the ability to transmit more data and have a better overall experience from a wireless access point. Better antennas transmit beamforming which also aids MU MIMO technology in Wi-Fi 6.
TWT
Another feature of the new Wi-Fi wireless standard is TWT (target wake time) which reduces power or network energy consumption by scheduling times for sending and receiving data. This also improves the spectral efficiency of Wi-Fi and improves the battery life of Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
Increased Throughput
Wi-Fi 6 has a maximum increase in data transfer speeds of 30-40% due to more efficient decoding of data which results in increased throughput. A simple way to describe what that means is that the chips used to both encode and decode this data keep getting more and more powerful, enabling more and more data to fit into the same radio waves.
In English, Please!
For many people, most of this language is gibberish, but it’s difficult to put into simple language. The benefits of Wi-Fi 6 for businesses is great, so let’s try to summarize some of these – in simpler terms:
- Increases access point capacity for handling access demands of the workplace. Wi-Fi 6 improves performance in conference or video calls to eliminate jitter, latency, and screen freezing.
- Higher speeds for Wi-Fi users due to greater channel width. Even in multiple access point environments, Wi-Fi networks experience greater speeds due to Wi-Fi 6 automatic channel switching, between 20, 40, 80, and yes – 160Mhz, as the environment allows.
- Better signal coding and modulation with OFDMA technology in Wi-Fi 6, resulting in multiple devices and multiple clients or users being able to share bandwidth to meet multiple needs, including data and speed requirements, at the same time.
- With Wi-Fi 6, your wireless network and the access points supporting it will be backward compatible. Previous standards had compatibility issues, but with this new Wi-Fi network, even older devices can now be considered compatible devices.
- Better antennas for better Wi-Fi signals and greater range capacity, better performance with less interference, greater data transmission capabilities and speeds for multiple users on multiple Wi-Fi devices.
What Are The Requirements For Wi-Fi 6?
Ok, so by now, you’re probably asking about the requirements for Wi-Fi 6. You probably won’t need a new Internet Service Provider, but you will need new hardware installed for Wi-Fi 6, as well as a new router and more power to your access point(s).
But that’s not all! You will also need Wi-Fi 6 enabled devices. It is definitely a process, but staying on top of the newest technology is important for any growing business.
Blue Oak Technology Solutions
Good thing Blue Oak Technology Solutions has your back, with everything you’ll need for your business to migrate to Wi-Fi 6. We even offer equipment acquisition assistance to make it all easier for you to make the switch.
Here at Blue Oak Tech, we offer business solutions in technology that will improve your efficiency and increase your network performance overall. How to prepare for WiFi 6 protocol is easy when you have Blue Oak Technology Solutions in your corner.
We offer the kind of personalized technical support businesses appreciate and we don’t try to sell you things you don’t need or won’t use.
Does It Really Make A Difference?
Technology moving so fast makes it difficult and expensive for companies to keep up, but having the latest improvements is definitely important for any business. Especially when your business provides services for consumers.
The fact is, Wi-Fi 6 will be in effect for most of the world soon and it is a piece of technology that can improve your customer’s experience with your company.
And what’s more important than customer service? Certainly, nothing, when you’re talking about Blue Oak Technology Solutions!
Contact us today, to see how we can help your business. Blue Oak Tech – custom-tailored IT services, from people you can trust and depend on.
