Deploying WiFi 6
The telecoms industry has positioned WiFi 6 as a transformative technology and, over the next year, experts forecast that we’ll see large-scale deployment of WiFi 6 in homes and offices.
WiFi 6 overview stats
2020
While its new features and capabilities bring exciting advances, WiFi 6 is not without its issues. To deliver on the promise of this new technology, Communications Service Providers (CSPs) must understand the challenges and, critically, the need for intelligent network management.
Below, we cover WiFi 6’s capabilities and how it improves on current technologies, as well as what CSPs will need to do to realize its potential.
the year adoption of WiFi 6 began
years since the last major improvement to 2.4 GHz band
10+
speed of WiFi 6 vs. predecessors
2×+
WiFi 6 products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance by Feb. 2021
1,400+
devices that can be supported efficiently vs. predecessors
2x
throughput in low-congested areas vs. predecessors
2x
Features of WiFi 6
160 MHz: bandwidth capabilities
1024-QAM: an improvement from 256-QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) in predecessors
OFDMA: “uplink and downlink orthogonal frequency-division multiple access” lets a single transmission communicate with many devices
UL-MU-MIMO: “Uplink Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output” lets multiple devices transmit simultaneously to the same AP
TWT: “target wake time” is predicted to be deployed extensively with WiFi 6
BSS Color: “Basic Service Set” color included with WiFi 6 allows for more streamlined airtime usage
6 GHz frequency: WiFi 6E brings WiFi 6 capabilities to the 6 GHz spectrum
OFDM Legacy WiFi
Time
Ajit Pai
Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Chairman
42% of SMBs plan to increase spend on WiFi management … and two-thirds expect to connect more devices over the next two years. WiFi is ... helping small businesses thrive by enabling new services such as guest analytics, building security and environmental control.
The American consumer’s wireless experience is about to be transformed for the better.
Nearly 1/5 of all WiFi 6 compatible devices shipped by 2022 will support 6 GHz
~20%
WiFi 6 compatible devices on the market in 2021
338 million+
Projected increase in adoption of WiFi 6 access points between 2020–2023
13x
Expected growth of smart devices shipping globally between 2019–2023
71%
Home devices in use by 2030 globally
17 billion
WiFi 6 routers, access points, and other devices in homes and businesses in 2021
2 billion
Industry predictions
Requirements for CSPs
Communications Service Providers (CSPs) will need to harness the power of WiFi 6 through intelligent management strategies, including:
Intelligent sensing and prediction of interference, especially in high-density environments
Intelligent ability to steer and hold devices on the appropriate AP
Centralized controls, ideally based in the cloud
Sophisticated, AI-driven channel allocation and bandwidth selection
Only with more intelligent management will WiFi 6 live up to expectation.
Read our new whitepaper on the requirements for successfully deploying WiFi 6
Download the whitepaper
Sources:
1. “Product Finder,” Wi-Fi Alliance
2. “Wi-Fi Alliance® Wi-Fi® predictions for 2021,” Wi-Fi Alliance
3. “Smart Home Will Drive Third Wave in Wireless Home Evolution: Strategy Analytics,” Strategy Analytics
4. “Smart Homes 2020,” Insider Intelligence
5. “Cisco Annual Internet Report (2018–2023) White Paper,” Cisco
6. “Wi-Fi Alliance® delivers Wi-Fi 6E certification program,” Wi-Fi Alliance
WiFi transmissions
Time
WiFi transmissions
OFDM WiFi 6
Device 1
Device 2
Device 4
Device 3
MU-MIMO Simultaneous Transmission
SuperPod WiFi 6
MU-MIMO 2x2
MU-MIMO 2x2
1
3
2
3
4
5
6
6
Download the whitepaper