Hello everyone,
Today I will share with you the 10 knowledge misunderstandings of Wi-Fi 6.
Misunderstanding 1：Wi-Fi 6 and 802.11ax are two different standards.
Correct solution: To help Wi-Fi users easily understand the Wi-Fi standards supported by their devices and show the technical progress brought by the upgrade of Wi-Fi standards, the Wi-Fi Alliance references the naming mode (3G/4G/5G) of mobile communications standards, IEEE 802.11ax is renamed as Wi-Fi 6.
Misunderstanding 2：802.11ac APs deployed on the live network support Wi-Fi 6 through software upgrade.
Correct solution: Wi-Fi 6 (11ax) and Wi-Fi 5 (11ac) are intergenerational upgrades. More than 75 new functions are introduced in Wi-Fi 6. These new features can be implemented only when the matching Wi-Fi chipsets are used, therefore, new Wi-Fi 6 features can be implemented only after APs are replaced and upgraded.
Misunderstanding 3：Currently, terminals do not support Wi-Fi 6. Therefore, there is no need to deploy Wi-Fi 6 APs.
Correct solution: To use the complete features of Wi-Fi 6, the Wi-Fi 6 AP must match the terminal. However, it is not useless to deploy the Wi-Fi 6 AP in advance. For example, an increase in the number of spatial streams can improve the system capacity, multi-antenna gains can improve the receiver sensitivity, and the coverage range can be improved. A single AP can support more concurrent access of STAs. These are benefits brought by Wi-Fi 6 APs to existing STAs. It is strongly recommended that a new wireless network be deployed, the existing 802.11n network be upgraded, and Wi-Fi 6 be deployed for users whose existing 802.11ac networks cannot meet the access capacity requirements, avoiding repeated investment.
Misunderstanding 4：The Wi-Fi 6 standard has not been officially released. It is too early to deploy Wi-Fi 6.
Correct solution: Key technologies defined in Wi-Fi 6 standards, such as OFDMA, MU-MIMO, and 1024QAM, have been officially determined with the release of the 802.11ax 3.0 draft. The Wi-Fi chipsets launched by mainstream chip vendors comply with the latest draft and can well support key Wi-Fi 6 features, many experts in the industry said that chipsets that comply with the latest draft can support the final version of the standard through firmware upgrade. Therefore, Wi-Fi 6 is deployed at the right time.
Misunderstanding 5：Wi-Fi 6 can be directly deployed to improve user experience in high-density scenarios.
Correct solution: To achieve the best user experience, professional site survey and network planning are required in the deployment environment, and the software optimization algorithm is used. If APs are deployed at inappropriate locations on the live network, replacing Wi-Fi 6 APs at the original location may improve user experience but may not achieve the expected effect.
Misunderstanding 6：In the 5G era, Wi-Fi 6 will not be used
Correct solution: Wi-Fi 6 and 5G technologies complement each other and have their own major application scenarios and applications. They will coexist and thrive for a period of time.
Misunderstanding 7：Compared with Wi-Fi 5, MU-MIMO in Wi-Fi 6 only increases the number of spatial streams.
Correct solution: According to Wi-Fi 6 specifications, MU-MIMO supports eight spatial streams, which is twice the number of spatial streams supported by Wi-Fi 5. However, most commercial chips support only four spatial streams. Wi-Fi 6 introduces uplink MU-MIMO for the first time, which increases uplink and downlink bandwidths, increases the rate of each user, and effectively improves user experience in high-bandwidth applications.
Misunderstanding 8：The 1024-QAM modulation technology in Wi-Fi 6 can be used in any scenario.
Correct solution: Higher-order modulation schemes have strict requirements on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of signals. The 1024-QAM modulation scheme brings great benefits in high-density short-distance transmission scenarios and has poor effects in long-distance transmission scenarios. For outdoor long-distance transmission, the HE-Xsu PPDU data frame format is added to Wi-Fi 6, which can increase the transmission distance and transmission reliability in outdoor scenarios.
Misunderstanding 9：The 2.4 GHz frequency band is crowded, and Wi-Fi 6 is not useful.
Correct solution: Although the 2.4 GHz frequency band is narrow and few channels are available for mutual interference, it is undeniable that a large number of old terminals that support only the 2.4 GHz frequency band are working on the live network. In addition, the 2.4 GHz frequency band provides stronger transmission penetration and longer transmission distance. In addition, most IoT terminals use the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Such applications have low requirements on traffic bandwidth but high requirements on device costs and battery life. The promotion of Wi-Fi 6 will benefit such terminals and applications.
Misunderstanding 10：Currently, Wi-Fi terminals have large battery capacities, and the TWT technology is of little value.
Correct solution: The TWT function is mainly applied to IoT devices. Currently, most IoT terminals are powered by batteries. The TWT function enables APs and terminals to automatically negotiate the wakeup time, greatly prolonging the battery life and improving the usability and reliability of IoT functions. In addition, a proper wake-up time of the terminal can reduce signal interference and a contention problem caused by a large quantity of terminals working at the same time, and improve application efficiency of the entire wireless system to some extent.
That is all I want to share with you! Thank you!
