How to decide if Wi-Fi 6 is right for you?

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the next Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ax, often referred to as Wi-Fi 6. Vendors often frame new technology as “the next big thing,” however, in the case of Wi-Fi 6, the enthusiasm is justified because it’s designed with the premise that Wi-Fi is the primary connection for devices, rather than a convenience network.

Wi-Fi 6 is a different kind of Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 6 has new features such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), 1024-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) coding, and Target Wake Time (TWT) to make Wi-Fi faster and less congested. Many of these improvements come from the LTE and 4G worlds, which solved many of these challenges long ago. These new features will result in a better mobile experience and longer client battery life, and will open the door to a wider range of new applications that were not possible on Wi-Fi before. For example, architects can now use virtual reality (VR) to show a house over Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi 6 will not be ratified until 2019, but some commercial products are available today. All businesses should eventually deploy Wi-Fi 6, but many don’t need to do so right away.

4 types of companies should deploy Wi-Fi 6

• Customers currently using Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) and older: ZK Research estimates that up to 49% of enterprises are still using Wi-Fi 4 somewhere in their organization. This technology is nearly a decade old and can cause companies significant issues with application performance or reliability. These customers should skip Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and deploy Wi-Fi 6. Deploying Wi-Fi 5 may require another upgrade in two to three years, while Wi-Fi 6 will remain in place for at least five years.
• Pioneering companies that are early adopters of new technologies: Many businesses strive to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to technology. Wi-Fi 6 will provide the best possible experience for both customers and internal employees, and technology should be a top priority for these types of businesses. These companies are often found in highly competitive industries such as higher education, luxury retail, and entertainment venues, and a poorly performing wireless network can quickly turn customers to another brand.
• Companies using high-bandwidth and immersive applications: Many businesses have already integrated high-bandwidth applications into their business processes. Examples of this are VR as a customer service or collaboration tool, and high-definition video in enterprise workspaces, huddle rooms, and meeting rooms. The increased bandwidth of Wi-Fi 6 will ensure a better user experience.
• Businesses that are building high-density wireless networks. This includes public venues, universities, stadiums, and theaters. These types of companies often try to get usage data from users, so they require users to log in to the Wi-Fi. With older versions of Wi-Fi, the network would quickly become saturated, causing individuals to switch to LTE. Use cases like these were difficult to achieve with older versions, but are possible with Wi-Fi 6.

Three steps to prepare for Wi-Fi 6

• Make sure the wired network has been refreshed. Wi-Fi 6 will have a cascading effect on the campus core. The increased bandwidth will saturate the wired edge, and the upgrade will have a similar impact on the core. The key features required for the wired network are 30 watts of power over Ethernet (PoE+), multi-gig interfaces (1/2.5/5 GigE), and 40 GigE uplinks to the core. At the same time, unified management becomes a must. This enables security and access policies to be managed from one dashboard and propagated across both wired and wireless networks. It’s important to remember that the wireless experience is only as good as the wired backbone.
• Implement AI-based operations management. Wi-Fi 6 enables businesses to be hyper-connected, with nearly everything connected to a common network. This will enable businesses to create new processes that will drive productivity to new heights. The downside of over-connectivity is that complexity goes through the roof. A recent ZK Research survey found that 61% of companies have little or no confidence that they understand all the devices on their network. This problem will only get worse as more devices are connected. People can’t work quickly enough to see everything and find insights in the data, but machines can. AI-based operations tools are necessary for Wi-Fi 6 success.
• Connect corporate networks to IoT-specific networks. Many verticals have closed networks for specific business functions. For example, electronic shelf labeling networks in retail, student management in K-12, and radiology networks in hospitals. Digital transformation and the Internet of Things (IoT) will eventually converge these networks. Network professionals should prepare by understanding the size of these networks, the protocols used (e.g., BLE, Zigbee, etc.), and the security implications.

One more note: Many IT professionals worry that they may be rushing into Wi-Fi 6 too quickly because there aren't new chips in phones or endpoints that can take advantage of them. However, I think it's time to get the right network in place now, ahead of Wi-Fi 6 endpoints, rather than reacting quickly when they come along.

The Wi-Fi 6 era is just around the corner, and IT industry senior leaders need to understand whether the technology is right for them. If it is, then they must begin the education process on how to prepare for it. If these things are done correctly, deployment should be smooth and risk-free.