Wi-Fi Alliance announces Wi-Fi 6 as new logo

Nowadays, Wi-Fi has become an indispensable part of life and work, but every time we talk about the selection of wireless APs and wireless routers, we inevitably bypass the Wi-Fi protocols/standards supported by the products. The newer the Wi-Fi protocol, the longer the product life cycle and the faster the transmission speed. However, the original naming rules of the Wi-Fi Alliance were extremely complicated. For example, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and 802.11ac. Perhaps the WiFi Alliance also considered it too complicated.

[[245794]]

The Wi-Fi Alliance recently introduced a new naming convention that identifies Wi-Fi generations through a numerical sequence that corresponds to Wi-Fi advancements. The new naming method is designed to simplify the designation of Wi-Fi technologies for users.

At the same time, Wi-Fi 6 was announced as an industry designation for products and networks that support the next generation of Wi-Fi based on 802.11ax technology. The generational term can also be used to designate previous Wi-Fi generations, such as 802.11n or 802.11ac.

Identification device technology

Wi-Fi devices can also use a user interface (UI) icon on the display to identify the generation of a network connection. The icon will show a Wi-Fi signal indicator and a numeric representation of the connection. The icon will adjust as the user moves between Wi-Fi networks that offer different user experiences. When a user device displays a signal indicator icon with the number 6 (indicating a Wi-Fi 6 connection), the device is using the highest level of Wi-Fi available.

In the Wi-Fi Alliance statement, many suppliers support the new naming system, including product suppliers, OS suppliers, service providers and many other partners. "AirTies commends the Wi-Fi Alliance for simplifying the Wi-Fi naming convention to make it more suitable for consumers. We look forward to using the term Wi-Fi 6 instead of 802.11ax and introducing the next generation of Wi-Fi services and features to our customers." - said Metin Taskin, CTO of AirTies.

According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, here is a list of the new features being introduced:

• Uplink and downlink Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) improves efficiency and reduces latency in high-demand environments
• 1024-QAM (1024-QAM) delivers gigabit peak speeds for emerging bandwidth-intensive use cases
• Improved radio link control (MAC) signaling increases throughput and capacity while reducing latency
• Increased signal duration makes outdoor network operation more reliable

Wi-Fi 6 is expected to provide performance improvements for smart home devices with multiple IoT devices, enterprises and those running large-scale deployments. The Wi-Fi 6 standard is expected to be finalized next year.

Final Thoughts

Although in theory, terminal devices (mobile phones, laptops, etc.) that support WiFi6 will achieve faster speeds when paired with WiFi6-supported wireless routers, we have not yet seen any terminals that support WiFi6, and even the latest generation of iPhoneX products do not support WiFi6. We estimate that we will see terminal products that support WiFi6 next year, so let us look forward to it!