Nowadays, the internet is essential to everything we do. From effective working at home and communicating with loved ones to watching our favorite TV show, our lives are dependent on our internet connections. It is essential as well for Office network support in Los Angeles. With so much relying on our wireless router, it can be incredibly frustrating when things to slow down, and you experience the dreaded buffering. A professional with experience in network service and network repair in Los Angeles County or Orange County would be required to provide office network support.
Thankfully, in recent years, technology has transformed the wireless networks that we use, and we are all able to enjoy faster downloads and greater speeds. However, as our demands increase, we are constantly seeking even faster speeds.
This demand has seen WiFi technology pushed forward, and one of the latest additions to reach the market is WiFi 6 (802.11AX). This newest generation of WiFi aims to provide users with the best experience possible, ensuing buffer-free streaming and the fastest downloads, but is it worth it?
WiFi 5 vs. WiFi 6: what is the difference?
When it comes to finding the best mesh WiFi system, is the WiFi 6 worth the investment, or is WiFi 5 enough? As you would expect from the latest version of any product, WiFi 6 (802.11AX) has a range of upgrades and differences compared to WiFi 5 (802.11AC), including:
Faster Data Transfer Speed
When it comes to WiFi 5 vs. WiFi 6, one of the biggest differences between the two is the data transfer speed. The new wireless router option uses a significantly higher-order modulation, which ensures the most efficient data transmission possible.
Research has shown that users will be able to benefit from up to 40% faster speeds thanks to this efficiency coupled with greater signal encoding.
Better battery life
Another improvement on 802.11AX over its predecessor 802.11AC is that it can actually help to boost the battery life of your devices. This is thanks to an innovative new ‘Target Wake Time’, which is a conversation between your wireless access point and your electronic devices, instructing when the WiFi radio should sleep and when it should receive the next transmission. This will highly help every office wifi network setup for more efficient performance.
This will help to give a slight increase in the overall battery life on your smartphone and laptop by allowing them to conserve power.
Greater performance in crowded areas
Have you ever noticed that WiFi performance seems to slow down considerably in busier areas? Whether it is at the airport or in the shopping mall, as more people connect to wireless networks, the download speed decreases significantly.
WiFi 6 has been developed with a host of new features, such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access, or OFMDA, which allows the wireless access point to communicate to more devices at once. To do this, WiFi 6 can divide wireless channels into a greater number of subchannels, with each channel carrying data to a specific device.
WiFi 6 also has improved Multi-Use Multiple In/Multiple Out (MU-MIMO), which allows the wireless access point to engage with multiple devices. While WiFi 5 is also able to talk to various devices at the same time, they cannot respond at the same time, boosting efficiency and performance.
Of course, this is not only a benefit in crowded places. WiFi 6 can also be of benefit in the home, particularly if you have multiple devices connected to your wireless network or you live in a busy apartment building.
WiFi 6 also increases the capacity of interconnected wireless devices. Utilizing similar technology to 4G LTE, users will be able to connect Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and 5G smartphones with ease.
Supports Basic Service Set Coloring
WiFi 6 also has the benefit of supporting Basic Service Set (BSS) coloring. This unique feature allows the WiFi system to assign traffic with a color on a frequency, allowing it to identify whether it can be used. This helps to improve performance even further, particularly in heavily congested areas.
WiFi 5 vs. WiFi 6: Is it worth it ?
There can be no denying that WiFI 6 has a range of benefits and new features, and we all want faster WiFi at times. However, in order to benefit from these new features then you will need a device capable of supporting WiFi 6, and only when the device and the wireless network are able to communicate effectively.
When it first arrived on the market in early 2020, WiFi 6 compatibility was harder to find, but as it becomes more common, an increasing number of tablets, smartphones, and laptops can now take advantage of the WiFi 6 benefits.
That is not to say that 802.11AC is a poor performer, but if you want to maximize your online speeds and connectivity, then 802.11AX is a worthy investment to make. WiFi 6 wireless routers and mesh systems are becoming more affordable, ensuring more homeowners and businesses can develop from the system.
Although WiFi 6 is the latest generation, there are already plans to introduce WiFi 6e, which will help to reduce congestion further by expanding WiFi 6 into the 6 GHz frequency alongside the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands it already uses.
While your current setup might be meeting your needs, it is important to remember that as you add more devices to your network and technology advances, you might be restricting their performance by keeping to 802.11AC. Upgrading to WiFi6 (802.11AX) should be seen as an investment in your future, ensuring you can always enjoy the best performance possible.
Looking to get your world connected?
Are you looking for the best WiFi network possible for a business or home? Here at The Universal IT Services, we know the importance of the right WiFi system for your home or workplace. Our highly experienced team providing IT Consulting / Network Support in Los Angeles and Orange County will work with you to create a bespoke solution that utilizes the latest technologies to ensure you are able to enjoy the fastest speeds and greatest connection possible.
With over a decade of experience, our engineers and technicians are fully certified by major vendors such as Cisco, Juniper, and Microsoft, and will always know the perfect solution for you. Want to find out more? Get in touch today!