Although WiFi 6 currently accounts for the majority of home WiFi router sales, new wireless data standards are also on the rise. WiFi Alliance launched its WiFi 6E in 2020. Considering its name, WiFi 6E seems a bit more advanced than WiFi 6. You’re probably wondering how the two compare to each other. Here we will discuss the main attributes that differentiate the two. Let’s read.
If your company’s wireless infrastructure currently relies on 802.11ac as the wireless standard, you’re probably looking to upgrade soon. After all, this standard was released almost 10 years ago in his 2013, and the world has changed a lot since then. For those who don’t know, the IEEE recently changed the naming convention we’ve been accustomed to since 802.11 was introduced in 1997. Without going back too far, 802.11g became known as WiFi 3, 802.11n as WiFi 4, and 802.11ac as WiFi 5. This means that WiFi 6 will be the next successor and will come before WiFi 7. WiFi 6 debuted in his 2019, and late last year his WiFi 6e was released as a technological enhancement to the WiFi 6 standard. So what’s the difference? Which standard should I upgrade to?
Understand the difference between WiFi 6 and WiFi 6e
Both have improved security
Both standards have a lot in common, and from a security perspective, there are few differences. Both standards utilize WPA3, which was released in 2018. Note that WiFi 5 uses WPA2 by default dating back to 2004. One notable improvement in WPA3 over its predecessor is that it is much more resistant to dictionary attacks. If you protect your wireless connection with a pre-shared key (PSK), WPA and his WPA2 allow a hacker to throw thousands of passwords at you from a pre-compiled list until they hit. Networks that use a minimum number of characters and do not follow basic complexity requirements are susceptible to attacks.
WPA3 prevents this by replacing PSK authentication with a new technology called Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE). Unlike PSK, SAE does not transmit passphrases between WiFi devices during the exchange, so each device is limited to one password guess per authentication cycle. This significantly increases the time required for dictionary attacks. Of course, better technology doesn’t make sense if you still insist on using passphrases like “password123” or “qwerty”. For customers currently using WPA2 Enterprise, WPA has increased the length of encryption keys from 128 bits to 192 bits for increased security.
Another great feature of both standards is that they utilize something called Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE). Providing wireless access to unknown customers and guests has always been a challenge. To encrypt a connection using PSK, you need to somehow convey your passphrase to the other party, which is no small feat. However, while open access is convenient, it has exposed wireless environments to man-in-the-middle attacks. Here, the attacker intercepts her four-way handshake process of an unencrypted connection and tricks the user into connecting to a rogue wireless router. Open wireless sessions are also susceptible to packet sniffing. OWE offers the best of both worlds. It provides the convenience of an open wireless connection while encrypting session traffic using a private key that end users don’t need to know.
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Both offer better performance than WiFi 5
WiFi 6 and WiFi 6e offer significant improvements over WiFi 5 when it comes to speed, performance, and efficiency. First, WiFi 5 only supported 5 GHz, so devices that only supported 2.4 GHz had to connect using WiFi 4. 5 GHz, on the other hand, offers better performance. Because the bandwidth is narrower than 2.4 GHz, the coverage area is smaller, so 2.4 GHz is still required to connect distant devices. WiFi 6 and 6e support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, giving client devices the flexibility to choose great options. Other advantages of WiFi 6 and WiFi 6e over WiFi 5 include:
- Both have a maximum throughput of 9.6 GB, while WiFi 5’s maximum throughput is only 3.5 GB.
- Both have Targeted Wake Time (TWT) functionality, which allows the device to determine when it typically wakes up to send and receive data. This reduces power consumption and extends battery life for wireless devices.
- While WiFi 5 only allowed one user per channel, the new replacement allows up to 30 users on a single channel.
- Both support up to eight MU-MIMO beams simultaneously, but WiFi 5 supports only four, allowing you to connect more devices at the same time.
Ultimately, no matter which standard you upgrade to, more devices will be able to connect to your access point at faster speeds and more bandwidth. So what does WiFi 6e mean?
A major differentiator unique to WiFi 6e
Both standards support 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, but WiFi 6e is better at one than the other. This is the only wireless standard that supports the new 6 GHz frequency band. Therefore, a WiFi 6e device can operate within its dedicated area, thereby bypassing the other two overused bands. This allows it to operate without interference from noisy legacy devices that still rely on legacy protocols. WiFi is exclusive to wireless devices, so you don’t have to worry about interference from other devices like microwaves. Think of WiFi 6e as a commuter or toll lane on an interstate, giving commuters a dedicated lane to bypass others congesting the freeway during rush hour. In this case, all he needs is a wireless client that supports WiFi 6e.
The new 6GHz band was created for today’s wireless workloads. It offers 59 additional 20 MHz channels and 29 additional 40 MHz channels. The supported multi-gigabit, low-latency connections make it ideal for 4K and 8K streaming, making it ideal for virtual reality applications and high-definition video conferencing sessions. Although 6 GHz can’t reach 2.4 GHz yet, WiFi 6e access points are equipped with three radios that cover all three frequencies, allowing distant devices to connect using 2.4 GHz if needed. Masu. Although WiFi 6 supports WPA3 and OWE, these security protocols are mandatory for all certified devices operating in the 6 GHz frequency, ensuring a minimum level of security.
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One caveat
There is one small drawback to WiFi 6e, but it’s only temporary. Several WiFi 6e access points are currently available on the market, but very few clients still support the new protocol, which is only a few months old. But that will soon change. WiFi 6e infrastructure devices are backwards compatible with WiFi 6, WiFi 5, and even older devices, so you can support your wireless fleet today while preparing for the inevitable future.
conclusion
Upgrading your wireless infrastructure to the WiFi 6 standard improves the security and performance of your wireless environment, but maximizing your upgrade intent by completely moving to WiFi 6e, which offers 1,200 MHz of new spectrum I can. The exclusivity of the 6 GHz frequency band and mandated security make WiFi 6e a logical choice for anyone looking to migrate from their current WiFi 5 environment.
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