802.11ax is the sixth version of the 802.11 standard — hence Wi-Fi 6 — used to carry wireless networking. It is not a new medium but an upgraded standard that lets devices transmit more efficiently.
Technical improvements
The standard supports up to 10 Gbps and works on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. With 160 MHz channel width, throughput is twice that of Wi-Fi 5.
The main benefits
What Wi-Fi 6 brings
- Security: WPA3 protects connections more strongly
- Longer battery: Target Wake Time saves device power
- Better in crowds: at least four times the speed in dense areas
On the hardware side, vendors such as Asus, Netgear and Huawei began shipping Wi-Fi 6 routers early, and the client ecosystem followed quickly.
