5 Reasons You Should Consider Upgrading to a WiFi 6 Router

ABHAY BHORKAR

Director of Product Management

If you’re suffering from buffering, make sure that your router is not the reason! Get on the super-fast highway with the fastest WiFi 6 technology. Designed to increase network capacity and improve the performance of your home network, WiFi 6 (802.11ax) is the latest generation of WiFi technology. It will empower you with faster WiFi speeds with reliable connections, so you can enjoy buffer-free streaming, faster downloads, and add more smart home devices without slowing down your internet experience.

Built to deliver the fastest WiFi to all your connected devices of today and tomorrow, here are the reasons why your next router should be a WiFi 6 router.

Update: In 2021 WiFi 6E launched, unlocking a new 6ghz WiFi band and supporting over 1 Gig internet plans. Learn more about WiFi 6E - 6 Ghz WiFi.

Update: Are you wondering about Wifi 7 vs wifi 6?

WiFi 6 provides the highest level of performance in busy multi-device households

The newest WiFi standard, WiFi 6, builds on the already great WiFi 5 (802.11ac) technology. While WiFi 5 brought gigabit speeds to our WiFi connections, it falls short on delivering the best WiFi experience as the smart home gets smarter with more devices on the network. WiFi 6 uses orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), a key feature which increases overall network efficiency to allow several devices with various bandwidth requirements to connect to your WiFi.

WiFi 6 provides the fastest real-world speeds and range

In WiFi technology, each frequency band (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) is made of component streams. It is on these streams that our WiFi data travels. WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 carry the highest number of streams, thus allowing for gigabit WiFi speeds. WiFi 6 increases the number of streams to a new high of 12 across the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, whereas WiFi 5 has a limit of 8 in a dual band configuration.

This increase of streams provides higher connection speed, and your client devices have more paths to communicate with your WiFi router. In fact, WiFi 6 enabled client devices enjoy a 40% increase in speed over their WiFi 5 counterparts.

WiFi 6 is designed for the Smart Home

Smart Home devices and IOT applications are proliferating. As a result, WiFi connected devices in the average home are growing from an average of 10 devices, to as many as 50 or more. Each WiFi-connected lightbulb, smart switch, door lock, appliance, or camera is a load on your WiFi network. WiFi 6 has been designed to be able to handle an increase in devices without negatively impacting your WiFi speeds. This results in a smooth streaming experience, while providing uninterrupted connectivity of lights, switches, thermostats and any other IOT device you may add to your smart home.

WiFi 6 routers are ideal for 4K/8K UHD streaming

Streaming 4K or 8K resolution video requires a consistent high-speed connection. In households with multiple users, streaming high-definition video puts an even greater load on the network. With a combination of ultra-fast processors, increased memory and the increased number of radio streams, WiFi 6 routers are up to the task of streaming multiple high definition video sessions without stuttering, buffering or other annoying hiccups you will see with older WiFi technology.

WiFi 6 clients are available now

WiFi 6 products are already here, so if you’ve bought the latest Samsung Galaxy smartphone (which is the first in the upcoming family of WiFi 6 smartphones with other tablets and laptops to follow), you’ll benefit from the faster WiFi speeds that the new NETGEAR WiFi 6 routers offer.

2019 will truly be a banner year for WiFi 6 enabled devices, as other mainstream companies are recognizing the importance of this latest WiFi technology and gearing up to present their WiFi 6 portfolio of products.