Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6:
What's the
difference and
should you wait
to upgrade?

You may have read discussions about Wi-Fi 6 speed and how it is a "big upgrade" against its predecessor, Wi-Fi 5. Some have gone so far as to suggest that Wi-Fi 6, combined with 5G, is "the future of business." After all, the speed and quality of your network is crucial not only to existing, critical communications and collaboration tools but also to a range of innovations such as IoT and edge computing. So, if you're currently evaluating whether to invest in a Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 deployment, you're not alone.

As with any new technology, you will get the most out of your investment from understanding its business benefits and examining how they align with your current goals and strategy. While the speed and potential of Wi-Fi 6 is impressive, it's possible your best business decision may be staying put with your current Wi-Fi 5 setup. Here are some critical items to think about to help you know how to decide.

First, let's look at both—and how they differ.

Wi-Fi 5 is the 5th generation of Wi-Fi. Better known as 802.11ac, this standard took capabilities from second generation Wi-Fi (like the ability to operate on a 5 GHz band and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing or "OFDM") and turned them toward the pressing need for the transfer of large files, such as file backups and video streaming type applications.

As the most recent generation of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) takes on challenges such as optimizing data rates, network efficiency and supporting a hybrid wired and wireless network infrastructure.

It's more than just a generational upgrade. Among the key features is a better way to meet shared speed and frequency capabilities. This is thanks to its superior ability to support a larger number of clients and devices at the same time. This is particularly crucial given the growth of workforce productivity, communications and collaboration tools.

Wi-Fi 6 offers several improvements over the performance of Wi-Fi 5. These include:

• Speed: Wi-Fi 6 can be 60% faster than Wi-Fi 5. Wi-Fi 5 consistently offers only four streams, or possibly eight under the best circumstances. By offering a more achievable path to eight, the potential maximum performance of Wi-Fi 6 speed is much higher.
• Better response times: OFDMA (Wi-Fi 6's version of OFDM) allows Wi-Fi 6 access points (APs) to connect to multiple clients at the same time. Wi-Fi 5 only allows for one client for each channel. The result is faster, more efficient simultaneous request response times.
• Improved data rates: Wi-Fi 6 has the goal of delivering a maximum of 9.6 Gbps throughput, compared with Wi-Fi 5's target of 6.9 Gbps. Wi-Fi 6 also supports more seamless communication through the use of bidirectional multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) technology for both uplink and downlink capabilities. Wi-Fi 5 only offers this on the downlink.
• Security: Wi-Fi 6 devices are required to support WPA3, so it's likely a good call if you're struggling with security challenges.

Wi-Fi 6 also supports features that enable higher bandwidth, alleviate traffic congestion, improve network efficiency and enable controls that improve battery life.

Legacy network platforms may struggle to take advantage of the new technology. The good news is that Wi-Fi 6 is backward-compatible with all other Wi-Fi standards back to 802.11b. Older devices can connect to new Wi-Fi 6 deployments; however, the performance and capabilities will only match what the wireless end device can handle. This means only your Wi-Fi 6-capable devices will be able to take advantage of the full benefits of Wi-Fi 6 speed and performance. It is worth noting the price of routers and other technology continues to come down.

The superior features of Wi-Fi 6 can help to facilitate a new era of business transformation, powering improvements in efficiency, productivity, collaboration and an improved end-user experience. When comparing Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6, the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 are certainly alluring.

Spurred by the growth in remote and hybrid work, the global video conferencing market is estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 11.4%—from $4.66 billion in 2021 to $9.95 billion in 2028, according to Research and Markets. Even if your organization is 100% in-person, you are still likely to require video conferencing for external communication and other important collaboration needs. Wi-Fi 6 can help to address the bandwidth and speed limitations that can impede the quality of bandwidth intensive and real time tools such as video conferencing.

Entertainment venues or transportation centers may struggle with a need for large numbers of connections from simultaneous devices. This can be compounded by bandwidth intensive applications, such as AR/VR headsets. OFDMA, MU-MIMO and built-in resource scheduling allows for an expansion of device density and reduction in network congestion in these types of environments.

Looking at Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6, it's important to note that Wi-Fi 6 could also be deployed as a 5G cellular on-ramp to improve in-building cellular coverage via a radio access network from appropriately placed Wireless LAN (WLAN) access points.

Whatever your industry or organization, the shift to IoT technology will profoundly impact your bandwidth requirements and capabilities. Wi-Fi 6 is particularly useful for battery-powered devices that don’t have requirements to regularly transmit or receive data. Edge computing use cases exist for almost any industry; here are just a few examples to think about:

• Sending alerts sourced from near-real-time monitoring about changes to conditions that could help to prevent accidents and injuries
• Improving management of pharmaceutical products by providing unprecedented per-unit visibility along the supply chain
• Enhancing product quality by creating precise models for comparative analysis that provide insight into manufacturing processes

Wi-Fi 6 makes it easier to take advantage of 5G and edge computing to connect people and things at the edge, in apps and through data in the cloud and enable control and action locally.