× Introducing the Orbi 970 Series Mesh System with WiFi 7 technology. For more information visit the NETGEAR Press Room.
Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973

WiFi 6 Frequently Asked Questions

Dustin_V
NETGEAR Employee Retired

WiFi 6 Frequently Asked Questions

10.24-chp-com.png

 

What is WiFi 6?10.24-chp-inline1.png
WiFi 6, or 802.11ax, is the latest WiFi standard designed to improve your WiFi experience and meet the growing demands of WiFi by
increasing performance and connected capacity. Where previous standards addressed and improved WiFi speeds, WiFi 6’s focus is more on alleviating capacity and congestion.

 

Significant key features include

  • Delivering up to 4X connected capacity than previous generations
  • Up to 12 simultaneous WiFi streams providing more speeds & range
  • Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access, or OFDMA, which significantly increases efficiency by delivering and receiving data to and from multiple devices at the same time

 

What does the term “WiFi 6” Mean?

802.11ax’s naming convention of WiFi 6 is the WiFi Alliance’s answer to provide users with an easy to understand designation of WiFi technology. Previous generations will also receive such designations to indicate those generations and technology. Here’s a breakdown of the numerical sequence:

 

WiFi 6 – Identifies 802.11ax technology

WiFi 5 – Identifies 802.11ac technology

WiFi 4 – Identifies 802.11n technology

 

What is OFDMA?

OFDMA enables your router and devices to use your bandwidth more efficiently by reducing the time between data transmissions. As a result, more bandwidth is available for other devices.

10.24-chp-inline4.pngWhat is Connected Capacity?

Connected capacity refers to the number of devices connected to your WiFi network. With previous generations, as more and more devices connected, performance of you network would tend to degrade due to the amount of data being transferred between your router and devices. By increasing connected capacity, WiFi 6 routers are able to handle 4X the number of devices from previous generations.

 

When Will WiFi 6 End Devices be Available?10.24-chp-inline5.png
Today’s end devices that support WiFi 6 range from smart phones, to laptops, to WiFi cards. Industry leaders like Samsung and Apple both
introduced their Samsung S10 and iPhone 11 lineups with WiFi 6 support. Additional companies that have announced WiFi 6 support for their products include Intel, Lenovo, Acer, Alienware, HP, MSI and more.

 

Message 1 of 1
Top Contributors
Discussion stats
  • 0 replies
  • 57303 views
  • 4 kudos
  • 1 in conversation
Announcements

Orbi WiFi 7