Wi-Fi Alliance introduces Wi-Fi 6, the start of a Generic Naming Convention for Next-Gen 802.11ax Standard

Yesterday, Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Wi-Fi 6, the designation for devices that support the next generation of WiFi based on 802.11ax standard. Wi-Fi 6 is part of a new naming approach by Wi-Fi Alliance that provides users with an easy-to-understand designation for both the Wi-Fi technology supported by their device and used in a connection the device makes with a Wi-Fi network.

This marks the beginning of using generational names for certification programs for all major IEEE 802.11 releases. For instance, instead of devices being called 802.11ax compatible, they will now be called Wi-Fi Certified 6. As video and image files grow with higher resolution cameras and sensors, there is a need for faster transfer speeds and an increasing amount of bandwidth to transfer those files around a wireless network. Wi-Fi Alliance aims to achieve this goal with its Wi-Fi 6 technology.

Features of Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6 brings an improved user experience

It aims to address device and application needs in the consumer and enterprise environment.

Wi-Fi 6 will be used to describe the capabilities of a device

This is the most advanced of all Wi-Fi generations, bringing faster speeds, greater capacity, and coverage.

It will provide an uplink and downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) while increasing efficiency and lowering latency for high demand environments

Its 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation mode (1024-QAM) enables peak gigabit speeds for bandwidth-intensive use cases

Wi-Fi 6 comes with an improved medium access control (MAC) control signaling increases throughput and capacity while reducing latency

Increased symbol durations make outdoor network operations more robust

Support for customers and Industries

The new numerical naming convention will be applied retroactively to previous standards such as 802.11n or 802.11ac. The numerical sequence includes:

Wi-Fi 6 to identify devices that support 802.11ax technology

Wi-Fi 5 to identify devices that support 802.11ac technology

Wi-Fi 4 to identify devices that support 802.11n technology

This new consumer-friendly Wi-Fi 6 naming convention will allow users looking for new networking gear to stop focusing on technical naming conventions and focus on an easy-to-remember naming convention. The convention aims to show users at a glance if the device they are considering supports the latest Wi-Fi speeds and features. It will let consumers differentiate phones and wireless routers based on their Wi-Fi capabilities, helping them pick the device that is best suited for their needs. Consumers will better understand the latest Wi-Fi technology advancements and make more informed buying decisions for their connectivity needs.

As for manufacturers and OS builders of Wi-Fi devices, they are expected to use the terminology in user interfaces to signify the type of connection made. Some of the biggest names in wireless networking have expressed their views about the change in naming convention, including Netgear, CEVA, Marvell Semiconductor, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Intel, and many more.

"Given the central role Wi-Fi plays in delivering connected experiences to hundreds of millions of people every day, and with next-generation technologies like 802.11ax emerging, the Wi-Fi Alliance generational naming scheme for Wi-Fi is an intuitive and necessary approach to defining Wi-Fi’s value for our industry and consumers alike. We support this initiative as a global leader in Wi-Fi shipments and deployment of Wi-Fi 6, based on 802.11ax technology, along with customers like Ruckus, Huawei, NewH3C, KDDI Corporation/NEC Platforms, Charter Communications, KT Corp, and many more spanning enterprise, venue, home, mobile, and computing segments."
– Rahul Patel, senior vice president and general manager, connectivity and networking, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Beginning with Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi Alliance certification programs based on major IEEE 802.11 releases, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6™ certification, will be implemented in 2019. To know more about this announcement, head over to Wi-Fi Alliance’s official blog.

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