The Wi-Fi technology and industry have witnessed a massive evolution in the last few years. Right now, the buzzing Wi-Fi technology is known as Wi-Fi 6 or IEEE 802.11ax. Reportedly, it has improved performance and efficiency. What about the 802.11 ax range?
Experts have found that this Wi-Fi iteration can deliver a better range compared to Wi-Fi 5 or other previous generations’ technologies. Let’s check out how 802.11ax stands out and makes a difference in Wi-Fi use.
IEEE 802.11ax: A Brief Introduction
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) publicly released the 802.11ax Wi-Fi protocol in 2019. This is called the next-generation Wi-Fi 6 technology and has got some serious improvements to its predecessor, Wi-Fi 5. On the other hand, IEEE has implemented high-efficiency wireless technology to extend the 802.11 ax range, data rates, and other characteristics.
Additionally, it enhances the high-efficiency operation within the bands’ range between 1GHz and 6GHz. Thus, you will get higher capacity and speed due to increased efficiency, scalability, and flexibility. Let’s learn more about the 802.11 ax range and how it differs from 802.11ac or Wi-Fi 5.
How has the 802.11 ax Range been Improved?
IEEE 802.11ac can operate within the range of 5GHz only. However, the 802.11 ax range can operate both in 2.4GHz as well as 5GHz frequency bands. Besides the frequency bandwidth advantages, 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 delivers better range and coverage than 802.11ac or Wi-Fi 5.
So far, the 802.11 ax range in feet still needs to be precisely confirmed for both indoor and outdoor coverage. However, some sources demand that the 802.11 ax range in meters is 240 metres. Whereas Wi-Fi 5 offers a coverage range of up to 150 feet. On a contrary note, the range of WLAN networks relies on the following factors, such as:
- Wall thickness
- Wall materials
- House structure
- Environmental conditions
You can expect an improved range since the hardware deployed in Wi-Fi 6 standards is boosted. Moreover, Wi-Fi 6 combats interference and also helps in
Providing max performance in dense networks.
However, the improved range is one of many reasons why you should switch to 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6. This current Wi-Fi technology brings more perks to make your Wi-Fi experience smoother than ever.
Pros of Switching to 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) from 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)
For solid reasons, most organisations and commercial vendors have already shifted towards 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6. Indeed, Wi-Fi 6 has eliminated a handful of network issues found in the WLAN networks with Wi-Fi 5. Here’s why you should care about 802.11 ax range, speed, and efficiency:
Bi-Directional MU-MIMO
Wi-Fi 5 or 802.11ac supports Multiple Users Multiple Input Multiple Output in wave2 clients and routers. However, this is uni-directional and works for downlinks only. Now, 802.11ax supports bi-directional MU-MIMO. And, the bi-directional MU-MIMO covers up to 8 simultaneous users in an uplink direction from the client to the router.
Nowadays, home networks have to deal with enormous uplink traffic. For example, they require strong and simultaneous uplink traffic for the following activities:
- Sharing videos and photos to social media platforms
- Streaming video from local security cameras to the cloud storage
- Uploading backup data to the cloud
Not to mention, the bi-directional MU-MIMO will help distribute the traffic efficiently. Consequently, users will experience a more seamless and faster Wi-Fi upload.
Speed
A single 802.11ax stream can deliver a bandwidth of up to 3.5Gbps. Since there are 4×4 MIMO streams, the overall theoretical bandwidth offered by Wi-Fi 6 is 14Gbps which is impressive. This maximum speed is almost 4 times faster than 802.11ac or Wi-Fi 5 standards.
However, you might need help to get this theoretically calculated 802.11 ax range and speed due to some mitigating factors. For instance, your Wi-Fi devices should be capable of connecting to a Wi-Fi 6 router. Your client devices should also support the 4×4 MIMO concept to offer such a high data transfer rate.
Therefore, you can expect faster data transmission and almost zero lags for the actions below:
- Downloading HD video games for your gaming consoles
- Streaming high-quality content and video on Netflix, Spotify, etc
- Playing online 4K video games
- Building a smart home with diverse household appliances with no latency
Reception
For 802.11ax standards, the operating frequency band has moved to the 5GHz one. Thus, it will reduce contention for the 2.4GHz band and associated household appliances. On the other hand, you might be thinking that relying on the 5GHz band might affect the 802.11 ax range.
Well, it’s not because IEEE has designed it for high resiliency. Hence, Wi-Fi 6 or 802.11ax standards will deliver strong and resilient performance even if you consider a Wi-Fi-dense area. Moreover, you can assign client devices to 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands to eliminate the crowd and increase efficiency.
Noteworthy Features of 802.11ax
By now, you have seen how 802.11ax Wi-Fi standards are advantageous over the most used Wi-Fi 5 standards or 802.11ac. It introduces a wide range of new features, and they have solved many existing issues on wireless networks. Here’s what you should know about the brand-new features of 802.11ax:
Target Wake Time
Surprisingly, Wi-Fi 6 takes care of your mobile devices’ batteries and their utilisation. The Target Wake Time or TWT enhancement assists mobile devices in extending their battery life. It works by improving those devices’ wake efficiency and sleep cycle.
Thus, the Wi-Fi network standard can maintain connections with mobile devices even when inactive. On a contrary note, the older Wi-Fi version consumed much battery life from connected mobile devices even though they were inactive.
OFDMA or Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access
This technology arrived in the industry with the rise of 4G LTE mobile communication. And now, 802.11 ax range uses it too. OFDMA implies that every connected client to the access point or Wi-Fi router uses a sub-channel across the prime Wi-Fi channel.
Hence, this ensures that multiple client devices can simultaneously send data to or receive data from the connected Wi-Fi router. In addition, a particular device doesn’t have to wait in a queue for its turn while another device is channelling.
Moreover, there will be no collision in the physical wireless channel. Thus, 802.11ax standards can allow multiple clients to use the wireless network efficiently simultaneously.
160MHz Bandwidth Channels
802.11ac standards also support 160MHz channels and so do 802.11ax Wi-Fi standards. Still, you are supposed to get a boosted data throughput by almost 25% with Wi-Fi 6. The credit goes to implementing 1024 QAM modulation along with the 160MHz bandwidth channels.
With such a higher frequency, you can expect more data transfer rates with the 802.11ax Wi-Fi protocol. However, you must own compatible client devices to support Wi-Fi 6 standards to achieve such speedy data transfer.
Reusing Spatial Frequency
As you already know, 802.11ax Wi-Fi standards can work very well in RF-dense environments. How does 802.11 ax frequency do that? RF-dense areas mean multiple devices connect to the same access point within the same WLAN network.
On the other hand, interference of multiple access points, such as Wi-Fi routers, modems, etc., in the same area can disturb your data transmission. For example, you and your neighbour use wireless routers in the same frequency spectrum.
Hence, your laptop, smartphone, or tablet might receive interference from your neighbour’s client devices. No doubt, it will affect your communication quality. This generally happens in dense neighbourhoods, multi-apartment buildings, and so on.
IEEE has designed 802.11ax standards to tackle this situation with Spatial Frequency Reuse. This advanced feature adjusts the power output of devices and allows simultaneous transmissions for your and your neighbour’s devices. Thus, there won’t be a collision or interference between devices, and everyone can use Wi-Fi networks seamlessly.
What’s More?
Undoubtedly, 802.11ax standards are the best iteration till now. Besides 802.11ax range, speed, and loaded features, IEEE has seriously changed its security aspects. Now, Wi-Fi 6 protocol uses the WPA3 security standard, a better version than WPA2.
WPA3 adds a 192-bit security suite, individualised data encryption, simple connection among devices without display, brute-force attack protection, and more. However, you should have suitable devices to reap the benefits of 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 protocol. So, check your devices’ compatibility before investing in a Wi-Fi 6 router.
