What is Wi-Fi 6E?

A good grasp of the naming scheme used for different generations of Wi-Fi standards is essential to answering the question: what is Wi-Fi 6E? When the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Wi-Fi 6, it simplified the naming system used for older generations of Wi-Fi standards. The new scheme names the 802.11ax standard as Wi-Fi 6, while 802.11ac, 802.11n and 802.11g became Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 3, respectively.

The most notable difference between Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 is the throughput speed. Wi-Fi 6 offers a maximum throughput speed of 9.6 Gbps compared to the maximum speed of 3.5 Gbps achievable by Wi-Fi 5. Other important differences between the two Wi-Fi generations are improved multi-user multiple-input, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) technology and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). The improved MU-MIMO of Wi-Fi 6 allows a router to communicate with up to eight devices simultaneously compared to the maximum of four devices possible with Wi-Fi 5. The orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) feature introduced with Wi-Fi 6 also allows a router to deliver data to multiple devices at once with a single transmission.

Another notable difference between Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 is target wake time (TWT). This schedules communication between connected devices and a router's Wi-Fi channels. TWT lowers power consumption and makes bandwidth usage more efficient. It can help extend the battery lives of mobile and smart home devices connected to a Wi-Fi network.

The next question to answer is: what is the difference between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E? In a nutshell, Wi-Fi 6 is a subset of Wi-Fi 6E (the E stands for extended). The Wi-Fi 6E standard offers everything Wi-Fi 6 provides and more. Wi-Fi 6E networks and devices can operate over 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, just like Wi-Fi 6 networks and devices. They can also transmit data over the 6 GHz band.

The 6 GHz band introduced by Wi-Fi 6E unlocks extra bandwidths of up to 1200 MHz, comprising 14 additional 80 MHz channels and 7 additional 160 MHz channels. These additional channels don't overlap and are, therefore, less prone to congestion. The channels transmit data using radio frequencies from 5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz, which is the Wi-Fi 6E frequency range.

Compared to Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E quadruples the number of channels available for data transmission. Specifically, the 6 GHz band has twice as many high-bandwidth (80 MHz and 160 MHz) channels as the 5 GHz band. Therefore, the total available Wi-Fi 6E bandwidth can accommodate a lot more devices, reduce latency and eliminate network congestion. Furthermore, the 160 MHz channels in the 6 GHz band are not in use. Therefore, Wi-Fi 6E routers don't need to scan that band for available channels to avoid interference from nearby TV stations and airport radars.

Note that the 6 GHz band is only available to devices with networking chips that support Wi-Fi 6E. Only those devices can enjoy the faster Wi-Fi 6E speed. Legacy devices that only support older Wi-Fi standards won't be able to use the 6 GHz band. This significantly reduces congestion in the new band and increases throughput for supported devices. Therefore, Wi-Fi 6E is ideal for crowded locations such as office buildings, apartment buildings, sports arenas and trade show floors. It significantly outperforms Wi-Fi 6 for densely populated areas with lots of users and client devices online at the same time. The wider channels, extra band, improved efficiency, lower latency and higher throughputs of Wi-Fi 6E also make it better for broadband-intensive applications such as VR experiences, online gaming, HD videoconferencing and 4K/8K streaming.

Besides a higher Wi-Fi 6E speed and bandwidth, the new standard is also more secure than Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) 3 is mandatory for Wi-Fi 6E devices. WPA3 is the latest Wi-Fi security and authentication standard. It uses more stringent encryption protocols than WPA and WPA2. Therefore, Wi-Fi 6E offers the most secured wireless traffic on its 6 GHz band.

Regular Wi-Fi 6 routers cannot take advantage of the 6 GHz band unlocked by Wi-Fi 6E. Shoppers looking to take advantage of the many benefits of the new wireless standard often ask, what devices support Wi-Fi 6E? Routers, computers, mobile devices, gaming consoles and smart home devices with Wi-Fi 6E chips are becoming increasingly available. Check product listings and boxes to confirm Wi-Fi 6E support when shopping for devices capable of taking advantage of the new standard.

It's a good idea to get a Wi-Fi 6E router, to future-proof your Wi-Fi network, even if none of your current devices support the wireless standard. Wi-Fi 6E routers are backward compatible with older Wi-Fi standards and support devices with Wi-Fi 3, 4, 5 and 6 chips even though these cannot use the 6 GHz band.

Compared to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, the 6 GHz band uses waves of shorter wavelengths for data transmission. Therefore, it has a shorter range and so, wireless signals delivering Wi-Fi 6E speeds cannot travel very far. Obstacles such as walls and floors can also easily block these Wi-Fi signals. It's possible to improve the short range of a Wi-Fi 6E router by using the 5 GHz band for long-range connections and also by installing repeaters or other Wi-Fi 6E routers to create a mesh network.

The availability of the 6 GHz band may also delay the global adoption and rollout of Wi-Fi 6E. Regulators are still waiting to allocate this band for Wi-Fi networks in most countries outside the United States. It's also possible that the 6 GHz band may be already allocated to other resources in some countries.

Learn everything you need to know about Wi-Fi 6E before buying your next router. Start by understanding the difference between Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6, and then discover how Wi-Fi 6E differs from Wi-Fi 6. Make the switch to Wi-Fi 6E to accommodate the increasing number of users and devices added to your wireless network. Experience ultrafast Wi-Fi 6E speeds on your newly supercharged network and confidently run multiple bandwidth-intensive applications at the same time.