How-tos

What Is It, and How Is It Different From Wi-Fi 6?


A cityscape with Wi-Fi icons.
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Wi-Fi 6 hardware is finally arriving on the market, and you’ll be seeing more and more of it released throughout 2020. But people are already talking about something new: Wi-Fi 6E, which promises to reduce Wi-Fi congestion further.

What Is Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6 and previous generations of Wi-Fi use the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands. A “Wi-Fi 6E” device is one that is capable of operating on the 6 GHz band, too.

The 6 GHz spectrum should work similarly to WiFi 6 over 5 GHz but offers additional non-overlapping channels. As the Wi-Fi Alliance puts it, Wi-Fi 6E allows for “14 additional 80 MHz channels and 7 additional 160 MHz channels.” These channels wouldn’t overlap with each other, which will help reduce congestion, particularly in areas where lots of networks are operating.

All the devices communicating on the 6 GHz spectrum would also be Wi-Fi 6 devices. There wouldn’t be any older devices using standards like Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). All devices on the 6 GHz channels will be speaking the same language and can use Wi-Fi 6’s new congestion-busting features.

In other words, Wi-Fi 6E is Wi-Fi 6 (also known as 802.11ax) over 6 GHz.

RELATED: Wi-Fi 6: What’s Different, and Why it Matters

Wi-Fi 6E Is Waiting on Regulatory Agencies

If 6 GHz is so useful, why didn’t existing Wi-Fi standards already use it? Well, they couldn’t. Regulatory agencies didn’t allow Wi-Fi to use the 6 GHz band, instead reserving it for other purposes.

Back in October 2018, the US Federal Communications Commission proposed offering the 6 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi and other “unlicensed” uses. This change hasn’t actually gone through as of January 2020, so Wi-Fi 6E devices can’t launch in the US yet. However, FCC chairman Ajit Pai says the FCC intends to offer this spectrum for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed services.

The Wi-Fi Alliance’s pre-CES 2020 announcement of Wi-Fi 6E acknowledges this, referring to 6 GHz as “an important portion of unlicensed spectrum that may soon be made available by regulators around the world.” Note the word “may” rather than the word “will”—it’s up to government regulators, not the industry.

When Will Wi-Fi 6E Hardware Be Available?

The FCC's headquarters in Washington, DC.
Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock.com

The Wi-Fi Alliance also says that “Wi-Fi 6E devices are expected to become available quickly following 6 GHz regulatory approvals.”

The industry seems eager for regulators to allow Wi-Fi 6. During CES 2020, Broadcom announced several system-on-a-chip products that router manufacturers can purchase to create Wi-Fi 6E-enabled access points.

However, despite all the excitement and interest, there’s still no official timeline for when regulators will make the spectrum available for unlicensed use. Hardware will likely be available soon after regulations change, but it’s unclear when that will happen. Wi-Fi 6E has no release date.

Wi-Fi Over 6 GHz Requires New Devices

Wi-Fi 6E devices will be backward compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and previous Wi-Fi standards. But, to take advantage of those new 6 GHz channels in Wi-Fi 6E, you’ll need to be using devices that support it. In other words, you’ll only be using Wi-Fi 6E once you pair a Wi-Fi 6E-enabled client device (like a laptop or smartphone) and a WI-Fi 6E-enabled access point.

For example, even if you have a bunch of Wi-Fi 6 devices and a Wi-Fi 6E-enabled router, none of your devices will communicate over Wi-FI 6E. They’ll all be using Wi-Fi 6 on the typical 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz channels.

RELATED: 5 GHz Wi-Fi Isn’t Always Better Than 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

Don’t Wait For Wi-Fi 6E…

In technology, there’s always something new on the horizon. For Wi-FI right now, that’s Wi-Fi 6E.

Some Wi-Fi 6 devices, like routers, laptops, smartphones, are already for sale. Many more will be released throughout 2020. Wi-Fi 6 isn’t an extreme upgrade in terms of speed, but it will lead to faster Wi-Fi along with less wireless congestion and perhaps even extended battery life for your devices.

Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6E isn’t here at all yet. There’s no definite deadline for when the regulations will be changed, enabling these devices to hit the market. Even after you can buy Wi-Fi 6E-enabled devices, the main benefit will be reduced congestion through additional wireless channels. That’s a great long-term goal, but we don’t think it’s worth holding out for if you’re thinking about upgrading to Wi-Fi 6 gear.

…But Don’t Rush to Buy Wi-Fi 6, Either

Of course, you don’t necessarily need to run out and buy a new Wi-Fi 6-enabled router today. Most of the devices you have likely don’t support Wi-Fi 6 yet.

For example, Apple’s iPhone 11 models do support Wi-Fi 6, but older iPhone models don’t. Even Apple’s new MacBook Pro models released at the end of 2019 don’t include Wi-Fi 6 support. New high-end Samsung phones like the Galaxy S10 have Wi-Fi 6 hardware, but most Android phones don’t. Only a handful of PC laptops support Wi-Fi 6. It’s very early days for Wi-Fi 6.

There’s a good chance that, over the next few years, new devices you purchase will increasingly have Wi-Fi 6. But you probably won’t get Wi-Fi 6E on those devices—just Wi-Fi 6. That’s fine. Wi-Fi 6E sounds nice, but it’s not here yet.


Note that the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi 6E is different from the 60 GHz band, which WiGig will take advantage of. Wi-Fi 6E’s 6 GHz will work similarly to Wi-Fi’s 5 GHz, while WiGig is ideal for faster data transfer rates over shorter distances.

RELATED: What is WiGig, and How Is It Different From Wi-Fi 6?





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