Well, until we get to WiFi 259.
Kidding aside, the new naming system does make sense.
Edit: After reading some posts here, does it really....Hmmmm, don't know....
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Wi-Fi Alliance Simplifies Wi-Fi Naming Scheme With Upcoming 'Wi-Fi 6' Release
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Well, until we get to WiFi 259.
Kidding aside, the new naming system does make sense.
Edit: After reading some posts here, does it really....Hmmmm, don't know....
-partially regurgitated by Abrams
-spun around crazily and sparkled up with particle effects by Abrams
-just, you know, sort of jazzed up a bit by Abrams
-not sure what to do with by Abrams
-o god help us no by Abrams
...do seem more appropriate.
[doublepost=1538595422][/doublepost]• 802.11b - WiFi
The Wi-Fi Alliance, dedicated to developing new wireless networking standards, is planning to make Wi-Fi naming simpler with the upcoming launch of the newest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ax.
802.11ax will be known as "Wi-Fi 6," making it easier for Wi-Fi users to understand the difference between 802.11ax, 802.11ac, and 802.11n.
With the launch of Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ac will be known as "Wi-Fi 5," while 802.11n will be known as "Wi-Fi 4."Wi-Fi 6 will introduce higher data rates, increased capacity, better performance in dense environments like concerts and sporting events, and improved power efficiency so Wi-Fi won't eat up as much battery on future devices.
In 802.11ax tests, speeds of up to 4.8Gbit/s over the 5GHz band have been reached. In demonstrations at CES, speeds maxed out at 11Gbit/s.
The new capabilities being introduced are outlined below, as specified by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
[*]Uplink and downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) increases efficiency and lowers latency for high demand environments
[*]1024 quadrature amplitude modulation mode (1024-QAM) enables peak gigabit speeds for emerging, bandwidth-intensive use cases
[*]Improved medium access control (MAC) control signaling increases throughput and capacity while reducing latency
[*]Increased symbol durations make outdoor network operations more robust
Wi-Fi 6 is expected to provide performance improvements to smart home setups with multiple Internet of Things devices, as well as businesses and those running large-scale deployments. The Wi-Fi 6 standard is expected to be finalized next year.
Article Link: Wi-Fi Alliance Simplifies Wi-Fi Naming Scheme With Upcoming 'Wi-Fi 6' Release
• 802.11a - WiFi 3G
• 802.11g - WiFi 8
• 802.11n - WiFi X (Ten)
• 802.11ac - WiFi XS
• 802.11ax - WiFi XS Fast
Huh, WTF... that crap router, horrible design (Taste) and unstable firmware, yes, if you put custom firmware on it, it will be much improved.
Bought one a decade or so ago (don't know the exact year) and returned it after just one day, got an Apple one which was sooo much better.
Get a Ubiquiti system for stability and performance.
Are we starting a pool on how long it takes Netgear or Linksys or ??? to begin advertising their wifi routers as being Wi-Fi 6 EXTREME or 6+PLUS or, heaven forbid Wi-Fi 4+5+6 = Wi-Fi 15 ?
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Everyone saying consumers still won’t understand is missing the point
Any regular consumer will be able to tell that Wifi 6 is newer than 5 but they wouldn’t be able to tell that 802.11n is older than 802.11ac
Any regular consumer will be able to tell that Wifi 6 is newer than 5 but they wouldn’t be able to tell that 802.11n is older than 802.11ac
My experience with WiFi on the 5GHz band has always been poor. Shorter range and worse connectivity than the 2.4 GHz band. Has this been improved at all?
Does it matter if you have more access points or live in a moderate Appt as me, I have good reception everywhere, I must say though I have a Ubiquiti Unifi Pro AC which is both stable and has good range.
Nope, people will just favor one naming convention over the other. Just like when Apple introduced FireWire as a standard, but the PC side decided the name was too cool so the adopted the bland IEEE 1394 name. No one used the IEEE 1394 naming convention. Or when Thunderbolt went by the name Light Peak as well. Of course no one calls it Light Peak anymore.
My only fear is that of unintended consequences.
With IEEE in charge of the WiFi spec 802.11ac, for example - everything is clearly spelled out and controlled.
Who determines what WiFi 6 is? Who controls and has ultimate responsibility for specifications, compliance and "compatibility" (which are NOT synonyms).
I hope we don't wind up with companies telling us that they have 4G/5G/6G that isn't even CLOSE to the specification; and the major carriers are the greatest offenders. I doubt anyone that is sporting a "5G" Connection is getting anywhere the specs. The simulation predicts 490 Mbit/s median speeds for a common configuration of 3.5 GHz 5G Massive MIMO. It predicts a 1.4 Gbit/s median speed for a configuration using 28 GHz millimeter waves.
And with 5G still unmet, we are hearing that 6G is just "around the corner". The fact is that 5G is more of a marketing ploy rather than a hard set of specifications.
With IEEE in charge of the WiFi spec 802.11ac, for example - everything is clearly spelled out and controlled.
Who determines what WiFi 6 is? Who controls and has ultimate responsibility for specifications, compliance and "compatibility" (which are NOT synonyms).
I hope we don't wind up with companies telling us that they have 4G/5G/6G that isn't even CLOSE to the specification; and the major carriers are the greatest offenders. I doubt anyone that is sporting a "5G" Connection is getting anywhere the specs. The simulation predicts 490 Mbit/s median speeds for a common configuration of 3.5 GHz 5G Massive MIMO. It predicts a 1.4 Gbit/s median speed for a configuration using 28 GHz millimeter waves.
And with 5G still unmet, we are hearing that 6G is just "around the corner". The fact is that 5G is more of a marketing ploy rather than a hard set of specifications.
...at least it makes it so that the newer protocol has the higher number.
However, probably a mistake to start referring to the "old" protocols by number. Make a fresh start with "6"...
I don't see that they've announced a new standard--just a new naming convention. It's really irrelevant to the technology.
I don't mind this naming scheme which make it easier to differentiate. The alpha designation didn't make much sense but it should have been in order.
I agree with you. I have the latest modem/router from Verizon and they state improved signal at distance of up to 325 ft. I would go outside my house and no further than 30 ft away and I don't get full bars. Even when I am inside and less than 20 ft, my signal may fluctuate.
C'mon, that's either incredibly naive or intentionally obtuse. The worst AC router in existence will blow away a WRT54G, and there are plenty as reliable. The Apple models, for one...
The first question I'd ask is why you're looking to switch in the first place. I have an almost identical wired/wireless Apple setup (1x AC, 4x N) in my house and I just can't find a good reason to change anything even though I'm using 'old' technology. Hard wiring the Apple routers creates a pretty good impression of a mesh network, and I just don't do anything that needs more speed.
Do none of the mesh options have base units with Ethernet ports? Do any of them support being hardwired?
Worst case, you could always use a wireless bridge to connect the Ethernet devices to the wireless network, but I always view wireless as inferior to wired anyway, so you'd kind of be going backwards.
Now if only Apple would change their damn minds and release a new Time Capsule with at least a draft version later on. I will be really sad to let mine go. It's the perfect router/time machine backup combo. I would rarely backup up my machine if I had to connect an external drive every time I wanted to do a backup.
