Upgrade Your Home Network to Wi-Fi 6

The latest Wi-Fi technology can support faster speeds and more smart devices in your Bentonville home

Americans are using their home networks more than ever, making a robust and reliable network infrastructure no longer a luxury but rather a necessity. As you put strain on your bandwidth, you might notice slower speeds, dead zones, or even a connection that continually fails. These are all good signs that you need to upgrade to a better home network. But should you replace your home network with the newest technology, Wi-Fi 6? Read on to learn more about Wi-Fi 6 and how it will improve the home networking system in your Bentonville area home.

 

SEE ALSO: IS IT TIME FOR A HOME NETWORKING UPGRADE?

Meet Wi-Fi 6

The next generation of Wi-Fi is here. Wi-Fi 6 launched in 2020 and has become a popular topic in 2021. As the workforce moves from in-person to remote and students attend online classes, homeowners are looking for ways to upgrade their home network to support increased bandwidth use. The previous generation of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 5, operated on 3.5 Gbps. Wi-Fi 6, in contrast, can handle up to 9.6 Gbps. While you probably will never need a network that is this fast, as the average download speed is around one percent of that, Wi-Fi 6 can support more devices without slowing down your network.

More Devices, More Speed

When your router attempts to support too many devices at once, your system will overload and slow down your network. Wi-Fi 6 takes its 9.6 Gbps and divides it amongst all of your smart devices, ensuring that everything remains functional. A Wi-Fi 6 system uses OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) to send data to various devices simultaneously. The devices can regularly check in with the router instead of being always connected, allowing them to maintain their speed. Wi-Fi 6 uses MU-MMO, or "multiple-user, multiple-input, multiple-output," to support up to eight devices compared to Wi-Fi 5's four.

Is It Time For An Upgrade?

Homeowners might be wondering whether it is worth it to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6. Only devices created specifically to operate under Wi-Fi 6 can take advantage of it at its full capacity. This means that when you replace your router, your Wi-Fi 5 devices will still perform better, but not at “true” Wi-Fi 6 speeds. It isn’t recommended that you replace all of your devices simultaneously, but rather that you replace them over time as they naturally need to be replaced. Wi-Fi 6 offers many benefits besides speed over older Wi-Fi models. Upgrading brings you the new security protocol WPA3 that makes it harder for cybercriminals to target you and better device battery life as your devices schedule check-ins with the router rather than continuously communicating.

Are you interested in upgrading your home network? Our technology professionals at HomeTroniX can design and install a custom home networking system that perfectly fits your needs. Start today by calling us at (479) 439-8038 or filling out our online contact form.