Everybody is talking about WiFi 6. It’s the latest and the greatest, so I should get it, right?
In a nutshell …
No, probably not … at least not just yet.
The Detail Containing the Devil
WiFi 6, officially known as 802.11ax, is the latest WiFi standard, that is true.
WiFi 6 is the way of the future, that is also true.
WiFi 6 will do wonders for environments with dense WiFi device populations, again, true.
But what is not talked about very much is:
- WiFi 6 is still quite new
- WiFi 6-capable devices are still relatively few and far between
- there are potential compatibility issues when operating WiFi 6 routers with attached WiFi 3, 4 or 5 devices
The real drawcard for an upgrade will be WiFi 6E (the ‘E’ is important) which will give access to the 6GHz spectrum.
At the time of writing (September 2021), both Australian and New Zealand regulators were still “considering” allowing the use of the 6GHz spectrum for WiFi.
While 6GHz spectrum access might already be a “done deal” in the USA, Canada, Europe and the UK there is no guarantee that Australia and/or New Zealand will follow suit.
In summary …
My recommendation is:
- save yourself some cash (bleeding edge technology always comes at a premium price)
- wait for WiFi 6E to get sorted out, stabilised and gain an established installed base
- let somebody else be the version 1.0 guinea pig
Why? Because, at the moment, without an upgrade to pretty much every WiFi device you own (eek!), WiFi 6 doesn’t buy you much more than bragging rights.