WiFi 6 Routers | NETGEAR (2024)

FAQs

Is it worth to buy a Wi-Fi 6 router? ›

Faster Speeds and Longer Range

At the same time, WiFi 6 operates with up to 75% less latency than WiFi 5. This is massively beneficial and is probably why many users upgrade their setup to WiFi 6. WiFi 6 offers better coverage and range, meaning your network can reach more areas in your home or office.

WiFi 6 provides the fastest real-world speeds and range

WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 carry the highest number of streams, thus allowing for gigabit WiFi speeds. WiFi 6 increases the number of streams to a new high of 12 across the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, whereas WiFi 5 has a limit of 8 in a dual band configuration.

WiFi 6 is widely adopted, with many devices, including smartphones, laptops, routers, and smart home devices, already supporting the standard. This means that most users can already benefit from the improved performance and efficiency of WiFi 6 without having to upgrade all of their devices.

Concrete and brick walls are far thicker than wood and dry walls, meaning Wi-Fi signals must penetrate the harder surfaces, weakening the signal strength. If the device you're using, the Wi-Fi 6, has a bigger distance from the router, Wi-Fi 6 will find it difficult to penetrate the walls better.

But investing in Wi-Fi 7 gear is a lot more complicated than it may seem, as those speedy connections, blazing though they may be, aren't the only factor. The truth is that Wi-Fi 7 really doesn't matter for most people who own phones, laptops, and smart devices in early 2024.

WiFi 6 routers are 100% backwards compatible with WiFi 5 and older WiFi devices. While you may not get to experience WiFi 6 from day one, you can make sure that your network is ready for new devices with WiFi 6 sooner than later.

Wi-Fi 6 has a max speed of 9.6 Gbps.

Still, Wi-Fi 6 will be much faster, and you will notice the difference in busy environments with many devices connected. Along with faster Gbps, Wi-Fi 6 also uses more subcarriers, so data gets sent more quickly and more efficiently. For most of us, pure speed isn't the problem.

Range: Both WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 can cover a certain distance from the router before the signal weakens. However, WiFi 6 can offer a slightly better range due to its improved handling of interference and congestion. The max capacity of WiFi 5 is 20-25 meters, while WiFi 6 is 45 meters.

If you don't have a Wi-Fi 6 router already, you might need to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 for these reasons: Too many devices. The more devices you have, the more congested your network. If your router's hooked up to multiple laptops, phones, tablets, and smart TVs, you'll definitely benefit from a Wi-Fi 6 connection.

How many devices can connect to Wi-Fi 6? ›

In Wi-Fi 6, 8×8 MU MIMO technology is used. This can handle up to eight devices connected and actively using the wireless LAN without any interference.

Most modern devices, including smartphones, laptops, and tablets, are already WiFi 6 compatible. However, if you have older devices that only support WiFi 5, they can still connect to a WiFi 6 network, but they won't be able to take full advantage of the improved speed and performance.

The short answer is: Both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E are based on the 802.11ax standard. Wi-Fi 6 uses the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, while Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band, offering faster speeds and less interference in busy areas.

WiFi won't become obsolete anytime soon. Even though 5G is faster than WiFi, that speed is shared across your entire neighborhood, so if everyone is using it, it won't be faster.

Speed. Both Wi-Fi 6 and 5G can theoretically provide gigabit speeds, which are often more than enough for most businesses. In a controlled environment, Wi-Fi 6 can achieve 9.6 Gbps while 5G can do up to 20 Gbps. In most cases, 5G will be faster but not all 5G is created equally.

Wi-Fi 6 has a max speed of 9.6 Gbps.

Still, Wi-Fi 6 will be much faster, and you will notice the difference in busy environments with many devices connected. Along with faster Gbps, Wi-Fi 6 also uses more subcarriers, so data gets sent more quickly and more efficiently. For most of us, pure speed isn't the problem.

Wi-Fi 6 can achieve higher data transfer speeds through a variety of techniques, starting with more efficient data encoding and intelligent use of the wireless spectrum made possible by more powerful processors. Wi-Fi 6 can result in up to 75% less latency.