The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has confirmed that the ultra-speedy 6GHz Wi-Fi band has been opened up for unlicensed use, boosting the performance ceiling for future home routers.
The 6GHz Wi-Fi band was previously limited to licensed use, ensuring stability for the likes of radio stations. But now the FCC is confident that the Wi-Fi band is ready for public use, it has voted in favour of opening it up to unlicensed users.
Relaated: What is 6GHz Wi-Fi?
Since 6GHz Wi-Fi is capable of 160MHz transmission speeds, it looks to offer double the performance of the 5GHz band which is limited to an 80MHz performance.
The new Wi-Fi band will also reportedely see reduced latency, resulting in a more stable connection so you’re less likely to get random dropouts when video chatting or playing games online.
There is one drawback to the new 6GHz Wi-Fi band though, as it has reduced range compared to the current 5GHz and 2GHz alternatives. This means you’ll potentially need multiple satellites connected to your router in order to ensure a good Wi-Fi connection in all corners of your home.
Related: What is Wi-Fi 6?
In order to start using the new 6Ghz Wi-Fi band, you’ll need to make sure you have a router with ‘Wi-Fi 6e’ support – this is not to be confused with Wi-Fi 6, which is limited to 5GHz.
The devices connecting to the router will also need to support W-Fi 6e, which is a big stumbling block since current consumer devices aren’t compatible. Smartphones will likely adopt support in the near future, followed closely by laptops, but the likes of game consoles will probably lag behind, especially when you consider they’re yet to even make the jump to Wi-Fi 6.
So while it might be disappointing we won’t be able to take advantage of the new Wi-Fi right away, it’s still exciting that technology brands now have the green light to start producing products with Wi-Fi 6e support.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.