WiFi 6: a tangible reality

We were delighted to attend the Big Dogs conference in Munich earlier this month. It was a two-and-a-half day event organised by Ruckus, one of our key strategic partners, which specialises in high-performance WiFi technology like access points and routers. Ultimately, Ruckus helps power the development of converged wired and wireless networks for enterprises and service providers.

Ruckus recently made history by announcing the development of Ruckus Networks R750, the world’s first WiFi 6-certified access point, making this a hugely exciting time for Curve IT to be partnering with the firm. In other words, WiFi 6 is finally becoming a reality.

Let’s take a closer look at what this means.

What is WiFi 6?

WiFi 6 is the latest evolution in WiFi standards – the last, WiFi 5, was released over five years ago. WiFi 6 uses OFDMA – Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access – which breaks down the signal into sub-carriers and scheduling. In practice, this means that low-data-rate transmission can take place from several users at the same time – and so many devices can be connected simultaneously without a drop in WiFi speed and performance.

As such, whilst WiFi 6 can technically increase client device speeds by nearly four times compared with WiFi 5, its really transformative impact is in relation to efficiency. It optimises network capacity and improves performance in busy environments. It can also extend battery life of individual devices.

Ultimately, even the most ultra-dense indoor environments will enjoy high-speed connectivity across all devices, making WiFi 6 a powerful innovation for business across a range of sectors. Whether you’re running a growing business with employees using multiple devices simultaneously, developing a complex IoT ecosystem, or running an environment with large numbers of visitors frequently arriving and leaving, like an events space, WIFi 6 should have a hugely positive impact. 

The importance of access points

However, to harness all these benefits, organisations need to install access point such as routers which are able to connect a diverse set of client devices – from simple IoT sensors which require low power and low latency, through to devices running high-performance applications like 4K video streaming or artificial intelligence solutions. This is where Ruckus’s new access point comes in.

Crucially, WiFi 6 is backwards-compatible, so by installing WiFi 6 access points organisations will not be rendering their WiFi 5 devices obsolete. Rather, they will be putting the foundations in place for a next-generation approach to wireless networking.

High-speed, high-bandwidth internet connectivity is going to be a critical element in business operations over the coming years. From simply keeping employees, partners, visitors and customers connected, to gathering IoT data from across the organisation, to running high-performance, next-generation applications, all will be powered by effective WiFi infrastructures. WiGi 6 will be genuinely transformative, and we are excited to be working alongside one of the giants in the industry.

To learn more about how you could harness WiFi 6 in your organisation, get in touch with us today.