WiFi 6E Advancements

IEEE 802.11ax (also known as Wi-Fi 6) is a wireless networking standard that is designed, theoretically, to support data rates of up to 10 Gbps. This high data rate is achieved through a combination of factors.

Use of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA): OFDMA is a multiple access technique that allows multiple devices to transmit data at the same time on different subcarriers. This allows the access point (AP) to efficiently use the available bandwidth and improve the overall data rate. 

The next major improvement was is part to the improvement of the encoding standard used for AP to station communication. Increasing from 256-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) to 1024-QAM. This leads less data fragmentation from the wired to wireless communication leading to greater throughput.

Also introduced in Wi-Fi 6, beacon frames have been improved to support additional features such as Target Wake Time (TWT). TWT allows devices to schedule their wake-up times to conserve power.

This requires a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to transmit data accurately, which means that they may not perform as well in environments with high levels of interference. Additionally, they may be more sensitive to channel impairments such as fading and multipath distortion, which can affect the data rate. 

IEEE 802.11ax, Wi-Fi 6e is an extension of Wi-Fi 6 that adds support for the 6 GHz frequency band, which is a band of spectrum that is dedicated to unlicensed use and is currently being made available for use by Wi-Fi networks. In my opinion the IEEE should have created a new standard to prevent future confusion. 

The main advantage of Wi-Fi 6e is the additional spectrum that it provides. The 6 GHz frequency band is much larger than the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands that are currently used by Wi-Fi networks, which means that it can support a larger number of devices and higher data rates. There is also a reductions in management beacon frames sent out for 6e. WPA3 is required for WiFi 6E which is great for security as WPA2 with a PSK is can be cracked by an script kiddy in less than 20 minutes. Another change for you packet sniffers out there, is that all BSSID are broadcasted in a single beacon frame which significantly reduces the management overhead which can easily consume 20% of the total throughput with just 3 BSSID's. 

Additionally, the 6 GHz band is less crowded than the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, which means that it is less prone to interference and can provide a more reliable connection. This will be most noticeable for dense access point deployment as the native channel width has increase from 20mhz to 80mhz thanks to addition 1200mhz space of approved unlicenced spectrum from the FCC.

Overall, the main advantage of Wi-Fi 6e is the additional spectrum and the increased capacity it provides, which allows for higher data rates and more reliable connections. It is expected to be particularly useful in crowded environments where there is a high demand for bandwidth, such as public places and office buildings.

The positives most defiantly support the upgrade to WiFi 6E but what are some of the considerations you should take into account. Since the 6ghz frequency is higher the signal will not be able to propagate as far as a 5ghz. If you are looking to do a 1 to 1 replacement ensure there that the existing AP's are not set to max power as my testing showed a radio power increase of 3 to 5 dbm. I would not recommend trying to cover more than 1200 square feet per access point.

The other major concern with the new access points is power. Since most of the vendors are working on backwards compatibility and support for IOT devices still utilizing 2.4ghz you'll need to prove 60 watts of power to the majority of high end, high density access points. You can alternativity disable features on the Ap's like, USB ports, or additional radios, like 2.4ghz radio to use your existing 30 Watt Poe switches. Some vendors also support POE on both ethernet ports through LAGG.

If you are going to want to get the most out of the access point ensure to review you existing firewall throughput limitations, and switch throughput limitations. I would recommend 5 Gigabit uplink ports, or two 2.5 Gigabit ports to get the most of the high density Access Points. While the theoretical throughput is 10gb the cost is unrealistic for most, and its unlikely 10gb going to be reached.