What Is Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is the current mainstream Wi-Fi standard. It's faster than Wi-Fi 5, but its real advantage is efficiency - It handles many simultaneous devices far better, making it the right choice for modern homes with dozens of connected devices.
Wi-Fi generation comparison
| Generation | Standard | Year | Max speed | Bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi 4 | 802.11n | 2009 | 600 Mbps | 2.4 / 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 5 | 802.11ac | 2013 | 3.5 Gbps | 5 GHz only |
| Wi-Fi 6 | 802.11ax | 2019 | 9.6 Gbps | 2.4 / 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 6E | 802.11ax (6E) | 2021 | 9.6 Gbps | 2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 7 | 802.11be | 2024 | 46 Gbps | 2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz |
What actually changed from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6
OFDMA - The biggest real-world improvement
Wi-Fi 5 uses OFDM, which means the router talks to one device at a time within a given channel. Even when 20 devices are all waiting, the router has to serve them sequentially. This is fine when there's little traffic, but in a busy home or office, devices queue up and wait their turn.
Wi-Fi 6 introduces OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), borrowed from 4G LTE. The router can now divide a channel into sub-channels and simultaneously serve multiple devices. In a home with 30 connected devices, this dramatically reduces the time each device waits - Resulting in lower latency and better throughput for all devices simultaneously, not just one at a time.
MU-MIMO improvements
Wi-Fi 5 supports 4-stream MU-MIMO for downloads only. Wi-Fi 6 supports 8-stream MU-MIMO for both downloads and uploads, doubling the simultaneous spatial streams and adding upload efficiency that Wi-Fi 5 lacked entirely.
BSS Colouring - Better performance in dense environments
When neighbouring Wi-Fi networks overlap, devices have traditionally been overly conservative about when to transmit - They back off any time they detect another network's signal, even if it's far away. BSS Colouring adds a "colour" identifier to each network's transmissions. Devices can now identify signals from other networks as low-priority and transmit through them rather than waiting. In apartment buildings, this makes a significant difference to real-world throughput.
Target Wake Time (TWT)
Wi-Fi 6 allows the router to schedule when battery-powered devices wake up to receive data. Instead of constantly polling for new packets, a smart doorbell or IoT sensor can sleep between scheduled wake times. This reduces battery drain by up to 7× on compatible devices - The reason Wi-Fi 6 is increasingly the standard for smart home devices.
1024-QAM modulation
Wi-Fi 6 uses 1024-QAM vs 256-QAM in Wi-Fi 5. This 25% increase in spectral efficiency means more data is packed into the same radio signal when signal quality is high (i.e. close to the router). Real-world throughput gain: approximately 20–25% at close range.
Wi-Fi 6E - The 6 GHz band
Wi-Fi 6E is identical to Wi-Fi 6 but adds access to the 6 GHz band. The 6 GHz band offers 1,200 MHz of additional, currently uncongested spectrum - Compared to 500 MHz for the entire 5 GHz band. This means Wi-Fi 6E routers can run 160 MHz channels (for maximum speed) without overlapping with other networks.
Wi-Fi 6E requires both a Wi-Fi 6E router and a Wi-Fi 6E device. Supported devices include: iPhone 15 Pro and later, most flagship Android phones from 2022 onwards, and Intel Core 12th generation and later laptops. Older devices connect to the 5 GHz band on a Wi-Fi 6E router with no issues.
Should you upgrade to Wi-Fi 6?
| Your situation | Recommendation | Expected benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Still on Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) router | Upgrade now | Large speed and reliability improvement |
| Wi-Fi 5 router, 1–3 devices, house | No urgent need | Minimal real-world difference |
| Wi-Fi 5 router, 10+ devices, apartment | Worth considering | OFDMA will reduce per-device latency noticeably |
| Dense apartment, severe congestion on 5 GHz | Upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E | Uncongested 6 GHz band removes neighbour interference |
| Replacing router for other reasons | Buy Wi-Fi 6 as minimum | Future-proof for the next 5–7 years |
Wi-Fi 6 and older devices
Wi-Fi 6 routers are fully backwards compatible with all Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5 devices. Older devices connect to a Wi-Fi 6 router using their native standard - They don't get Wi-Fi 6 features, but they don't stop working either. The Wi-Fi 6 improvements (OFDMA, TWT, BSS Colouring) apply between the router and Wi-Fi 6 capable clients only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a new internet plan to benefit from Wi-Fi 6?
No. Wi-Fi 6 improves the wireless link between your router and your devices, not the connection your ISP delivers to the home. If your plan is 200 Mbps, Wi-Fi 6 will not exceed that, but it can help you reach the full plan speed more consistently and serve many devices at once with lower latency.
Does Wi-Fi 6 improve range compared to Wi-Fi 5?
Not significantly. Wi-Fi 6 uses the same 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands as Wi-Fi 5, so the physics of range and wall penetration are essentially unchanged. Its gains are in efficiency, capacity, and battery savings through features like OFDMA and Target Wake Time rather than in raw coverage distance.
Will a Wi-Fi 6 phone connect faster to an old Wi-Fi 5 router?
No. Wi-Fi 6 features only apply when both the router and the device support the standard, so a Wi-Fi 6 phone on a Wi-Fi 5 router simply falls back to Wi-Fi 5 speeds and behavior. To gain OFDMA, 1024-QAM, and the other improvements, the router itself must be Wi-Fi 6 capable.
Is Wi-Fi 6E worth it over standard Wi-Fi 6?
It is worth it mainly in dense environments with heavy neighboring network interference, because Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band with 1,200 MHz of currently uncongested spectrum. In a detached house with few competing networks, standard Wi-Fi 6 usually delivers nearly the same real-world experience. Wi-Fi 6E also requires both a 6E router and a 6E-capable device to use the new band.