Welcome to 2021! Wireless technology has been an important part of our daily lives for many decades now, especially with the establishment of Wi-Fi, which is still used worldwide today.
However, not only do we have ourselves to thank for significant growth in wireless technology usage, but we also have the upcoming 2020’s to thank. Wireless technology is expected to grow even further this decade and its growth and implementations in daily life will peak within these next four years.
The term “wireless” refers to any type of communication that does not make use of wires or cables. This can include radios, microwaves and even Bluetooth. Wireless communication became popular in the early 1970s, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that this form of technology really started to take off.
The main reason for such a slow start was due to the high cost associated with transmitting signals wirelessly at first. However, as time went on and technology improved, so did wireless communication and we saw an increase in its use over time.
To keep up with all things wireless and information related to new wireless technologies or updates about existing ones, consult the following:
Wi-Fi 6: What is Wi-Fi 6?
The next generation Wi-Fi is called Wi-Fi 6. Its official name is 802.11ax. Wi-Fi 6 promises to be much faster than its predecessor, but it also takes up much less battery life. This is accomplished by making signals much smarter and more efficient so that they only go to the intended device(s).
How much better is Wi-Fi 6?
The expected speed of a network using Wi-Fi 6 is around 4,000 Mbps (peak download speeds), compared to the 400 Mbps of current home Internet connections in most homes today. Also, devices with older Wi-Fi standards will get an automatic boost when connected wirelessly to a router running Wi-Fi 6 technology — just like how you’re using the latest Bluetooth 5 technology right now, even if your device doesn’t have it built into it.
This means that even people who won’t be upgrading their smartphones or laptops to newer models will still see an increase in speed when connected wirelessly because their devices will automatically use the new Wi-Fi 6 standard.
Additionally, Wi-Fi 6 networks are expected to consume far less power than previous iterations of the technology compared to older wireless standards, so they may cost less to run, which is especially great for those who struggle with high electricity bills. This also means that battery life should last much longer on devices running Wi-Fi 6 technology as well — not only within mobile phones, but also within other wireless-enabled gadgets such as smart speakers and other devices.
Wi-Fi 6 is also great for people who have a legacy router or modem, because these older models can be upgraded to support the new Wi-Fi standard — something that isn’t possible with previous technology standards, which had to be completely replaced when newer generations came out.
That being said, it’s still a good idea for consumers to upgrade their routers every few years in order to get the best speeds and performance from their home network.
Have you ever been streaming a video while someone else was watching Netflix on another device? Or perhaps your internet connection has slowed down while multiple people were connected to your wireless network? This should no longer happen once Wi-Fi 6 becomes widely available in 2020, which is much faster than current Wi-Fi standards. It should also be far better at handling multiple devices being used simultaneously on the same wireless network without slowing down or dropping connections.
Additionally, since less power will be consumed by Wi-Fi 6 technology, people can expect to pay less for home internet bills over time compared to previous generations of the technology — another bonus that everyone can enjoy.
Are there any disadvantages?
There are two main disadvantages with Wi-Fi 6. First, because it’s a very demanding technology in terms of how much bandwidth it uses up when streaming information wirelessly, users may experience more issues if they share their internet connection with other homes located nearby — especially if these homes are using older wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi 5.
Secondly, it will take some time before manufacturers and consumers can catch up with all of the changes that come with the new technology. Many smartphones which are released after 2020 may not be compatible with Wi-Fi 6 networks out of the box. This means that there might be a period where people use both types of technology at once: their existing devices could connect to 4G/LTE cellular data while they used other devices on an upgraded home network running Wi-Fi 6.
This may cause some initial problems as consumers need to upgrade their routers as well as learning to use an entirely new type of wireless connection. However, due to how much faster and more efficient it is, they won’t have to upgrade their routers as often as previous wireless technologies.
Upcoming devices will support Wi-Fi 6 include:
- Apple’s iPhone 8 and X
- Samsung Galaxy S10
- OnePlus 7 Pro
- Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL
- HTC Desire Morphite
- LG G8 ThinQ
- Motorola Moto Z4
- Sony Xperia 1
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
Wrapping it up:
Wi-Fi 6 technology is expected to take the world by storm in 2021 — it will be faster, more efficient and much better at handling multiple devices being used simultaneously. This means that everyone should upgrade their wireless routers as well as learning how to use this new technology, so they can enjoy these benefits for years to come.
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