There’s no doubt that Wi-Fi has changed our world. It is so ingrained in our everyday lives that there are 8 billion Wi-Fi-enabled devices in use around the world. As our lives become increasingly connected, the next generation of Wi-Fi technology is here and has many of us questioning whether we need to upgrade.
Here at c2mtech, we are an elite partner with Ruckus Wireless, which creates reliable and fast systems that support the latest standard: Wi-Fi 6.
What is Wi-Fi 6?
Chances are you have heard relentless advertising for 5G networks, which is the next generation for mobile wireless after LTE and LTE Advanced.
Long story short, Wi-Fi 6 is the next generation of wireless for local area networks.
They both promise to be faster, smarter and more all-encompassing than previous wireless technology, with Wi-Fi 6 in particular hitting speeds up to 10 Gbps, compared with 3.5 Gbps on Wi-Fi 5.
But even better than speed for an individual device, the biggest benefit of Wi-Fi 6 is improving the network when several devices are connected. In fact, you don’t even need to have Wi-Fi 6 capable devices to see the benefits — simply upgrade your router to Wi-Fi 6 to start seeing improved performance in your network.
Signs You Would Benefit from Wi-Fi 6
Within the next several years, it will become necessary to upgrade to the new wireless tech to maintain a standard of usage as our devices become ever more complicated. But how to know when to make the switch?
Here are some signs your company or organization would be better off calling c2mtech sooner rather than later.
1. You Video Conference a Lot.
Wi-Fi 6 boasts more bandwidth for ultra-HD and virtual reality streaming, which will make video conferencing more seamless and reliable.
2. Your Company Utilizes Multiple Devices.
When Wi-Fi 5 came out, the average U.S. household had five Wi-Fi devices. Now, it’s an average of nine. It has been predicted that we will average 50 Wi-Fi devices per household in the near future. If Wi-Fi devices are growing this fast in the home, it stands to reason that businesses and organizations have an exponential amount of devices that need routing, and Wi-Fi 6 is set up for this. It allows routers to communicate with more devices at once via upgrades to MU-MIMO (multi user, multiple input, multiple output) technology. Another piece of new tech, OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access), allows routers to send one transmission to multiple devices at once.
3. Your Wireless System is 3 years Old or More.
Research indicates that up to 49 percent of all businesses still run Wi-Fi 4. Outdated Wi-Fi systems are prone to security breaches, and Wi-Fi 6 actually has the biggest security boost in more than 10 years with WPA3 technology. WPA3 prevents hackers from constantly guessing passwords and encrypts data so it’s useless even if hackers get into it.
4. Your Devices Are Always Out of Battery.
Wi-Fi 6 lets devices plan communications with the router by using Target Wake Time (TWT) so they aren’t always connected, searching for data. This extends battery life on smartphones, tablets and Internet of Things (IOT) devices like video doorbells.
5. Your Network is Crowded.
Crowded offices, cafes, hospitals, stadiums, airports, hotels, universities and malls all have one thing in common: Slow Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi 6 improves each user’s speed 4x or more in congested areas. MU-MIMO tech ensures no dropped connections or annoying speed lags.
6. Your Office has Dead Zones.
Wi-Fi 6 improves range up to 50 percent so your building can be fully covered.
Make the Switch to Wi-Fi 6
The c2mtech team coordinates with IT departments and business owners to build Wi-Fi 6 Ruckus networks all over Texas.
Ruckus, an award-winning wireless solutions provider, has connected smaller indoor spaces with affordable Cloud Wi-Fi as well as larger networks for stadiums, schools and conferences.
Our team can tell you exactly how a Wi-Fi upgrade can benefit your business — give us a call today!