The Next Generation of Wi-Fi

Linking into Wi-Fi 

Wi-Fi is taken for granted in the current generation. We are connected almost all the time. I’ve grown up always being connected to the internet, first through AOL’s dial up, and now always being connected through my home Wi-Fi or my phone’s data plan. Unless my phone dies, I’m connected almost wherever I go. CNBC, a recognized leader in business news and real-time financial market coverage, reported that over 70 percent of web surfers will use the internet solely on their phone by 2025. 

Wi-Fi is one of the most used widely used technologies today. Open Wi-Fis are found in coffee shops, boutiques, sporting events, and even some grocery stores. Most campuses have Wi-Fi available for their students throughout each building and through the dorms with their ID and password. Wi-Fi has become even more used and important now-a-days as people work or learn from home. The next-generation Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax ) will make it easier for multiple people in a household to hold higher quality work video calls, or better engagement with larger class sizes via distance learning.  

I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Cees Links, General Manager of the Low Power Wireless Business Unit in Qorvo, and one of the leading pioneers of Wi-Fi. He is responsible for the world’s first wireless LAN product in 1990 and is still working on the latest Wi-Fi products with Qorvo.  

 ’For the rest it’s Wi-Fi’ 

Wi-Fi 6 will still do the same thing Wi-Fi has always done: connect you to your latest cute cat videos, downloading your latest Netflix show, or uploading your TikTok. Technology will be working in the background to make things happen more efficiently, speeding up your connection along the way.  These changes won’t be noticed immediately; but over time as our devices adapt to the new threshold. Wi-Fi 6 could be as fast as 9.6Gbps, about 3.5Gbps faster than the current generation. Although it’s unlikely that you’ll reach this maximum speed, this big jump could mean faster internet across several devices.  

Cees Links explains this big difference as a matter of convenience. Until recently, Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5 routers had separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks with their own SSID and network IDs that had to be set up. If the Wi-Fi signal is not strong enough throughout a home, an additional repeater will need to be added to the network.  “So your whole home network has become a bit of a mission to set-up.” Cees says, “You had to change network ID quite regularly, depending on where you want them to have coverage.” Some providers have implemented proprietary fixes for this, so that it would be possible to cover all the different network IDs under one overall network ID, but this was only possible within if you buy products from the same supplier. With Wi-Fi 6 technology this concept has been standardized across vendors and all the different networks can be automatically integrated into one network. If you have more than one repeater, you won’t have to know each network ID. Because  they’ll be part of the same network infrastructure, you’ll be able to roam over different frequencies with products from different suppliers on one W-Fi network. “Eventually with Wi-Fi 6, besides the increase in data rates, but there's all kinds of engineering and technology prowess at work,” Cees says. 

“And if you ask me what the big difference with Wi-Fi 6 is going to be, I think it’s going to be extremely handy. You can buy a new port for another room. And I thought with the cost, you can call the repeater, you can call a satellite station, you can call whatever you want, but it's just the same network and once you want to have it installed it's part of your network as your coverage and you don't have another network ID. You don't have another password to keep in mind. You don't have to change Netflix. So that convenience I think the major, major difference with Wi-Fi 6.” 

’Wi-Fi 6 could become the backbone for all indoor connectivity’  

Wi-Fi empowers the smart home, but not all routers and modems are created equal. Without updating the equipment, your home Wi-Fi could struggle to keep up with the data strain. New equipment can handle the bandwidth of connected devices and the increase in internet speed. Another update to keep in mind is that the internet service provider (ISP) needs to be updated with the fastest speed plan available for your home.   

A relatively new technology is expanding the reach of Wi-Fi throughout a home. Wi-Fi mesh systems boost the Wi-Fi signal series of satellite modules or nodes placed around the home. The nodes are convenient because they share the same SSID, there is not another network ID that has to be set up. “Let’s say one (hot) spot per room for all your large rooms and each spot in every room has a Wi-Fi mesh connection. Maybe we will find out so with the Wi-Fi mesh will become the backbone (of indoor connectivity),” Cees says. With several nodes throughout your home, it would be easy to have a strong consistent speedy Wi-Fi signal, enough for all the smart lights and switches.  

Bluetooth Mesh 

Another new mesh system is also being used in smart home application. Bluetooth® mesh allows for many-to-many device communications over Bluetooth radio. One advantage is that a Bluetooth mesh system would consumes less energy than Wi-Fi mesh. It passes the signal along through peers that are in range, creating a high tech version of the game telephone. Qorvo is “by the way, developing Bluetooth mesh because some of our customers are asking for it.” 

“Wi-Fi 6 and 5G will continue to be as nicely complementary”  

The next generation of technology standard for cellular networks. “It will really get library networking even more pervasive and comprehensive, it will improve certain features that will improve the data rate and latency somewhat,” Cees says. The main advantage is that the new networks will have greater bandwidth, allowing for faster download speeds; up to 10Gbits/s. It is able to provide this wide service by operating on three different frequency bands, each requiring a different antenna. Each antenna will compare download speed vs distance and service area to connect to the highest speed within that area. With these faster speeds, it is expected that this network could be used as general ISPs where cable internet is not available.  

China is leading the way with implementing their 5G infrastructure. “They are really charging ahead on 5G as a sort of protection of their smartphones and I expect that the United States will start catching up very rapidly,” Cees says. China sees 5G as vital next step in their wireless technology on the global stage with current testing alone representing the largest 5G network in the world. A new smart city being built south of Beijing will use 5G for smart infrastructure and connected cars.  

This big jump in the 5G speed complements the speed that will be provided with Wi-Fi 6 home and office networks. It could be an uninterrupted day of wireless access between Wi-Fi 6 at homes and offices and 5G outside. We would notice big discrepancy if we could not have similar speeds in and out of the home. 

Conclusion  

Even before Wi-Fi was even called Wi-Fi, Cees Link was involved with its creation. As Wi-Fi and cellular network technologies continue to evolve and improve, I hope that I never take being connected for granted. The next few years will be exciting as connectivity increases in availability and speed. Our devices becoming smarter and more efficient. Think of a fully automated house, a smart city with connected cars, an augmented reality classroom, etc.