WiFi 6 – new standard

To support the increasing number and type of client wireless devices, new standards were needed.

The current specification (802.11 ac wave 2) provided increased throughput to individual clients, including enhancements for the number of devices, however, there are more types of devices and more issues to resolve.

Although the standards are not expected to be ratified until late 2019, the main part of the specification is already known.

HPE Aruba has developed their 500 series APs to be WiFi 6 compatible.

802.11ax

The new Wifi 6 standard is referred to as 802.11ax and is the biggest jump in performance, by supporting multiple clients to deliver four times the performance.

Benefits of the new wireless system

  • support for more than 100 clients per AP
  • designed to support a greater density of APs
  • over x4 increase in performance
  • high efficiency = battery savings for clients
  • support for “basic” devices = Internet of Things (IoT)
  • outdoor = more robust and greater range

Should I buy it now?

HPE Aruba has developed the 500 series AP to comply with the standards that will be ratified during 2019.

The AP is designed to work with their Instant range (non-controller) and controller based technologies simply by changing the configuration.

It supports the Zigbee wireless devices, which are becoming increasingly popular for home use, but it is expected that devices and applications will also become increasingly popular for educational/commercial environments.

If you are looking to upgrade your wireless now, it is strongly recommended that you should include WiFi 6 in your plans to provide the maximum value.

Top Tip: You need suitable cabling/switches to deliver all of the wireless benefits

Invite us in for a chat and we will provide cost options to enable you to make the right choice.

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