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Have you upgraded to WiFi 6 - 802.11.ax? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by Sunny@slrpnk.net to c/networking@sh.itjust.works

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Am about to move houses and new place will have 1000/1000 speeds. Wondering if I should get a Wifi 6 router or not, is it worth the upgrade? Can Wifi 5 and 6 equipment be combined? Or will it then all be 'downgraded' to Wifi 5?

Usecase: At home - with 8 or so devices.

Anyway, let me know your experiences with WiFi 6 and wether I should aim to get it.

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[–] Vinny_93@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

WiFi 6(E) is a big step forward from 5. That said, 7 is already out. I might skip 6 and go to 7 once it is affordable.

Theoretically you will get 833Mbps on WiFi 5, but that is only in optimal situations which on WiFi is never.

If you were to get a WiFi 6(E) router but your phones and laptops don't support it, you will use Wi-Fi 5 so there's no point. Tv's, soundbars etc by and large still use Wi-Fi 5. So checking for compatibility is paramount. I am willing to bet none of your stuff has WiFi 7. But if you get a WiFi 7 router in the near future, you don't need to get a new router if you get a new phone or laptop in the next 2 years.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I have a WiFi 7 AP but yet to see any devices in out there really. My only device that supports 6E is my iPhone, but I generally go wired and haven’t noticed the performance increase.

[–] Vinny_93@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Are you saying you haven't noticed WiFi 7 performance while wired?

In any event, having a WiFi 7 AP and a WiFi 5 router can also cause issues due to different WPA versions.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 2 points 5 months ago

There may be some confusion in there. I haven’t noticed a difference between 5 and 7, mainly because my devices haven’t supported it yet but more so my primary systems are wired. That being said I can get solid enough transfer for streaming on 5 so it’s more of you have large file transfers or a shit load of people sound you.

The other part of your statement, most people who have an AP won’t be running the WiFi on their router. Hell my router doesn’t even have a wireless antenna. So the only thing acting as a base station is my AP.

[–] Sunny@slrpnk.net 2 points 5 months ago

Thanks - checking compatability is defo what I need to do first and foremost then.