WiFi standards advance every few years, and the naming convention hasn’t always made it easy to track what’s actually changed. WiFi 4, WiFi 5, WiFi 6 (WiFi 6E is coming) represent meaningful steps forward, but their value for your business depends on your specific environment and how you use your network.
A Quick History of WiFi Generations
| Standard | Generation Name | Year | Max Theoretical Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 802.11n | WiFi 4 | 2009 | 600 Mbps |
| 802.11ac | WiFi 5 | 2013 | 3.5 Gbps |
| 802.11ax | WiFi 6 | 2019 | 9.6 Gbps |
WiFi 6: A Better Experience in Busy Environments
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) wasn’t primarily designed to be faster than WiFi 5 in a straight speed test. Its main improvements are about efficiency in environments with many devices.
Key improvements:
- OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access): Allows an access point to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously rather than one at a time, reducing latency and improving throughput in dense environments.
- MU-MIMO improvements: WiFi 6 supports up to 8 simultaneous streams (up from 4 in WiFi 5), meaning more devices can be served at the same time.
- TWT (Target Wake Time): Lets devices schedule when they communicate with the access point, reducing congestion and improving battery life on mobile devices and IoT hardware.
- BSS Colouring: Reduces interference from neighbouring networks by tagging transmissions so devices can better distinguish between “their” network and others nearby.
For a small office with a handful of devices, WiFi 5 is still adequate. For a busy open-plan office with 20+ devices, video conferencing, and cloud-heavy workflows, WiFi 6 delivers a noticeably better experience.
WiFi 6E: The Same Technology, More Space to Breathe
WiFi 6E takes all the improvements of WiFi 6 and extends them into the 6 GHz band; a large chunk of new spectrum that will be opened for WiFi use starting in 2020.
The practical benefit is less congestion. The 6 GHz band is currently free of legacy devices and the decades of competing networks that crowd the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands in most urban and multi-tenant environments.
The trade-off: 6 GHz has shorter range than 5 GHz and penetrates walls less effectively. In a large or divided space, you may need more access points to achieve full 6 GHz coverage.
For a new office installation in a dense urban building where 5 GHz congestion is an issue, WiFi 6E access points are worth the modest premium over WiFi 6.
Is It Worth Upgrading?
| Scenario | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Small office, few devices, WiFi 5 hardware working fine | No urgent need to upgrade |
| Busy open-plan office with 20+ devices, video conferencing | Upgrade to WiFi 6 |
| Multi-tenant building with significant 5 GHz congestion | WiFi 6 or MESH WiFi |
The key question isn’t whether the new standard is faster, it usually is. The question is whether your current environment has a problem that the new standard solves. In a low-density environment with few competing networks, WiFi 5 hardware may be entirely adequate for years to come.
What to Look for When Buying
- PoE+ support — most business access points are powered over Ethernet; confirm the switch ports support the required PoE standard
- Multi-SSID and VLAN support — essential for separating staff, guest, and IoT networks
- Centralised management — particularly useful if you have multiple access points (UniFi, Meraki, Aruba Instant On are common choices for SMEs)