In our blog last month covering trends for 2023 we touched upon WiFi-6 – the latest and fastest in WiFi technology. But what does this actually mean for businesses like yours?
WiFi-6 is typically more than 33% faster than WiFi-5, even though it operates within the same bands. The technology has been developed specifically for the internet users of today. Users who want instant results, on multiple devices, from any location. The technology is designed to work under the traffic of heavy loads whether indoor, outdoor or in crowded environments – the perfect design for offices with staff using multiple personal and business devices, or for businesses with heavy footfall such as shopping centres or coffee shops. This increase in speed allows staff to complete tasks faster and use their time more efficiently. Plus, since it has been designed to work under extreme loads, even during the busiest of periods staff won’t have the stress and frustrations of slow WiFi speeds.
As the technology continues to spread among businesses and consumers, another benefit of the increased speed could easily be overlooked. If consumers visiting your business website have WiFi-6, they will benefit from the increased speed and therefore enjoy a more positive website experience, which will only help to strengthen those warm fuzzy feelings they have towards your business!
A new feature for WiFi-6 which sets the technology apart from its predecessors is called Target Wake Time. Target Wake Time is designed to help connected devices operate more efficiently and prolong battery life, by communicating with devices and agreeing a time to ‘sleep’ and a time to ‘wake’. Essentially this means your device is not constantly transmitting and searching for signals, but the router is ‘checking in’ periodically and therefore using less power. Not only will this prolong the battery life of devices and in turn the life of such devices, it will also mean less time searching for chargers and waiting around for devices to charge!
With any new technology, security is vital, and is often the most scrutinised feature. As our work and home lives continue to grow online, it is important that anything new we embrace helps to keep us safe, and does not open up any cyber vulnerabilities. As you would expect, WiFi-6 features the very latest in security protocols – WiFi Protected Access 3 (WPA3). WPA3 makes it harder for cyber criminals to crack passwords using algorithms to continually guess, and if a hacker does get hold of some data, WPA3 means the data they obtain will be less useful. This technology is available on older WiFi routers, but only as an option. With WiFi-6 its is mandatory, making it easier for businesses to stay on top of their cyber security.
If you would like to find out more about installing WiFi-6 technology in your business, reach out to our experts today.
