If you’ve not yet heard of Wi-Fi 6, it won’t be long before you do. Wi-Fi 6 is the future of Wi-Fi and IoT. With it comes game-changing possibilities for new product development across nearly every conceivable industry and market.
At Pivot International, we are worldwide leaders in the design, development, and manufacturing of products created to capitalize on the rapidly expanding market fueled by this new technology. With nearly fifty years of expertise across fourteen industries and numerous markets, we help our customers seize emerging opportunities related to the rapidly mounting demand for Wi-Fi 6 applications.
Why does this latest technological advancement hold so much growth potential for companies of all kinds? Let’s look a bit deeper to understand the implications.
Wi-Fi 6 is not 5G
It’s important to understand that Wi-Fi 6 and 5G are not interchangeable. Although there is overlap between them (both technologies support improvements in network speed, capacity and, latency), Wi-Fi 6 is a complement to, not a replacement for, 5G.
They are created for very different use-cases. While Wi-Fi 6 is designed to support high-speed, low-latency connectivity for local area networks, 5G is designed to support wide and ultra-wide area networks. In other words, when it comes to real-world applications, Wi-Fi 6 products can work hand-in-hand with 5G.
Defining the Technology
Now that we’ve clarified what Wi-Fi 6 isn’t, let’s define what it is. Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, happens when you combine the speed of Gigabit Ethernet wireless with the predictability and reliability of licensed radio. This combination delivers greater efficiency, flexibility, and scalability enabling new and existing networks to support next-generation applications.
This new technology is characterized by four technical changes that are positioning it to go from novelty to necessity.
- Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
- BSS Coloring
- Target Wake Time (TWT)
- Multiple Users Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO)
Wi-Fi 6 is set to become the new standard
As these new networks expand, businesses will need to migrate their current infrastructure to this new standard. Businesses and consumers will need to adopt devices capable of supporting it. From a biz tech perspective, the advantages include higher speeds, lower latency, and the ability to run and share more information with new wireless APs.
Industry-Wide Applications
With wider channels of 80 and 160 MHz, as many as eight spatial streams, and other ground-breaking features, Wi-Fi 6 presents a wealth of profitable industry-wide IoT and sensor applications. (Both of which we specialize in at Pivot.)
For instance …
- In healthcare, it will be critical for helping companies capitalize on the skyrocketing demand for IoT-enabled medtech with remote imaging and diagnostic capabilities.
- In teaching applications that extend from remedial education to higher learning to security and defense, it will play a significant role. It will provide immersive, virtual learning environments and enable even more realistic simulated training scenarios.
- In manufacturing, solutions connected to Wi-Fi 6 can enable companies to run remote diagnostics and maintenance on the kind of complex equipment found in our 320,000 square feet of tri-continental manufacturing facilities.
If you’re looking for a proven partner with industry-leading experience in wireless tech, a proven portfolio of award-winning IoT innovations, and a proven one-source model for helping you take your product from conception through distribution, contact us today.
