The world is moving towards Wi-Fi 7 but there are a lot of customers still wondering if the 6 GHz band really improving their Wi-Fi experience or should they stick to Wi-Fi 6 APs… Let us understand how 6 GHz band could impact your wireless experience. (Note: Most of these stats are applicable to US regulatory domain (FCC) and may vary for other regulatory domains)
Less Number of Overlapping Channels-
In FCC, the 2.4 GHz band offers only 3 non-overlapping channels while 5 GHz band offers only 24 non-overlapping channels. Until Wi-Fi 6, lack of non-overlapping in 2.4/5 GHz bands has significantly impacted wireless experience.
In FCC, the 6 GHz band offers 59 non-overlapping 20 MHz channels, 29 non-overlapping 40 MHz channels, 14 non-overlapping 80 MHz channels, 7 non-overlapping 160 MHz channels and 6 non-overlapping 320 MHz channels (in LPi mode). Although the number of non-overlapping combinations would decrease in SP mode, it will still be significantly higher than 2.4/5 GHz band.
Cleaner Channels
In 2.4 GHz band, bluetooth, microwave and wireless security cameras act as interfering sources. Similarly, in 5 GHz band, radar systems and 5 GHz cordless phones act as interfering sources. These interfering sources significantly affect wireless performance in 2.4/5 GHz channels. Lack of non-overlapping channels and interference together result in significant wireless experience degradation.
In 6 GHz band, certain licensed incumbent services act as interfering sources. But as there are significant number of non-overlapping channels available to which the AP radio can switch to and operate without interfering with other interfering sources.
Multiple Tx Power Modes
2.4/5 GHz bands allows APs to operate in single mode of operation with max Tx power reaching ~20dBm.
6 GHz band allows APs to transmit in Low Power mode (LPi- Indoor) and Standard Power mode (SP-Outdoor and Indoor). Standard power mode allows APs to transmit with higher Tx power (upto 36 dBm EIRP) in conjunction with AFC (Automated Frequency Co-ordination). This allows outdoor APs in warehouses and sports complexes to operate at higher Tx power.
Client Count
Majority of wireless clients in RF environments support only 2.4/5 GHz bands resulting in significantly high load on these radios. As of result of which the airtime available is shared between multiple number of clients.
6 GHz is still in adoption phase and the number of clients supporting 6 GHz is comparatively lesser than 2.4/5 GHz. As a result of which, steering the 6 GHz capable client devices to 6 GHz radio can significantly enhance their wireless experience and simultaneously decrease the load on 2.4/5 GHz band radios thus providing legacy client devices more airtime to transmit.
Higher Channel Width
In 2.4 GHz band, the maximum available channel width is 20 MHz while in 5 GHz the maximum available channel width is 160 MHz and only offers 2 non-overlapping channels
The maximum channel width offered in 6 GHz band is 320 MHz and offers a total of 7 non-overlapping channels in FCC LPi mode.
When should I be careful while deploying 6 GHz?
We saw the advantages of migrating to 6 GHz but you will be surprised to know there are certain scenarios wherein 2.4/5 GHz will perform better than 6 GHz.
Range
A real world radiation pattern of a 2.4/5 GHz radio will be wider than that of 6 GHz radio because 2.4/5 GHz band has better penetration ability than the 6 GHz band. As a result of which RF environments which consist of high attenuating sources like metal racks, concrete walls will significantly attenuate 6 GHz radio signal compared to 2.4/5 GHz signal. I would highly recommend performing a site survey in such environments prior to making RF deployment decisions.
Related Blogs–
Common Wireless Network Mistakes
Why channel planning is critical?
Wi-Fi 7 vs Wi-Fi 6/6e: Client Association Basics
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