What is Wifi 6 and how fast really is it?

WiFi 6 is one of the latest versions of wireless internet technology, officially known as 802.11ax. It’s designed to make your WiFi connection faster, more efficient, and capable of handling more devices at the same time.  

With advanced features like OFDMA and MU-MIMO, WiFi 6 routers can handle more devices simultaneously while maintaining optimal speeds for each device. This means faster download speeds, seamless 4K streaming, reduced lag when gaming, and dependable connections, even with numerous devices connected to your router.  

If you’ve ever noticed your WiFi slowing down when lots of people are using it, WiFi 6 is built to solve that problem. When paired with compatible devices, it’s able to divide the available bandwidth more effectively across different devices, meaning everyone gets a smoother internet experience and overall faster speeds.  

It’s also designed to work better in environments where there’s a lot of interference, like apartment buildings where many WiFi networks overlap. 

WiFi 6 uses advanced technology to make wireless internet connections faster, more efficient, and better at handling many devices at once. It builds on the foundations of WiFi 5 with new features that improve how data is sent and received between your devices and your router.  

These features include: 

1. OFDMA

OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) helps make WiFi 6 networks more efficient and better at handling multiple devices. It means the WiFi network can divide its available bandwidth into smaller pieces called subchannels, which can then be assigned to different devices at the same time.  

This feature is especially useful when there are lots of devices connected to the same network, like homes with smart gadgets, busy offices, or public spaces. OFDMA reduces latency and makes sure every device gets the data it needs without wasting time or bandwidth. It’s one of the main reasons WiFi 6 performs so well in crowded or busy networks.

2. MU-MIMO

MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple Input, Multiple Output) helps improve how your router communicates with multiple devices. It works by allowing the router to use multiple antennas to send and receive data streams to several devices simultaneously, giving the router more “hands” to deliver data directly to different devices without having to take turns.  

WiFi 6 improves on MU-MIMO by supporting it for both downlink (data sent from the router to devices) and uplink (data sent from devices back to the router). Earlier versions of WiFi only used MU-MIMO for downlink communication, so Wi-Fi 6 expands its usefulness. It also increases the number of devices that can benefit from MU-MIMO at the same time, making it even more powerful for crowded networks.

3. Target Wake Time (TWT)

Target Wake Time (TWT) is a feature in WiFi 6 that helps devices save battery power by scheduling when they connect to the network. Instead of staying connected to WiFi all the time, devices can “sleep” and only wake up when they need to send or receive data.  

This makes TWT especially useful for devices like smartphones, smartwatches, and Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets, such as smart thermostats or security cameras. 

4. BSS Coloring

BSS Coloring is a feature in WiFi 6 (802.11ax) that helps reduce interference and improve the efficiency of wireless networks, especially in crowded areas. "BSS" stands for Basic Service Set, which is essentially a WiFi network or access point. 

With BSS Coloring, WiFi 6 assigns a unique "color" (a small identifier) to each network or access point operating on the same channel. This allows devices to differentiate between their own network and other nearby networks, reducing delays, improving speed, and making the network more efficient in places like apartments, offices, and public hotspots where many WiFi networks overlap. 

The "6" in WiFi 6 refers to the technical standard it's based on - IEEE 802.11ax. Since marketing "WiFi ax" doesn't sound very catchy, the WiFi Alliance branding opted to call it WiFi 6 instead. 

Each version of Wi-Fi represents an improvement over the previous one. For example, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) was the fifth generation, and before that, Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) was the fourth. By using numbers, it’s easier for people to know which version is newer and offers better performance, with higher numbers meaning more advanced features, faster speeds, and improved efficiency. 

WiFi 6 is much faster than older Wi-Fi versions with speeds of up to 3.5Gbps on the 2.4GHz band, and up to 9.6 Gbps on the 5GHz band. This is more than double the maximum speed of Wi-Fi 5, which has a top speed of 3.5 Gbps on 5GHz. 

WiFi 6 eliminates lag and buffering for an excellent streaming, gaming, and browsing experience across a multitude of devices. Its key advantage isn't just faster peak speeds - it's consistent high-performance speeds to every device on the busy modern network. No more battling for bandwidth! 

Your actual speed will depend on your broadband connectivity, router model, device capabilities, distance from router, and other environmental factors like wireless interference. Use our broadband speed test to find out your real-time speed. 

WiFi 6 is simply faster and more efficient than WiFi 5. It’s better at handling the demands of modern homes and workplaces with lots of connected gadgets, providing faster speeds while saving on energy costs.  And while Wi-Fi 5 has a maximum speed of 3.5 Gbps, Wi-Fi 6 can reach up to 9.6 Gbps under ideal conditions.  

This doesn’t mean your internet speed will automatically increase, as that depends on your broadband package, but Wi-Fi 6 is better at delivering higher speeds to multiple devices at once, which makes activities like streaming 4K/8K videos or online gaming smoother. It’s also much better than WiFi 5 at keeping everyone connected in crowded spaces, like apartments or offices, where many Wi-Fi networks overlap. 

New routers will be branded as "WiFi 6" or "802.11ax" on the packaging and device. If you already have a router, check the model specifications to confirm if it supports the WiFi 6 standard. 

For devices - laptops, phones, tablets - look for "WiFi 6" or "802.11ax" indicated on the box or in the specs list for that model. Using the latest firmware and drivers optimizes WiFi 6 performance as well. 

To enjoy the faster speeds of WiFi 6: 

• Your wireless router must be 802.11ax compatible 

• Connected devices like phones and laptops must have WiFi 6 compatibility. 

By upgrading your router and devices to WiFi 6 together, you can get WiFi 6 benefits of faster speeds, lower latency, and reduced jitter.  this new generation offers. Enjoy smooth 4K streaming, quick downloads, responsive gaming and flawless video calls across all your devices with WiFi 6. The home network of the future is here. 

Yes! Our Hub 5 and Hub 5x both support Wifi 6. If you’re a customer with a Hub 3 or older model, you’re eligible to upgrade to WiFi 6 if you upgrade to one of our Gig 1 or Gig 2 broadband packages.  

Sign in to My Virgin Media to check your existing package and upgrade your service today. If you’re a new customer, check out our gigabit broadband deals to browse all of our WiFi 6 compatible broadband packages!