UPDATED 15:30 EDT / APRIL 18 2019

EMERGING TECH

Launch of Wi-Fi 6 improves bandwidth, client density to drive wireless future

Buffering, low bars, and dropped connectivity are all terms used to describe frustration with today’s wireless experience. However, a new wireless standard is coming that may make those words a distant memory.

Wi-Fi 6, also known by the technical standard 802.11ax, is about to launch globally, and it will make a big difference when it comes to wireless connectivity.

“It has far better performance, especially when it comes to bandwidth, client density and latency,” said Todd Nightingale (pictured), senior vice president and general manager of cloud-managed IT company Cisco Meraki. “That can give us more immersive experiences, cleaner video, and better density and performance. The future of wireless looks more and more like outdoor with cellular and 5G and indoor with Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi 6.”

Nightingale spoke with John Furrier (@furrier), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, at theCUBE’s studio in in Palo Alto, California. They discussed how a consortium of technology companies worked together to develop the new standard and ways a more robust signal will improve connectivity within a wide range of challenging environments (see the full interview with transcript here). (* Disclosure below.)

Intel unveils chip for new standard

The new standard was developed through the work of the Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit industry consortium responsible for certifying Wi-Fi products to meet interoperability requirements. In addition to Cisco Systems Inc., other members include companies such as Intel Corp., which unveiled a new generation of its Core vPro processor series earlier this week that will support the Wi-Fi 6 standard.

“These are truly standardized protocols,” Nightingale said. “The day this equipment ships, it is operating at ultra-high quality and interoperates across all types of devices made by all types of different vendors. Many other standards don’t have this kind of strong consortium.”

Platforms being built for Wi-Fi 6 will have twice as many antennas as the previous generation, according to Nightingale. This will make signals far more robust, with the ability to enable reliable connectivity in high-density spaces, such as conference rooms, auditoriums or even stadiums.

“Especially for highly dense deployments, such as in stadiums, we’ll be able to support more clients on each channel, which is the key to making those deployments work,” Nightingale said. “These are radios that can see through walls, see around corners. It’s remarkable.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s CUBE Conversations. (* Disclosure: Cisco Meraki sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Cisco nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE

A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU