In 2019, the newest and fastest version of the Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ax, the Wi-Fi 6 standard was made available. Now, three years later, this standard is being updated to support higher performance file sending and better power efficiency. Innovations are especially important for battery-powered Wi-Fi devices and IoT applications.
The new update, called Wi-Fi 6 Release 2, also includes a number of other innovations that developers can use. The new features are available on all Wi-Fi bands (2,4,5 and the 6GHz). It is possible to say that the standard will come with new Wi-Fi devices at the end of this year. Moreover, some products on the market will already be able to support this new standard with a software update.
One of the biggest advantages of the new update is that it improves the installation performance. This area had remained stable for a long time. In general, there is a 10/1 difference between download/upload. A service provider says that with this new standard, they can reduce this rate to 6/1. He also states that his expectations are to increase to 2/1 with new developments.
On the efficiency front, Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 is enriched with the addition of features such as shorter wake-up time than the original Wi-Fi 6, extended sleep time, and dynamic multi-user power saving. These features help battery-powered Wi-Fi devices save power as they are connected to an access point. Thus, it will be possible for manufacturers of smart home sensors, cameras and other wireless devices to achieve better battery life.