Wi-Fi Alliance today has introduced the Wi-Fi 6 as the industry designation for products and networks that support the next generation of Wi-Fi. It is based on 802.11ax technology and is also a part of the new naming approach by Wi-Fi Alliance that provides users with an easy-to-understand designation for both the Wi-Fi technology supported by their device and used in a connection the device makes with a Wi-Fi network.
The company says that the new naming system identifies Wi-Fi generations by a numerical sequence which correspond to major advancements in Wi-Fi. The generation names can be used by product vendors to identify the latest Wi-Fi technology a device supports, by OS vendors to identify the generation of Wi-Fi connection between a device and network, and by service providers to identify the capabilities of a Wi-Fi network to their customers.
The numerical sequence includes the Wi-Fi 6 which is to identify devices that support 802.11ax technology, the Wi-Fi 5 to identify devices that support 802.11ac technology. The Wi-Fi 6 will deliver an improved experience to address device and application needs in a range of consumer and enterprise environments. Beginning with Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi Alliance certification programs based on major IEEE 802.11 releases will use a generational Wi-Fi name; the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 certification will be coming in 2019.
Edgar Figueroa, president, and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance said:
For nearly two decades, Wi-Fi users have had to sort through technical naming conventions to determine if their devices support the latest Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi Alliance is excited to introduce Wi-Fi 6, and present a new naming scheme to help industry and Wi-Fi users easily understand the Wi-Fi generation supported by their device or connection.