Wi-Fi 6 vs 6E – What are the differences?

The “E” in Wi-Fi 6E stands for “Extended,” emphasising that this standard merely expands the available frequencies for Wi-Fi 6 signals. Wi-Fi 6E was introduced in 2020 and officially approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance in January 2021.

Wi-Fi 6E is essentially the same as Wi-Fi 6 (or 802.11x) with one key distinction: it allows wireless networks and routers to operate in the new 6 GHz frequency band. The previous Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax standard only operates in the traditional 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

What is 6 GHz?

The 6 GHz frequency band, used by Wi-Fi 6E (and future Wi-Fi 7), ranges from 5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz. Older Wi-Fi standards like Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5 don’t use this frequency, leaving it clear for the newest device that support the 6E and above standard. This means older device traffic won’t overlap and slow down 6 GHz networks as they can’t access this frequency band.

The additional 6 GHz bandwidth allows Wi-Fi 6E devices to benefit from a broader spectrum, which means space for more channels. The table further down shows the up to 60 new channels that 6Ghz makes available in each frequency band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz.

Number of Channels for Each Frequency Band

This means the 6 GHz band has the widest frequency range, approximately 1200 MHz (or more precisely, 1180 MHz: 20 MHz * 59 channels). As a result, you can connect more devices to Wi-Fi 6E networks than with older wireless standards.

Frequency Range for Each Band

Another important difference is that the 6 GHz band isn’t used by radar systems or TV stations, which reduces overall interference in crowded areas like airports, their surrounding areas, or busy cities.

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Wi-Fi 6E Downsides

The 6 GHz wireless spectrum uses shorter wavelengths which are excellent for fast data transmission but struggle over long distances and are more affected by physical obstacles like thick walls or floors. As a result, the 6 GHz band has a smaller coverage area than the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands used by Wi-Fi 6.

Wi-Fi 6E routers and mesh systems tend to be significantly more expensive than their Wi-Fi 6 counterparts, which are now widely available. Wi-Fi 6 has firmly entered the market, and you can find Wi-Fi 6 devices across all price categories.

Backwards Compatibility

Wi-Fi 6 routers and mesh systems are still backward compatibility with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. By comparison, backward compatibility isn’t available on the 6 GHz band, which Wi-Fi 6E routers introduce.

Although most Wi-Fi 6 routers support WPA3 encryption, it’s usually disabled and must be enabled manually. On Wi-Fi 6E routers and mesh systems, WPA3 is generally enabled by default.

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