The Beginnings of Wi-Fi: A Guy Ritchie Story


The history of the origin of Wi-Fi is reminiscent of the confusion from early Guy Ritchie films, when young and enterprising guys try to get hold of money, but everything does not go according to plan and a batch begins with crime bosses, gypsy barons and local oligarchs. Therefore, if you will, there will be a little more letters than the situation requires.

The original idea for "Secret Communications System" belonged to the Austrian actress Heidi Lamarr, who earned national fame after filming a completely innocent nude bathing in the 1933-year-old film "Rapture", then became the wife of a weapons baron, and during the Second World War she retrained as a scientist-inventor. The system for remote control of torpedoes, invented by her and composer George Antheil, was ahead of its time, and it was fully tested only in 1971 in Hawaii. It was the same ALOHANET network, which unites several computers via radio communication.


In the 80s, this idea was licked by the guys from the FBI, who realized that it would be nice to have certain radio frequencies in their possession without a license. Then the kneading began: the special services of other countries, who also wanted their own personal frequency, joined the case, then big business pulled itself up in search of profit. As a result, in the early 90s, the market began to fill with devices that made it possible to create simple wireless local networks that exchanged information at snail's speeds (about 2 Mbps), did not differ in coverage stability. But the worst thing is that they did not have a single standard, which made communication even more difficult. Looking at this orgy, the American Committee for Standardization of Local Area Networks (IEEE) in 1990 began the development of a single universal standard for all devices.

For some reason, the process dragged on and the progenitor of the current Wi-Fi was revealed to the world only in 1997. The standard was called Wi-Fi 802.11, worked at the same snail speeds and failed miserably. Outside help was needed, so Nokia, Cisco and other communication giants of that time joined the cause. Initially, the clumsy Wi-Fi was brought to mind, and the world was shown two new prototypes 802.11a and 802.11b: the first gave higher speeds, but worked at a closed frequency of 5 Hz, the second accelerated to 11 Mbps, but worked in the generally accepted range of 2.4 Hz.

This is how the current Wi-Fi with high bandwidth, stable coverage and lightning speeds was born. For a better understanding, engineering names like 802.11b have led to a more understandable form: the 802.11ac network has become Wi-Fi 5, and 802.11ax has become Wi-Fi 6. And every device that can work in wireless networks receives a corresponding logo indicating the version used WiFi.

Wi-Fi equipment with Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

What is Wi-Fi 6 and how is it different from previous versions?


Unlike other versions of Wi-Fi, which actually improved upon previous developments, the “six” was created from scratch with an eye on a world that is completely and completely connected to wireless networks. However, it still works like the normal Wi-Fi we're all used to. All improvements are aimed at ensuring that the networks of the future correspond to their time. This is the time of the Internet of things, gigabit networks, high-definition video streaming and dozens of gadgets connected to one unfortunate router.

So, thanks to the fact that Wi-Fi 6 has learned to pack more data into each packet, its net performance will increase by about 40% compared to the previous version, and the throughput will expand significantly. Further expansion of the channel, now many more gadgets can connect to the network without loss of speed. This is a potential solution to the problem in offices, hotels and cafes, where one network is slaughtered for the most I don’t want, and the speed literally goes to the floor. The third, and no less important point is the ability of technology with Wi-Fi 6 to effectively exchange packets with several devices, without the need to transfer them in turn. And of course, to work with the new standard, equipment will consume less energy, taking care of the battery reserve in a laptop or smartphone has always been an important point in the development of this standard.

Wi-Fi 6 Smartphones

What technologies make Wi-Fi 6 cool?


Now let's take a closer look at all the important technical features of the new standard.

OFDMA and packet splitting

Perhaps this is the most important innovation of the new network, although formally this function was also present in older versions of Wi-Fi, it just worked in single transmission mode. The main problem with older versions of the protocol was that if many devices are connected to a wireless access point, the speed drops. This is familiar to anyone who has tried to connect to a shared hotspot in a coffee shop, mall, or airport. The more devices connected to the access point, the slower the Internet. All these devices "compete" for the channel. OFDMA technology is designed to solve this problem. It significantly increases the speed and stability of the channel, allowing you to divide it into several subchannels, one for each gadget. And if earlier packets between the router and gadgets were sent one-by-one in turn, then with Wi-Fi 6, the distribution of packets will be like moving on a busy street.


MU-MIMO and collaboration with OFDMA

In 2014, MU-MIMO multiple entry technology debuted as part of the Wi-Fi 5 standard, allowing routers to interact with multiple users at the same time. Initially, most routers and access points without MU-MIMO can only communicate with one device at a time, so all data packets for all devices are transmitted in turn. That is, at least a dozen smartphones can connect to the router, but there will be delays and a decrease in speed due to the fact that packets are transmitted in turn. It's like the only free checkout at McDonald's, even if the cashier has the fastest hands in the Wild West, you still have to queue. With MU-MIMO, there were four free cash desks. With the advent of Wi-Fi 6, eight. Together with OFDMA, such opportunities will significantly improve the quality of communication in public transport, corporate environments, trading floors, hotels or stadiums.

Naive Dual Band Mode

Even 5 - 6 years ago, most Wi-Fi networks used the 2.4 GHz band and did not blow a mustache. However, the more equipment was connected, the more loaded this frequency became, which led to the development of the 5 GHz band with more bandwidth and less channel load. Theoretically , "dual-band" routers could create 2 wireless networks at once at different frequencies in order to offload the channel. With the advent of Wi-Fi 6, dual-band support and the ability to deftly switch between them have become basic skills for technology. If there is a Wi-Fi 6 sticker, then the device certainly knows how to work simultaneously in two frequency bands.


Target Wake Time and Energy Savings

A useful feature that allows you to gently disconnect idle devices from the general flow. If the conditional smartphone or smart speaker is not currently active, the connection goes into sleep mode. The network is also able to understand exactly when which gadget is most actively used, after which specific times will be set for access to the environment. For example, if the laptop is actively used exclusively during working hours, sleep mode will not be activated during such periods. In essence, this allows 802.11ax access points to effectively increase device sleep time and significantly save battery life, which is especially important for a smart home.

WPA3 security protocol

The updated WPA3 security protocol better encrypts the connection between your device and the access point and better protects against brute force attacks thanks to the SAE protocol, which uses simultaneous peer authentication. WPA3 existed before Wi-Fi 6, but with its advent it will become the security standard.

BSS Color: division into friends and foes

The previous communication standard did not give the access point the ability to distinguish “own” traffic from “foreign”. As a result, in apartment buildings, the data transfer rate is relatively low, since routers, catching other people's signals, “think” that the communication channel is loaded. WiFi 6 does not have this problem thanks to the BSS Coloring function, which allows you to recognize "us" and "them". It marks other networks and causes the router to ignore them, so there is no confusion.

Laptops with Wi-Fi 6

What technology supports Wi-Fi 6 and how to understand it?


Many laptops released in the second half of 2020 are equipped with a corresponding receiver. Moreover, these are not necessarily expensive gaming or premium models, you can find simple and relatively inexpensive options on sale like Acer Aspire 5, Lenovo ThinkPad E14 or Xiaomi RedmiBook 14 II. With smartphones, the situation is not so rosy - Wi-Fi is still found mainly in flagships and mid-range models with a price tag of $400. The most affordable Wi-Fi option is the Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro. The choice among routers can also hardly be called rich, and such models are significantly more expensive than analogues with Wi-Fi 5. But this is a normal situation at the start, we can safely predict that by the end of 2021, most modern phones, laptops and tablets will support this function.


Due to the transition period, a situation is now often encountered when people buy new equipment with Wi-Fi 6 support, but cannot fully use it because of the old router. As a result, a newer device is backwards compatible, communicating with a smartphone or laptop in the old way, and people complain that Wi-Fi is not the same. In order to clearly show what standard a particular gadget supports, the Wi-Fi Alliance brought everything to a single marking - on the box with certified devices there should be a Wi-Fi icon, on top of which the corresponding number is indicated.

Should you upgrade to Wi-Fi 6?

We have tested several routers with Wi-Fi 6 and can responsibly declare that they are definitely faster than models with the "five", but not that much faster. If you already have an adequate dual-band router with a gigabit port, and the amount of home electronics does not go off scale, then you should hardly be in a hurry to upgrade. It would be more expedient to switch to a gigabit tariff from the provider, if you have not already done so. But if the quality of the current network does not suit you at all and you are going to buy a new router, then it makes sense to take a closer look at the model with Wi-Fi 6. Fortunately, they are no longer torn at exorbitant prices and you can find a relatively inexpensive option for sale a la Huawei AX3 Dual core. Most importantly, keep in mind that all the charms of the new standard will be fully revealed if the gadgets connected to the network support it, and do not work in backward compatibility mode. As for the nodal systems, Wi-Fi 6 has proven itself to be the best here, but this is a topic for a separate discussion.