STACK #185 Mar 2020

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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WithWi-Fi 6 out in the wild, it’s a good time to take a closer look at the new wireless tech, the essentials of home networking, and some gear recommendations to keep you connected. Words Adam Colby

Wi-Fi 6 of things For those venturing into the near limitless tech depths of the Internet of Things (IoT), Wi-Fi 6 is your new tech bestie. Unlike older Wi-Fi standards, Wi-Fi 6 is built with this new IoT push in mind, which means there’s a futureproofed focus for all those bits and bobs around the home that already have baked-in Wi-Fi support (or soon will). Entertainment application Under the right conditions, Wi-Fi 6 is between four times or up to 10 times faster than older Wi-Fi standards. This means it’s a great choice for large local file transfers or video streaming from a media server. Internet speeds tap out at around 100Mbps currently, which means you shouldn’t expect a significantly noticeable boost in video streaming online. Virtually ready Wi-Fi 6 is also built with low-latency applications in mind. This is great news for gamers, particularly those interested in virtual reality or augmented reality, as Wi-Fi 6 is expected to lead to viable streaming of data-intensive gaming content. Granted, it’s not quite there yet, but keep an eye out for it in the not-so-distant future. Closing the distance Just like older Wi-Fi standards, Wi-Fi 6 operates best when devices are closer to it. That doesn’t mean you need to camp out next to your Wi-Fi 6 router. But Wi-Fi 6-compatible devices that are closer to the Wi-Fi 6 router will benefit from faster speeds. Take this into account when positioning your Wi-Fi 6 router and compatible stationary Wi-Fi devices.

It’s time to rejoice, wire-cuttingWi-Fi lovers! The wizards behindWi-Fi naming conventions have at long last shunned the alphabet-soup-entrée, word-salad-main-course letter generations and opted for lay-friendly numbers.The latest generation ofWi-Fi is simply calledWi-Fi 6. Phew. (If you do prefer looking for letters, you’re afterWi-Fi 802.11ax.) And kind of like the maximum points you can earn off a flashy cricket stroke, Wi-Fi 6 is poised to be an absolute crowd-pleaser and top-tier entertainer.

A very Wi-Fi history The goal of earlier iterations of Wi-Fi was simple: ditch networking cables in favour of wireless simplicity. But the reason wired connections (Ethernet) still exist today is because they’re faster and more reliable. As Wi-Fi has evolved, it’s edged closer and closer to Ethernet in terms of speed and reliability, with Wi-Fi 6 at the top of the pile.

Wi-Fi 6 essentials There are two core ingredients to a delicious high-speed Wi-Fi 6 cocktail. First, you need a Wi-Fi 6-compatible router like the Netgear AX4. The next key component is one or

Netgear AX4

Why Wi-Fi 6? Wi-Fi 6 has improved wireless connectivity across the board. Naturally, it’s faster than earlier iterations. It’s also built to handle big data, which makes it a great choice for around-the-home streaming of 4K or even 8K video. Wi-Fi 6 can handle up to 12 streams simultaneously to appease the busiest of homes. It’s also more power- efficient, which means longer battery life for Wi-Fi 6 devices.

more devices, like the just-launched Samsung Galaxy S20, which are compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and can support all of the newfangled wireless perks. Older devices The great news is that Wi-Fi 6 plays nice with older devices. Backwards compatibility means that your older Wi-Fi devices will work with a Wi-Fi 6 router. And Wi-Fi 6 devices will, thankfully, still connect to routers that aren’t yet up to Wi-Fi 6 speeds, which is handy for when you’re out and about.

Samsung Galaxy S20

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MARCH 2020

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