Mac Format - UK (2020-04)

APPLE SKILLS How it works

54 | MACFORMAT | APRIL 2020 macformat.com @macformat

The latest wireless networking standard is set to bring many benefits

Wi-Fi 6 is the next generation

of wireless internet, and we’re

happy about that for two

reasons. First of all, it’s faster

and has more capacity. And secondly, it means

that the Wi-Fi Alliance has finally got the hang

of giving things sensible names. Well, nearly:

technically Wi-Fi 6 is really Wi-Fi Certified 6™,

but we’re just going to ignore that.

A trip to the AirPort

Let’s go back to 21 July 1999. Steve Jobs

is passing an iBook through a hula hoop to

demonstrate that the Mac is connected to

the internet, without a cable, thanks to the

magic of ‘AirPort’.

AirPort was Apple’s name for the 802.11b

Wi-Fi standard, a technology for establishing

wireless connections between devices via

radio waves. The numbers tell you what

international standard you’re talking about

and the letter(s) show the version of that

standard. 802.11b was the first Wi-Fi standard

to go mainstream. It used the 2.4GHz radio

frequency, which was already crowded with

cordless phones and baby monitors, and it had

a peak data transfer rate of 11Mbps. Nobody

got anywhere close to that: real-world speeds

were affected by your distance from the

router, the number of devices you were

connecting and if there was anything metal

between you and the router. It wasn’t

particularly fast, but it was incredibly

convenient and Wi-Fi became a smash hit.

Since then we’ve had multiple iterations.

802.11b was supplanted by 802.11a and g,

which delivered faster data rates, and then

802.11n, which also used the 5GHz frequency

and added MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple

Output) tech to support multiple aerials for

better, faster coverage. The most recent

version most of us have used is 802.11ac,

published in late 2013, which delivered really

fast connections alongside better capacity.

And now there’s Wi-Fi 6, which Apple

started supporting with the iPhone 11. It

promises faster connections, better battery

life and connections that actually work when

you’re at a big concert or sporting event.

Wi-Fi 6 is part of the new branding for

Wi-Fi. 802.11n Wi-Fi is now Wi-Fi 4; 802.11ac is

Wi-Fi 5; and the 802.11ax standard is Wi-Fi 6.

You won’t just see these labels on product

packaging, you’ll also start seeing them next

to available network notifications so you can

see what Wi-Fi network you’re connecting to.

The big selling point is faster connections.

Wi-Fi 6 is up to 40% faster than Wi-Fi

5/802.11ac thanks to more efficient data

compression that means it can push more

data through the same connections. That

Expect better

battery life

and faster

connections

that will

work well in

congested

areas

HOW IT WORKS

Finally, the Wi-Fi Alliance has gone for a catchy name!

Netgear’s AX12

Wi-Fi router offers

speeds of up to

6Gbps and looks like

something Darth

Vader would drive.

Wi-Fi 6 – next gen connectivity