Wi-Fi 6E Explained
Wi-Fi 6E represents a huge advance over Wi-Fi 6. Previous generations of Wi-Fi have all shared small number of available channels, leading to interference and congestion. Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) products let you take advantage of exclusive channels and features, bringing the VIP benefits of Wi-Fi 6E to home, business, and gaming users.
What Is Wi-Fi 6E?
The next step in Wi-Fi evolution will enhance wireless performance by opening up new, exclusive channels never before available for unlicensed Wi-Fi use.
Wireless signals are transmitted within specific unlicensed spectrum ranges, as made available by law. The last three generations of wireless technology have used two signal bands. The first, the 2.4 GHz band, is crowded with interference from many devices, including baby monitors and microwaves. The 5 GHz band has now also become congested with legacy Wi-Fi devices and networks.
A new 6 GHz band will be used by Wi-Fi 6E connections—and not legacy devices. It’s called Wi-Fi 6E because it represents an extension of the available frequencies that can be used to transmit Wi-Fi 6 signals. United States regulators were the first to approve the 6 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi use in 2020, allowing development and deployment of Wi-Fi 6E devices to move forward.
Comparing Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 6
Before choosing a new wireless device, it’s important to know the key differences between Wi-Fi 6E and the previous generation of wireless technology, Wi-Fi 6. The most impactful difference is that Wi-Fi 6E devices use a dedicated 6E spectrum with up to seven additional 160 MHz channels while Wi-Fi 6 devices share the same congested spectrum—and only two 160 MHz channels—with other legacy Wi-Fi 4, 5, and 6 devices. This gives Wi-Fi 6E devices the advantage and ability to experience gigabit speeds more easily. Wi-Fi 6 devices will not be able to take advantage of the benefits of the 6 GHz spectrum used by Wi-Fi 6E.
Additionally, Wi-Fi 6E devices, like a Wi-Fi 6E notebook, are backward compatible with legacy wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 6 and Wireless-AC and will be able to connect to legacy Wi-Fi 4, 5, and 6 networks in legacy 2.4/5 GHz bands when needed.
Speed
With additional dedicated high-speed channels and no legacy Wi-Fi interference, Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) enables speeds up to 6x faster than Intel® Wi-Fi 5 on managed networks1 and nearly 3x faster than Wi-Fi 5 for home and consumer use.2
Latency
Low latency is key to seamless experiences in real-time applications like videoconferencing and gaming. With Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) products using the unshared 6E spectrum, latency is up to 75 percent lower than with Wi-Fi 5,3 for the convenience of wireless internet without the excessive lag.
Interference
Wi-Fi 6E devices use a new, exclusive spectrum that is much larger and has many more channels than the spectrum used by other generations of Wi-Fi devices. This results in greater reliability and efficiency, as this spectrum can only be used by Wi-Fi 6E devices and is not impacted by legacy device traffic.
Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) for Home
Upgrading to an Intel® Wi-Fi 6E device will give home users access to nearly 3x greater wireless connection speeds than Wi-Fi 5,2 all without interference from other household devices.
With an Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) notebook and a Wi-Fi 6E router, you can easily upgrade your home network to VIP-level status and stream 4K video smoothly, quickly share large files, and collaborate seamlessly for amazing work-from-home and remote learning experiences.
Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) for Business
Say goodbye to the speed and capacity limitations of legacy Wi-Fi. With Wi-Fi 6E‒enabled devices, businesses can make cloud and collaboration applications more responsive while giving teams speeds up to 6x faster than Wi-Fi 5 for file sharing, backups, and updates.1
Using Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) devices with an upgraded 6 GHz Wi-Fi 6E network, you can relieve network congestion and solve office Wi-Fi challenges. Exclusive 6 GHz channels enable ultralow latency and improved performance in even the most-crowded environments.
Gaming Made Greater with Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) Products
Play to win with Wi-Fi 6E advancements that keep lag and interference low while giving you the speed you need to stay competitive.
With new Wi-Fi 6E products from Intel and Killer Networking, get the convenience of wireless connectivity combined with customizable performance enhancements for the ultimate competitive edge.
Intel® Killer™ Intelligence Center
Empowers you to analyze, optimize, and control your PC’s networking performance via a comprehensive, easy-to-use dashboard.
Intel® Killer™ Prioritization Engine
Your wireless network should make gaming as big a priority as you do. With the Killer™ Prioritization Engine, Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6E‒enabled devices can detect, prioritize, and protect gaming packets. Keep ping low and reduce jitter to help achieve the victories you crave.
Intel® Killer™ Intelligence Engine
Game on the move without missing a beat. The Killer™ Intelligence Engine detects the best access points for your wireless connection and automatically switches to optimize performance for your most-demanding games and applications.
Intel® Killer™ DoubleShot Pro
Customize your network with Wi-Fi 6E and Ethernet connections that work when and how you want them to. With Killer™ Doubleshot Pro, select applications and websites to connect with wired or wireless based on your own unique needs.
Find Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) Products
Get specifications and features for the latest Intel® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) products, or compare products to meet your wireless connectivity needs.
Product and Performance Information
Based on IEEE 802.11ax specification legacy 5 GHz vs. new 6 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum. With more large channels in 6 GHz, technology advantages of Wi-Fi 6E networks enable higher maximum theoretical PC client speeds vs. 5 GHz Wi-Fi 5.
Based on IEEE 802.11ax specification. 160 MHz channels and Wi-Fi 6/6E technology advantages enable significantly higher maximum theoretical PC client speeds vs. standard Wi-Fi 5 products.
Based on IEEE 802.11ax specification Intel Engineering simulation. 160 MHz channels and Wi-Fi 6/6E technology advantages related to network managed traffic enable lower latencies, more efficient operation, and higher reliability vs. random contention-based traffic of standard Wi-Fi 5 networks.