www.cnet.com Open in urlscan Pro
2a04:4e42:4c::666  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Your guide to a better future

 * Tech
 * Money
 * Home
 * Wellness
 * Cars
 * Culture
 * Science
 * More Close

 * News
 * Politics
 * Social Media
 * Privacy
 * Misinformation
 * Feature Stories

 * Tech
 * Home Entertainment
 * Mobile
 * Computing
 * Services & Software
 * Gaming

 * Money
 * Credit Cards
 * Mortgages
 * Insurance
 * Loans
 * Cryptocurrency
 * Banking
 * Investing
 * Taxes

 * Home
 * Home Internet
 * Home Security
 * Kitchen & Household
 * Smart Home
 * Energy & Utilities
 * Yard & Outdoors

 * Wellness
 * Sleep
 * Nutrition
 * Fitness
 * Personal Care
 * Parenting
 * Medical
 * Mental Health

 * Cars
 * Best Cars
 * Car Accessories
 * Car Reviews
 * Car News
 * Car Prices

 * Culture
 * Internet Culture
 * Entertainment
 * Sports
 * Fashion

 * Science
 * Climate
 * Space
 * Biology

 * Coupons
 * Doordash Promo Codes
 * eBay Coupons
 * ExpressVPN Coupons
 * HP Coupon Codes
 * Office Depot Coupons
 * Overstock Coupons
 * Samsung Promo Codes
 * Turbotax Coupons
 * Vistaprint Coupons


Home Internet


WI-FI 6 GETS AN UPGRADE WITH RELEASE 2, PROMISING BETTER UPLOAD PERFORMANCE

The new release adds optional features that Wi-Fi 6 device developers can take
advantage of, including multi-user uploads and better power efficiency.

Ry Crist

Jan. 7, 2022 10:50 a.m. PT

Ry Crist

Senior Editor / Reviews - Appliances

Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a text-based adventure
connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A
CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting,
appliances, and home networking.

See full bio
3 min read
 * * 
   * 
   * 
   * 

Stephen Shankland/CNET

This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most
incredible tech coming soon.

2019 saw the debut of 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6, the newest and fastest version of
the Wi-Fi standard. Now, three years later, that standard is getting upgraded to
support more robust uploads and better power efficiency, which is key for
battery-powered Wi-Fi devices, particularly in IoT applications.

Called Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 and announced this week during CES 2022, the upgrade
builds upon the foundation set by the original release of Wi-Fi 6 by adding in
new features that developers can choose to take advantage of. The new features
are supported across all Wi-Fi bands -- 2.4, 5 and the 6GHz band that comes with
Wi-Fi 6E -- and you can expect those features to start making their way into new
Wi-Fi devices released later this year. According to a spokesperson for the
Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry group that announced the release, some devices
already on the market might be equipped to take advantage of them, as well.

"In those cases, we would likely expect that they would go through the testing
to make sure that those capabilities are functioning," says Kevin Robinson,
Wi-Fi Alliance senior vice-president of marketing, adding that in other cases,
devices might be able to implement Release 2 features with a simple firmware
update. "It's also certainly possible that devices that do not have the
capabilities at all could add these capabilities in. But that could vary from
vendor to vendor."


Now playing: Watch this: Which router upgrade is right for you?
9:01

The key upgrade with the release addresses upload traffic, which has risen
steadily over the past few years as part of a larger surge in residential and
commercial internet usage.

"We're seeing a significant shift in uplink versus downlink traffic," Robinson
explains. "Some number of years ago, you were seeing ratios in the 10:1 range,
meaning that you were downloading 10 bits of data for every 1 bit that you were
uploading or sending out over your broadband connection. One major provider has
already indicated that the ratio has changed to around 6:1, and they're
expecting that ultimately, we'll get to a 2:1 ratio."

Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 aims to meet that growing demand for sturdy uploads with
uplink MU-MIMO, which essentially allows network devices to upload data at the
same time on different streams within your network. It's a natural extension of
the downlink MU-MIMO that's already a part of Wi-Fi 6, Robinson says, and one
that should help the incoming generation of Wi-Fi devices adapt to the
pandemic-borne surge in home network traffic, especially as people continue
working and socializing online.

On the efficiency front, Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 augments the original Wi-Fi 6 release
with the addition of features like broadcast target wake time, extended sleep
time, and dynamic multi-user spatial multiplexing power save, all of which are
designed to help battery-powered Wi-Fi devices conserve power as they connect
with an access point. That could help the makers of smart home sensors, cameras
and other wireless gadgets notch better battery life.

Minor, nongenerational updates to the standard aren't uncommon in the history of
Wi-Fi. 802.11ac, now known as Wi-Fi 5, which saw a similar second release in the
years after its debut. There have also been a number of niche applications of
the standard in recent years to meet different networking challenges.

"As with previous generations, the second release brings in optional
capabilities or capabilities that are more targeted towards specific use cases,"
Robinson says, "whereas many of the foundational capabilities obviously get
prioritized in the first release."









EDIT ADDRESS

Address
City
State AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS
MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY
State
ZIP
I live in an apartment

Something went wrong. Try again later.

Update
Unavailable

 * More From CNET
 * Reviews
 * Best Products
 * Deals
 * Gift Guide
 * Shopping Extension

 * About
 * About CNET
 * Newsletter
 * Sitemap
 * Careers

 * Policies
 * Help Center
 * Terms of Use
 * Privacy Policy
 * Licensing
 * Cookie Settings
 * Do Not Sell My Information

© 2022 CNET, a Red Ventures company. All rights reserved.
US France Germany Japan Korea
Cookie Settings

We use cookies and similar technologies to understand how you use our services,
improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. By
clicking "Accept All", you accept all cookies. By clicking "Reject All", you
reject all cookies except Strictly Necessary cookies. To manage your cookies and
learn more about our use of cookies click “Cookie Settings”.Learn more.

Cookie Settings Reject All Accept All