While some people are still coming to grips with the rollout of
Wi-Fi 6-enabled technologies, the announcement by the Wi-Fi Alliance of Wi-Fi 6
Release 2 has become the talking point of 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,” says Andre
Kannemeyer – CTO at Duxbury Networking.
The Wi-Fi Alliance says that Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 has been
necessitated as a result of the significant
shift in uplink versus downlink traffic. 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 is a natural extension
of the downlink MU-MIMO that is already a part of Wi-Fi 6.
On the efficiency front, Wi-Fi 6
Release 2 is 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.
Finally, Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 should deliver the best experience with
advanced applications while providing WPA3 security and promoting
interoperability between Wi-Fi certified devices.
“In line with our mission to provide our customers with equipment
that improves their overall experience and increases productivity, we look
forward to sharing the arrival of Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 equipment from our trusted
suppliers as soon as it is made available to us,” says Kannemeyer.