Intel Wi-Fi 6E: This is what the new standard can do

Trouble-free video streaming and smooth online gaming on the wireless Internet: That’s what Wi-Fi 6E promises. Intel already has some products with the new WLAN standard in its portfolio. You can find out what they can do and what advantages Wi-Fi 6E offers here.

This article was created in cooperation with Intel.

What is Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of the 802.11ax wireless standard introduced in 2018. Unlike Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E uses not only 2.4 and 5 GHz channels, but also the wide 6 GHz frequency band. For the first time in 20 years, new channels for free WLAN use are now available.

The main advantage: so far there have been virtually no sources of interference on 6 GHz channels. While various devices send their data on 2.4 GHz channels, for example baby monitors and Bluetooth headphones, and the 5 GHz band is used by numerous older, inefficiently working devices, you only have to get 6 GHz channels with you share with other Wi-Fi 6E users. There are currently few of them. In addition, up to seven 160 MHz channels are available in the 6E spectrum. That’s plenty of space for fast and trouble-free data transmission – real VIP access to the wireless Internet.

In addition, there are all the advantages offered by the 802.11ax standard: The new MUOFDMA (Multi-User Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access) modulation method enables data to be divided into many small packets, which can also be sent to multiple devices in a network at the same time . The result: more efficient data transmission with lower latency times, higher overall performance and more protection against network congestion. In addition, battery consumption is lower and there are fewer problems when multitasking with many devices.

WLAN standard	specifications
WiFi 6E (802.11ax)	2.4/5 and 6 GHz, max. data rate 9.6 Gbit/s
WiFi 6 (802.11ax)	2.4 and 5 GHz, max. data rate 9.6 Gbit/s
WiFi 5 (802.11ac)	5 GHz, max data rate 3.5 Gbps

Intel Wi-Fi 6E: These models exist

In April 2020, Intel presented the first network adapters with Wi-Fi 6E support. The chip giant has since launched a handful of models that use the 6 GHz frequency band:

• Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX 411
• Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX 211
• Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX 210
• Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX 1675 (i/s)
• Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX 1690 (i/s)

The killer series is primarily aimed at gamers and offers almost latency-free online gaming. The standard range of Wi-Fi 6E network adapters is suitable for home use as well as for companies and promises responsive cloud and collaboration applications as well as interference-free 4K video streaming. All models offer a data rate of 2.4 Gbit/s. The Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX 1690 even reaches up to 3.0 Gbit/s.

This brings Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E to gamers

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Made for online gaming: Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E.

Image: © INTEL 2022

PCs and gaming laptops that are equipped with a network adapter from the Intel Killer series offer many advantages that take your gaming to a new level of speed – not only by supporting the new, super-fast WLAN standard.

The integrated For example, the killer engine recognizes faster WiFi access and selects it automatically. The system also notices when gaming packets are transmitted over the WLAN. Corresponding data are sent with priority. Thanks to Intel Killer, your computer notices that you are currently playing an online shooter and accelerates your gaming traffic. Unimportant background processes that could affect data transfer are throttled to free up capacity for gaming.

About the Intel Control Center you also have access to the settings of the network adapter and, if you wish, you can decide for yourself which prioritization the network carries out. And if it should be a wired connection, you can thank you Intel Killer Double Shot Pro specify which apps and websites you want to control by default via Ethernet connection. Practically!

This brings Intel Wi-Fi 6E to your home

Intel Wi-Fi 6E not only offers a lot of advantages for gaming. Laptops and PCs with the network adapter can accelerate any form of online entertainment. For example, film lovers and series junkies benefit from smooth video streaming – even in 4K.

In the home office, Intel Wi-Fi 6E ensures fast working in the cloud, trouble-free online meetings and reliable transfers, even with large data packages. Whether gaming, streaming or simply surfing the net – Intel promises three times more speed than Wi-Fi 5 and 75 percent less latency. You only have to pay attention to the correct positioning of the router. Namely, 6 GHz channels have a shorter range than the 5 and 2.4 GHz spectrum.

By the way: All devices with Intel Wi-Fi 6E are backward compatible and can use older standards. Even if you use a Wi-Fi 5 network on the go, your computer is ready for use. And as soon as Intel Wi-Fi 6E detects a faster access point, it will rejoin you in the VIP network. Brilliant!

This article was created in cooperation with Intel.