Guys, now that Wi-Fi 6E is out, everyone’s asking, “What does the 6 GHz band even do for me?” What’s the difference from the old ones, or is this just marketing hype? With a wider band and less congestion, performance seems to skyrocket—if your devices actually support it, of course. So, do you think it’s too early to jump on Wi-Fi 6E, or is it time to try out the next-gen routers? If we can’t afford it until prices drop, what exactly do we lose by sticking with old Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 vs 6E: Really unnecessary?
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I don’t have much experience with Wi-Fi 6E since my setup doesn’t support the 6 GHz band, but when friends explain it, it makes sense—especially in crowded areas where performance drops, having that extra band being free sounds super useful. When I get my new router, I’d rather go for Wi-Fi 6E over 6 if the prices drop; it’d be worth a try.
Well, look, what intrigues me the most is this whole thing about having the 6 GHz band "clean" of interference. Do you really think there will be so many devices in my home clogging up the 2.4 or 5 GHz bands that I'd notice the difference? I don't know if it's worth paying extra for now.
Wi-Fi 6E is coming as a version of Wi-Fi 6 that supports the 6 GHz band, and the biggest advantage here is higher efficiency thanks to less congestion and wider channels. The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands in Wi-Fi 6 standards are already quite crowded, especially in apartments or densely populated areas, where performance loss can occur. The 6 GHz band is specifically designed to ease this congestion and offers serious upgrades for high-bandwidth applications (such as 8K video, large file transfers, or VR) with wider channels (up to 140 MHz).
So, is it really necessary? If you're someone with heavy wireless network usage (many devices, 4K streaming, large file transfers, etc.), then 6E is quite advantageous. But if you're just setting up a simple home office or smart home network, standard Wi-Fi 6 is sufficient for most users. Device support is still limited: newer laptops, smartphones (like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 15 series), and some routers support 6E, but prices are still high. In the next 1-2 years, as it becomes more standardized and prices drop, it will become a more sensible investment.
Ultimately, it's a "buy now or wait and see" situation. If you buy today, you'll be able to fully utilize 6E for the next few years. But if your budget allows and you want to invest in the future, it's worth trying. Alternatively, if you've just bought Wi-Fi 6 and aren’t thinking about a full system upgrade, it might be smarter to wait for prices to drop.
Just realized after getting WiFi 6E that my first issue of "no signal" was because of a damn device that doesn't even support the 5 GHz band 😂 Guess I've officially proven I'm a total newbie.