I often hear debates in both professional and public circles about Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. Which is better? What's the difference? By the time 5G arrives, Wi-Fi 6 may no longer be needed.
This is very reminiscent of childhood discussions on pressing topics:
- Who's stronger, a whale or an elephant?
- Which actor is stronger, Van Damme or Schwarzenegger?
- My kung fu is stronger than your karate!
I've decided to share brief theses for a primer in the spirit of the 1920s.
Disclaimer: This article does not claim to be comprehensive or fundamental.
What is similar?
The same basic technologies:
- Wi-Fi 6 and 5G use Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology, which was first used in LTE networks.
- Wi-Fi 6 networks introduced subcarrier frequencies for simultaneous data transmission. Additionally, Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology is used in Wi-Fi 6 to quadruple the bandwidth and number of connected clients for each access point.
The telecommunications industry utilizes Massive MIMO technology, allowing the use of up to 128 spatial streams.
Differences between Wi-Fi 6 and 5G:
Different application scenarios:
Wi-Fi 6 is a wireless technology suited for indoor use. Due to spectrum and power resource limitations, Wi-Fi 6 is not applicable for outdoor coverage scenarios over long distances.
Spectrum planning and management for 5G is conducted by the State Radio Frequency Commission based on the issuance of spectrum resource licenses.
Let's set aside the struggle for frequency resources between businesses and government entities.
For outdoor applications, the effect of interference is minimal, making the use of 5G quite logical.
However, indoors, the high frequencies (ranging from 24 GHz to 52 GHz) used by 5G are heavily susceptible to attenuation, and deploying 5G will require planning a rather complex deployment scenario.
An obvious advantage of Wi-Fi over 5G is the simplicity of deployment and ongoing maintenance in indoor coverage scenarios.
Thus, it turns out that Wi-Fi 6 (primarily, although there are interesting applications outdoors) is used for campus networks of enterprises and high-density indoor access.
However, the place where 5G is most interesting is:
- voice solutions ();
- data transmission scenarios;
- IoT infrastructure in .
Various spectrum management methods:
Wi-Fi spectra — 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz do not require a license for indoor use. There is no need to apply for frequency spectrum or register as a telecom operator for their use.
By choosing the Wi-Fi environment, businesses can freely use the spectrum in Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks at speeds of 10 Gbps.
Outdoor usage in the 5 GHz band is regulated.
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For small and medium businesses (SMB), deploying their own 5G infrastructure and setting up 5G base stations is simply not financially feasible.
Various costs:
Deploying Wi-Fi networks is very straightforward. As Wi-Fi access points become smarter (for example, Huawei access points utilize smart antennas and SmartRadio channel calibration technologies), planning and maintaining Wi-Fi networks has become significantly easier than before.
Sometimes this can even be done without hiring professional engineers, who used to be required even for simple scenarios.
It should be noted that complex and critical implementations still require careful radio planning and radio modeling of the wireless network by professional engineers and architects.
Wireless 5G networks always require thorough planning, modeling, and controlled deployment at all project stages, whether starting from scratch or expanding the coverage area of the telecom operator.
Thus, the overall costs of launching a network vary significantly.
Different ways to promote 5G and Wi-Fi 6 terminals:
The cost of promoting Wi-Fi 6 terminals is lower. Upgrading existing Wi-Fi 5 terminals to Wi-Fi 6 terminals requires updating the chipset on the end device without the need to change the designed wireless architecture.
Portable terminals can even quickly start operating in Wi-Fi 6 via .
Transitioning from non-5G terminals to 5G terminals implies redesigning end devices, increasing system complexity and overall costs. Although, of course, there are assumptions and exceptions here as well.
Therefore, using Wi-Fi 6 is preferable for end devices that weren't intended to support 5G, such as printers, electronic boards, smart building management systems, projection TVs, and telepresence systems.
Interaction between Wi-Fi 6 and 5G:
5G networks have some limitations, such as the high cost of indoor coverage and the inability to upgrade older devices.
Wi-Fi 6 technology addresses issues related to high bandwidth, large capacity, and low latency in indoor coverage scenarios.
Due to these advantages, Wi-Fi 6 is suitable for key applications that require high bandwidth and low latency, such as VR/AR, 4K/8K content, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
Thus, for enterprises, Wi-Fi 6 networks and 5G can interact with each other in most scenarios in a synergistic mode to achieve an optimal access and coverage ecosystem.
For certain industrial scenarios, such as oil fields, coal mines, and AGVs, 5G has unique advantages, including low latency and wide area coverage.
In scenarios with very high street placement density (for example, in squares and stadiums), the bandwidth of 5G networks may not always meet user access demands without adding a significant number of base stations.
In this case, the high access density of Wi-Fi 6 is a cost-effective solution for servicing a large number of users and terminals with high density.
Output:
Despite similar physical technologies, the application areas of Wi-Fi 6 and 5G differ in terms of industrial scenarios, as well as the costs of implementation and ownership.
Therefore, the conclusion about 'which is better' will be best illustrated with a picture!
I hope this material has been useful and helped clarify the main key elements of the similarities and differences between these technologies.
Source: habr.com
