FCC Ruling Opens up to 1,200MHz of Spectrum for Wi-Fi 6E

A ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit backs an FCC decision to open up to 1,200MHz of spectrum for Wi-Fi 6E.

While Wi-Fi 6 connections make more reliable and efficient use of the same spectrum that’s been in use for the last couple of decades, especially when multiple devices are connected, Wi-Fi 6E routers will work at 2.4GHz and 5GHz plus the new 6GHz band. That has enough room for up to seven maximum capacity Wi-Fi streams to broadcast in the same area at once without interfering with each other or using any existing spectrum.

Malware? Not Malware — Mac Geek Gab 841

Sometimes you feel like … a malware. Sometimes you don’t. That’s not how it goes, but that’s exactly how it felt for a lot of you this week! John and Dave talk through this and get to the bottom of it all. That’s hardly half of it, though. You know how Mac Geek Gab goes… your questions answered, your tips share, all with the goal of learning at least five new things along with your two favorite geeks!

FCC Tests Eero Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Routers WIth BTLE, Zigbee

The FCC has been testing Eero’s Wi-Fi 6 mesh routers. Not much is known about these devices, including a launch date, but it appears that these products will have Bluetooth Low Energy and Zigbee to enable smart home automation connectivity.

Although the underside diagram for Gateway and Extender is shaped somewhat like the second-generation Beacon design, we don’t see any plugs shown—so it seems unlikely that they will be wall-wart designs like the Beacon’s or like Eero competitor Plume. We expect the new generation of devices will likely be desktop-style designs, with external power supplies.

Wi-Fi 6 Will Get 6 GHz Capabilities Under Name ‘Wi-Fi 6E’

The Wi-Fi Alliance is extending Wi-Fi 6 into the 6 GHz band for faster performance, faster data rates, and lower latency. It’s called Wi-Fi 6E.

Wi-Fi 6E devices are expected to become available quickly following 6 GHz regulatory approvals, utilizing this additional spectrum capacity to deliver continuous Wi-Fi innovation and valuable contributions to consumers, businesses and economies.

Wi-Fi Alliance: “We’re moving away from 802.11.xx because that’s too confusing.”

Also Wi-Fi Alliance: “Welcome to Wi-Fi 6E.”

Most Everything to Know About Wi-Fi 6

Wi-FI 6 is coming. For the geeks, that’s 802.11ax. CNET has a great article that explains it all. But even if you buy a new Wi-Fi 6 router/base station later this year, it won’t speed up your Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) devices, But take heart. Intel’s Ice Lake CPU supports it and so will, likely, the 2019 iPhones.  Read all about Wi-Fi 6 in this excellent overview. Your inner geek will thank you.