Feature: communications
The time for Wi-Fi 6 is now! By Dominikus Hierl, SVP of Sales for EMEA, Quectel
M
arket research firm IDC states that 79% of all Wi-Fi shipments in the next two years will support Wi-Fi 6 – that’s over 3.5 billion Wi-Fi 6 devices. Consulting firm Deloitte adds that decision makers regard Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5 as the most
critical wireless technologies for their business initiatives, along with 4G/LTE and 5G. Wi-Fi 6 uses orthogonal frequency division multiple access
(OFDMA), which supports high-density deployments. Tis technology offers the bandwidth necessary for multiple users to access the network simultaneously, helping reduce power consumption of devices whilst providing high-quality connectivity. Wi-Fi 6 supports unified communications, cloud computing,
augmented and virtual reality and telepresence. With high data rates, low latency and high network density, this technology is ideal for video applications that need high throughput and support a large number of devices. Here are some examples:
• For enterprises, Wi-Fi 6 offers improved connectivity for employees, guests and visitors, as well as different smart devices within an office, factory, warehouse, hospital, school, and so on. Wi-Fi 6 is oſten a more cost-effective approach for deploying Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing, compared to cellular. Te advantages of the technology will spur enterprises to purchase 13.4 million such systems in 2026, up from 4.3 million in 2021, states ABI Research.
• According to Deloitte, municipalities are already using a combination of Wi-Fi 5 and 6 to provide critical communications, as in real-time traffic monitoring and for personalised alerts to anyone in a pre-defined, geofenced area.
• Similarly, sports stadiums have adopted Wi-Fi 5 and 6 to provide a more immersive experience, enabling tens of thousands of fans in a single location to access social sharing, order concessions, check game statistics, and more. Installation of Wi-Fi 6 access points and analytics support for the Manchester United Club at Old Trafford will begin later this year, to provide fast, reliable Wi-Fi connectivity for fans, whilst increasing the club’s delivery of high-performance, low-latency and secure digital services.
• Healthcare is using Wi-Fi 6 to provide real-time, remote patient monitoring and tele-health solutions, as well as to support remote healthcare procedures with medical robots.
• Connected cars are also prime candidates for Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. A recent Ericsson report states that the connected car market will be worth over $166bn by 2025. Vehicles will use Wi-Fi 6 connectivity to support ultra-high definition (ultra-HD) video streaming on multiple displays, screen mirroring from compatible devices, and wireless back- up cameras. Beyond those in-vehicle devices, Wi-Fi 6’s full MIMO client
capability will offer high data rates at extended ranges, which is essential to connecting with external access points for critical automotive services, including vehicle diagnostics, soſtware updates and automatic check-ins at dealerships. To optimise Wi-Fi 6 performance, enterprises, municipalities
and others will want to use industrial-grade modules designed to deliver faster, more secure and more robust Wi-Fi experiences as well as new Bluetooth audio capabilities. The modules will be designed to provide enhanced performance in capacity, data rates, latency, power consumption and coverage, for premium wireless performance.
www.electronicsworld.co.uk September 2022 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
