New generation of the internet

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Appeared in 2019 and was officially approved in February 2021. Dom.ru data on router sales on the b2c market show that in 2022 the company saw growth in the Wi-Fi 6 segment from almost zero to 5%.

Initially, the drivers of the technology's distribution are directly processor manufacturers, for whom it is more profitable to use their capacities more efficiently. Then the transition to the new standard is supported by the market of devices: smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc. And then the network infrastructure is updated in the form of Wi-Fi routers, which replace previous generations.

For example, our company launched the first router model with support for the Wi-Fi 6 standard at the end of 2021, and since the third quarter of 2020, customers have been offered more than six models, including mesh systems with support for the new protocol. At the same time, sales volumes content writing service of routers with Wi-Fi 4 support, although decreased, still make up a large share. Approximately 48% of all retail sales are provided by routers with Wi-Fi 4, 46% - Wi-Fi 5. Judging by the sales volumes, it can be assumed that Wi-Fi 6 technology is replacing the segment of fifth-generation routers, and not the older fourth.



The b2b market also uses routers with Wi-Fi 6 support, but the rate of standard distribution is several times lower than in the b2c market. This is due to a lower need for speed, as well as the fact that the b2b market uses more complex and expensive equipment. Its tasks include not only providing access to Wi-Fi throughout the entire area, for example, a multi-story office building, but also managing access policies, security, and roaming. In addition, it will be necessary to update end devices as well - replace them with models that support the new standard. Despite this, the share of Wi-Fi 6 in the b2b and b2c markets will only grow.

WHY DO WE NEED WI-FI 7 STANDARD

The officially approved release of the standard is expected only in 2024. However, the standard itself has already been described, and even routers with its support have appeared, for example, from TP-Link.

Wi-Fi 7 has become a logical development of Wi-Fi 6E, which includes support for operation in the third range. Along with 2.4 and 5 GHz, Wi-Fi 6E has added the 6 GHz range, which is not present in the previous standard. Since the distribution of devices supporting even 6E is still very small, it is too early to talk about a mass transition to Wi-Fi 7. A striking example: the iPhone 14 supports Wi-Fi 6, but does not support 6E.