What is Wi-Fi 6?

While still relatively new to the technology market, Wi-Fi 6 has been gaining traction in 2019. There are a number of Wi-Fi 6 routers out there, and it is supported by most flagship smartphone models that were launched this year, like Samsung’s Galaxy S10+ and Apple’s iPhone 11.

That’s why the Wi-Fi Alliance announced Monday the launch of its Wi-Fi Certified 6 program. The program has a set of standards that participating manufacturers whose products support Wi-Fi 6 must meet. When their products check all those boxes, the manufacturers will be able to put a Wi-Fi Certified 6 badge on the packaging. The intent is to provide a quick and easy signal to consumers that a product has met all the requirements to reliably support the speedy new Wi-Fi.

In lab tests, Wi-Fi 6 has proven to be up to 40 percent faster than the fastest Wi-Fi 5 connection. Widespread adoption of Wi-Fi 6 is still a long way off, but the launch of the certification is a notable opportunity for manufacturers to start building more Wi-Fi 6-capable products.