More and more people are working from home these days and companies are realizing the benefits – from reducing overheads through reduced real estate and cutting out the exhausting commuting time for many. Add to that the fact that business travel has basically vanished overnight and global organizations are relying on video conferencing on a daily basis, when they previously leaned towards in person, face to face meetings and you have a solid case for allowing staff to work form home where appropriate.

The results are in and productivity is up.

Many companies have vowed to continue with the home working structure for the foreseeable future, so what do homeowners need to consider to ensure efficiently, productivity and success? Reliability of a robust WiFi network is key.

What is WiFi 6?

We want the devices we buy today to be smarter, faster, and simpler than those of earlier generations. It makes sense, then, that the performance of the Wi-Fi network that supports these devices also advances. The good news: Wi-Fi is undergoing a fairly significant update. Wi-Fi 6, the new iteration of Wi-Fi improves upon the old, providing a host of benefits that make wireless communications in and around your home even smoother.

Wi-Fi 6 is faster than the Wi-Fi you have in your home today. Nathan Holmes, Director of Training & Development at Access Networks explains: “Wi-Fi 6 was developed specifically to enable the network to function at full capacity even when numerous devices are connected to it.”

This is important, given that every time you bring a new Wi-Fi device home—smartphone, laptop computer, media
streamer, surveillance camera, etc.—your home’s current Wi-Fi network takes a toll. Connections get increasingly
slower and spottier and many families will be adding homeschooling into the mix in the coming weeks which could be a cause for concern if your existing network is already unreliable.

What does WiFi 6 do differently?

Today, when someone jumps onto the Internet while you’re downloading a high-def video, the whole process slows down. With Wi-Fi 6, this won’t happen. You’ll be able to download and stream content, control smart devices, and utilize the Internet without any interference or hiccups.

Some other upgrades included in Wi-Fi 6 will help extend battery life in mobile devices, along with built-in functionality to help your devices avoid interference from other nearby Wi-Fi networks. This capability is particularly useful for families that live in apartments and condominiums where the proximity of many individual Wi-Fi networks often impedes performance.

Nathan Holmes adds: “As more and more Wi-Fi 6 devices hit the market, updating your Wi-Fi network to support them is a logical next step. We likely won’t see another Wi-Fi update for another five years, so the time to upgrade is now.”

How to Get Wi-Fi 6

A good first step is installing a Wi-Fi 6 wireless access point. As more Wi-Fi 6 products become available, they can be added to the network. The Access Networks A750 is the first Wi-Fi 6 access point certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance that is tailored to home systems integrators and their customers and one that we, at IGS Group, trust.

Call us to find out more or to schedule a no obligation home network health check.