7 ms·

Why would 6GHz make such a difference compared to 5GHz?

by mort96 24d ago

martinald 24d ago
Because it supports (on WiFi 7) 320MHz channels. So there is double the bandwidth. 5GHz only supports 160MHz channels.
- mort96 24d ago
  Wouldn't it make more sense then to ask about high bandwidth channel support rather than frequency support? It's not the frequency that's important here.
  - dragontamer 24d ago
    Higher frequencies support higher bandwidths though. I don't think the 2.4GHz band even has 160MHz free, for example. Literally impossible to support because 2.4GHz to 2.5GHz is all you get (100MHz or so). 5GHz isn't much larger than 160MHz. Like it can fit but some number of channels is better for everyone. 6GHz band is like 5.9GHz to 7GHz or something stupidly wide. Because of the new wider band, you can effectively have larger channels with fewer problems.
    - martinald 24d ago
      Yes exactly. Also with MLO (bonding eg 5GHz and 6GHz) together on WiFi 7 you could get 480MHz of spectrum, which would allow many gigabits quite "easily". Only problem is firmware support etc is somewhere between non existent and very poor in general for MLO, which is a shame as it's definitely a great feature in theory.
    - mort96 23d ago
      Well you can run any bandwidth at any frequency, I get that the WiFi specs define set bands which include both a center frequency and a bandwidth but it's a bit weird then to focus on the frequency when the bandwidth is what matters isn't it? I assume there are products which can operate on frequencies around 6GHz but which don't support the extreme wide band channels?
      - dragontamer 23d ago
        Focus??? These bands have names. The 2.4 to 2.5 GHz band (100MHz bandwidth) is named the 2.4 GHz band. The 5.4 to 5.7 GHz band is called the 5GHz band. The 5.9 to 7GHz band is called the 6GHz band. Anyone discussing the bands should know the relative bandwidths of each. And the size of the channels also matters but we all know the 6GHz band has larger channel widths, it's part of the point of upgrading

Why would 6GHz make such a difference compared to 5GHz?

by mort96 24d ago

Why would 6GHz make such a difference compared to 5GHz?

martinald 24d ago

Because it supports (on WiFi 7) 320MHz channels. So there is double the bandwidth. 5GHz only supports 160MHz channels.

mort96 24d ago
Wouldn't it make more sense then to ask about high bandwidth channel support rather than frequency support? It's not the frequency that's important here.
- dragontamer 24d ago
  Higher frequencies support higher bandwidths though. I don't think the 2.4GHz band even has 160MHz free, for example. Literally impossible to support because 2.4GHz to 2.5GHz is all you get (100MHz or so). 5GHz isn't much larger than 160MHz. Like it can fit but some number of channels is better for everyone. 6GHz band is like 5.9GHz to 7GHz or something stupidly wide. Because of the new wider band, you can effectively have larger channels with fewer problems.
  - martinald 24d ago
    Yes exactly. Also with MLO (bonding eg 5GHz and 6GHz) together on WiFi 7 you could get 480MHz of spectrum, which would allow many gigabits quite "easily". Only problem is firmware support etc is somewhere between non existent and very poor in general for MLO, which is a shame as it's definitely a great feature in theory.
  - mort96 23d ago
    Well you can run any bandwidth at any frequency, I get that the WiFi specs define set bands which include both a center frequency and a bandwidth but it's a bit weird then to focus on the frequency when the bandwidth is what matters isn't it? I assume there are products which can operate on frequencies around 6GHz but which don't support the extreme wide band channels?
    - dragontamer 23d ago
      Focus??? These bands have names. The 2.4 to 2.5 GHz band (100MHz bandwidth) is named the 2.4 GHz band. The 5.4 to 5.7 GHz band is called the 5GHz band. The 5.9 to 7GHz band is called the 6GHz band. Anyone discussing the bands should know the relative bandwidths of each. And the size of the channels also matters but we all know the 6GHz band has larger channel widths, it's part of the point of upgrading