What is Wi-Fi 6? | eero Support

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is a wifi standard that improves speed, efficiency, and security over Wi-Fi 5. Compared to Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 dramatically reduces lag on your connected devices.

Supported eeros

These eero models support Wi-Fi 6:

Standard models:

eero 6 (router)
eero 6 Extender
eero 6+
Ring Alarm Pro

Pro models:

eero Pro 6
eero Pro 6E

PoE models:

eero PoE 6

Note: The eero Pro 6E supports an expansion of the Wi-Fi 6 protocol called Wi-Fi 6E which introduces support for the faster 6 GHz band.

Technology

Wi-Fi 6 operates on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, letting you connect more devices without sacrificing speed. It's more secure with WPA3 encryption, and includes performance improvements at both the network and device level:

OFDMA subdivides wifi channels so multiple clients can transmit data at the same time rather than each client transmitting one at a time
BSS Coloring allows devices to distinguish between your network and other networks on the same wifi channel, increasing efficiency even on congested networks
Target Wake Time (TWT) reduces power consumption when clients are idle

Compatibility

What about older devices?

Older devices can still connect to Wi-Fi 6 networks using their supported Wi-Fi standards, but:

They won't receive Wi-Fi 6 performance benefits
They may not perform as well as Wi-Fi 6-capable devices
Some may have trouble connecting with WPA3 enabled

For more information, see What is WPA3?

Note: Wi-Fi 6 eeros won't use Wi-Fi 6 backhaul while meshing with Wi-Fi 5 eero models. This means Wi-Fi 6 devices may experience slower speeds and higher latency when roaming from a Wi-Fi 6 eero to an older one.