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The rise in the use of streaming services and video conferencing has most likely put increased stress on home networks. The promise of 5G is great and all that but when it comes to meeting the Internet needs of all devices at home, WiFi 6 is the technology being pushed for that. Given the complexity of use cases as well as house layouts these days, a simple and single WiFi 6 router may not even be enough. Enter NETGEAR's new Orbi WiFi 6 Tri-band AX4200 mesh system, now in a more affordable package but also with less muscle than its other Tri-band mesh system.

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Google's mesh routers are getting a WiFi update to make the experience of slower internet connections less frustrating, including greater control over priority devices like a work laptop. The new update is being released for both Nest Wifi and its predecessor Google Wifi, the company says, and will be installed automatically.

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Honor has revealed a new range of laptops, tablets, and smart home tech, including taking on the MacBook Pro with a powerhouse 16-inch notebook of its own. The Honor MagicBook Pro will use up to Intel's 10th generation Core i7-1051OU processor paired with NVIDIA GeForce MX350 graphics.

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It's no small thing to become part of Apple's online store. Like with its digital app stores, Apple carefully curates what it puts on its device catalog, approving only those that meet its very stringent requirements. It's no surprise then, that mesh Wi-Fi system maker eero is wearing like a badge the fact that it is now available for purchase on the Apple Store, at least on the online store in selected markets.

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The eero Pro tri-band WiFi router now supports automatic Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) for users in the US and Canada, the company has announced. The new feature arrives in eeroOS version 3.19.0, offering improved reliability and speed while helping decrease interference. This latest version of the software will automatically be installed on the routers, also bringing bug fixes and stability improvements.

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Xiaomi is bucking the trend of expensive WiFi 6 routers, revealing a new model that packs 802.11ax support but will be priced at a fraction of what rival routers will set you back. Announced alongside the global debut of the Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro - which each support WiFi 6 - the new Mi AIoT Router AX3600 supports up to 2,976 Mbps data speeds.

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Eero today announced that it has added Apple HomeKit support to its lineup of routers. The idea of flipping the switch on HomeKit support is to make IoT setups more secure, but of course, there's also the benefit of being able to control your router through the Apple Home app. Support is rolling out today, with Eero putting together a multi-part post on its help site to guide people through the set up process.

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Razer typically shows up to trade shows with a bunch of announcements to make, and it turns out CES 2020 was no different in that regard. Razer made a handful of announcements about upcoming products and concepts during the show today. The products it revealed include a new controller for mobile gaming, a compact desktop, and a new 5G router.

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TP-Link just announced a handful of new networking products designed to accommodate the increasing number of devices in our homes that connect to the Internet. Not just the usual culprits like computers and smartphones but now TVs, ovens, and even refrigerators want to access the Internet. That, unfortunately, also means that there are now more points of entry into your home network, which is why TP-Link has partnered with security software company Avira to put shields around the hub of all that Internet activity: your TP-Link router.

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5G might be the one making headlines in the mobile industry but when it comes to computing at large, Wi-Fi 6 is the name of the game. Grabbing the chance to make waves in that market, TP-Link is putting out router after router to enable computer users of all kinds to experience blazing-fast Wi-Fi 6 speeds. Presuming, of course, they have devices capable of handling all that bandwidth.

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When it comes to wireless networks, 5G has had the lion's share of attention in the past months. It isn't, however, the only big change that's happening in that space. The Wi-Fi 6 evolution is also underway but it has mostly been under the purview of routers rather than phones. At CES this year, network equipment makers are grabbing the chance to display their Wi-Fi 6 wares and TP-Link is leading the march with its latest generation of Deco Mesh Whole Home Wi-Fi routers.

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Today the official Wi-Fi Alliance introduced the term Wi-Fi 6E as a differentiator from the original Wi-Fi 6. With Wi-Fi 6E, users will know that a device will have access to 6Ghz wi-fi spectrum. Devices out right now with Wi-Fi 6 have access to 5Ghz operation. In the near future, some new devices will be capable of Wi-Fi 6 and beyond - into 6Ghz - so the Wi-Fi Alliance created a slightly more elite term, Wi-Fi 6E.

Wi-Fi 6E vs 6: What's the difference?

Wi-Fi 6E has access to all the benefits given to devices with the Wi-Fi 6 designation. Wi-Fi 6E ALSO has access to 6Ghz operation, or what the Wi-Fi Alliance defines as "an important portion of unlicensed spectrum that may soon by made available by regulators around the world."

Wi-Fi 5 was another name for the 802.11ac parameter, while Wi-Fi 6 is aka 802.11ax. Wi-Fi 5 had access to 5Ghz Frequency, while Wi-Fi 6 has access to 2.5 and 5Ghz frequency. The max data rate of Wi-Fi 5 is 3.5 Gb/s, and Wi-Fi 6 goes up to 9.6Gb/s. Wi-Fi 6E is the same as Wi-Fi 6, except that it ALSO has access to 6Ghz spectrum frequency.

This is sort of separate from 5G, but it compliments the near future of the internet data market. Once 5G gets rolling across the world, we'll see apps and networks that depend on 5G-speed data. To make sure Wi-Fi is ready to meed that demand, 6Ghz spectrum and all the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 (and 6E) are defined by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Why should I care?

If you're reading this in early 2020, you probably don't need to care about Wi-Fi 6E at all. If the marketplace evolves at an immense speed, we might see 6Ghz released for use by governments around the world for use by everyday average citizens.

"6 GHz will help address the growing need for Wi-Fi spectrum capacity to ensure Wi-Fi users continue to receive the same great user experience with their devices," said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO, Wi-Fi Alliance. "Wi-Fi Alliance is introducing Wi-Fi 6E now to ensure the industry aligns on common terminology, allowing Wi-Fi users to identify devices that support 6 GHz operation as the spectrum becomes available."

The Wi-Fi Alliance wants to get out ahead of the industry here with a term they can all use. If they were late on this particular point, we'd see a variety of terms used for Wi-Fi 6 (plus 6Ghz!) and so forth - and that's just messy.

Once 6GHz spectrum is made available by regulators, you'll likely see "Wi-Fi 6E" appear on promotions for new routers and smartphones in short order. The difference between Wi-Fi 6 devices and Wi-Fi 6E devices won't be massive right out the gate. Unless you depend on the absolute cutting-edge speeds and lack of latency and so forth, you can probably just choose Wi-Fi 6 devices if you have the choice between 6 and 6E, unless the prices between those two devices are quite similar.

The overarching story here has us all benefit from the opening up of 6Ghz spectrum because we'll all have more mobile data elbow room, so to speak - and faster data, and and lower latency.

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