Qualcomm Sampling Next-Gen Wi-Fi 6, 6E Mesh Platforms for Home Networks

Qualcomm began sampling its next-generation Immersive Home Platforms, successor to its mesh networking platforms, said the company Tuesday. Its Wi-Fi 6 and 6E products are due in the market next year, it said.

For consumers who don’t have a mesh network, the Immersive Home Platforms ensure “high-performance” gigabit connectivity is available anywhere in a home, emailed Nick Kucharewski, Qualcomm general manager-wireless infrastructure and networking. Early mesh network adopters can also benefit from an update to the platforms’ denser deployment model, Wi-Fi 6 advancements and 160 MHz-channel performance that will deliver a 2x-3x performance speed boost compared with Wi-Fi 5-based systems, said Kucharewski Tuesday.

FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly called Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi 6E announcement “great news” and a “massive game changer.” With some more work by the FCC this year, “we can expand unlicensed opportunities in band even further,” he tweeted Tuesday.

Pending FCC certification, consumers will get the benefits of Wi-Fi 6E in mobile, at home and in the enterprise, said Kucharewski. “With the ability to tap into the 6 GHz channel, the consumer will be able to sustain high performance connectivity to every corner of the home” with “enterprise-like network management,” including seamless roaming, band/node client steering and advanced security safeguards, he said. Product tiers extend across dual- and tri-band configurations, from eight-stream tri-band in 2x2 (2.4 GHz) + 2x2 (5 GHz) + 4x4 (6 GHz), with a 7.8 Gbps physical layer rate, down to four-stream Wi-Fi 6 in a 2x2 (2.4 GHz) + 2x2 (5 GHz) configuration for 3.0 Gbps speed.

Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 platforms are designed to simultaneously leverage all three spectrum bands to support 2.4 GHz IoT-class devices and current legacy 5 GHz media devices and to enable “congestion-relieving migration” of node-to-node backhaul traffic from 5 GHz to the 6 GHz band, Kucharewski said. The platforms also ensure the network is prepared for devices supporting emerging 6 GHz applications such as virtual and extended reality, live video sharing and streaming, and real-time gaming. Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 platforms with support for 160 MHz channel products offer “immediate and significant performance and cost benefits” to existing mesh systems, he said.

Qualcomm’s modular architecture approach, advances in network packet processing technology and integration of Wi-Fi 6 and 6E will enable products that are “tiny” -- capable of fitting in the palm of a hand -- vs. existing mesh systems, Kucharewski said: They can be expanded or adapted to higher performance models as necessary. A signature element of Qualcomm’s approach with the platforms is “there is no one-size-fits-all approach to home networking.” The platforms deliver 2.5x performance per watt vs. Wi-Fi 5 systems, he said.

Smart home integration capabilities such as Qualcomm Multi-User Traffic Management and advanced Bluetooth integration allow the platform to manage and support all the Wi-Fi connected devices within the home while enabling seamless onboarding and integration of advanced applications, Kucharewski said. On work- and learn-from-home trends, Kucharewski said home network performance has become “mission critical, ensuring every meeting is productive, every classroom is engaged, and every device is connected.” Qualcomm’s four product tiers give Wi-Fi 6 design flexibility to manufacturers, broadband carriers and internet service providers, he said.