Following the release of IEEE 802.11ac (WiFi 5) in 2013, IEEE 802.11ax (WiFi 6) was released in 2019 [1]. A performance analysis of the 802.11ax 5GHz (WiFi 6) protocol lists multiple benefits with a major highlight being the inclusion of an improved MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) which allows for both downlink and uplink, increasing the number of simultaneous streams to increase from four to eight [2] alongside an increase in maximum speeds. This project will outline the main characteristics of the WiFi 6 protocol, indicating if there are any significant changes compared to previous iterations, and discuss the implications of the protocol’s implementation with respect to its performance.
[1] N. Lawrence, "What is WiFi 6?," Reviews.org. Accessed: Feb. 06, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.reviews.org/au/internet/what-is-wifi-6/
[2] E. Mozaffariahrar, F. Theoleyre, and M. Menth, "A Survey of Wi-Fi 6: Technologies, Advances, and Challenges," Future Internet, vol. 14, no. 10, Art. no. 10, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.3390/fi14100293.
[3] R. Liu and N. Choi, "A First Look at Wi-Fi 6 in Action: Throughput, Latency, Energy Efficiency, and Security," Proc. ACM Meas. Anal. Comput. Syst., vol. 7, no. 1, p. 25:1-25:25, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1145/3579451.
[4] E. Tokhirov and R. Aliev, "Analysis of the differences between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5," E3S Web of Conf., vol. 402, p. 03020, 2023, doi: 10.1051/e3sconf/202340203020.
[5] Eliud Momanyi Manyinsa, "Implementation of IEEE802.11 (Wi-Fi) in NS-3," JCC, vol. 13, no. 6, Jun. 2016, doi: 10.17265/1548-7709/2016.06.003.
[6] Deronne et al., "ns-3 Wi-Fi 11ax Project: Release final," May 2019. Available: https://wp.ece.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2018/11/11ax-final-report.pdf