What Wi-Fi 6E in the iPhone 15 Pro means for you

Comments

• Reply 1 of 14

  techconc Posts: 275member

  August 24, 2023 8:16PM

  I have a WiFi 6e mesh router system, so it will be nice to leverage that capability.  Though, honestly, I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make.  I just did a speed test on my older 12 pro and I'm getting 720 Mbps on that already. 

  
• Reply 2 of 14

  eightzero Posts: 3,069member

  August 25, 2023 12:34AM

  If I could, I'd ditch wifi in my home completely in favor of CAT5 ethernet cables. That wiring is something of a chore though. And all the little odds and ends at require wifi certainly don't need these uber speeds.

  
• Reply 3 of 14

  Japhey Posts: 1,767member

  August 25, 2023 3:31AM

  eightzero said:

  If I could, I'd ditch wifi in my home completely in favor of CAT5 ethernet cables. That wiring is something of a chore though. And all the little odds and ends at require wifi certainly don't need these uber speeds.

  Why Cat 5 instead of 6 or 8? I only ask because I’m wiring my house this fall and the more knowledge I have, the better. 

  
• Reply 4 of 14

  eightzero Posts: 3,069member

  August 25, 2023 4:25AM

  Japhey said:

  eightzero said:

  If I could, I'd ditch wifi in my home completely in favor of CAT5 ethernet cables. That wiring is something of a chore though. And all the little odds and ends at require wifi certainly don't need these uber speeds.

  Why Cat 5 instead of 6 or 8? I only ask because I’m wiring my house this fall and the more knowledge I have, the better. 

  Well...mostly because CAT5 was the last thing I knew about. In other news, there are apparently CAT6 and Cat8 wires. I doubt they are easier to snake through walls though...

  
• Reply 5 of 14

  boulderer Posts: 1member

  August 25, 2023 8:06AM

  Japhey said:

  Why Cat 5 instead of 6 or 8? I only ask because I’m wiring my house this fall and the more knowledge I have, the better. 
  

  I've just gone through this so allow me to share my knowledge.
  
  Cat 8 is ludicrous overkill for any home or even office environment. It's really designed for connecting adjacent racks in data centres and is optimised for extreme speeds over short distances. It's very expensive, the range is not as good and it's unnecessary even for future proofing standards.
  
  Cat 7 is a proprietary standard. Ignore it.
  
  Cat 6 is faster (10gbps) than Cat 5e (1gbps) and is not prohibitively expensive. In reality using this is future proofing as it's unlikely you have internet that runs faster than 1gbps but to me it seemed worth doing. Cat 6a is the slightly newer standard which supposedly has lower crosstalk and I found it pretty much the same price as Cat 6 so I went for that.
  
  Cat 5e is useful where you have really tight spaces because it is less rigid and more bendable than Cat 6. I've used this in a couple of places.
  
  You can mix cables on your network fine (eg Cat 6 to run to a room, Cat 5 to run round a corner) although obviously the maximum throughput for any endpoint is going to be limited by the slowest point on the path from the router.
  
  Two other tips:
  
  - Crimping ethernet jacks is incredibly annoying and fiddly at first but then very satisfying when you get good at it.
  
  - Think creatively about how to get your cables around. I struggled for a long time to get cable through my walls and floor from the front of my house to the back through a difficult spot - I ended up going outside and over the roof instead which was much simpler but not something which occurred to me for a long time!

  
• Reply 6 of 14

  WilliamM Posts: 19member

  August 25, 2023 8:07AM

  eightzero said:

  Japhey said:

  eightzero said:

  If I could, I'd ditch wifi in my home completely in favor of CAT5 ethernet cables. That wiring is something of a chore though. And all the little odds and ends at require wifi certainly don't need these uber speeds.

  Why Cat 5 instead of 6 or 8? I only ask because I’m wiring my house this fall and the more knowledge I have, the better. 

  Well...mostly because CAT5 was the last thing I knew about. In other news, there are apparently CAT6 and Cat8 wires. I doubt they are easier to snake through walls though...

  When our house was built back in 2010 we installed Cat 5e ethernet cabling. It works very well and I don't find I need the higher speeds.  Our internet comes from a 600mbps fibre optic cable. The biggest problem is that there are not enough sockets in some of the rooms, which is entirely my fault. We put in two point sockets at each outlet - next time I'd put four point sockets in the living room and office. Cat 6 was relatively new when we were building the house and it was easy to get structured cable with Cat 5e, co-ax and loudspeaker cable combined.
  
  I think with Cat 6 it is necessary to avoid sharp bends in the cable which will make it more difficult to install (but please don't quote me on that as I am not an engineer).

  
• Reply 7 of 14

  odinsdad Posts: 13member

  August 25, 2023 5:03PM

  boulderer said:

  Japhey said:

  Why Cat 5 instead of 6 or 8? I only ask because I’m wiring my house this fall and the more knowledge I have, the better. 
  

  I've just gone through this so allow me to share my knowledge.
  
  Cat 8 is ludicrous overkill for any home or even office environment. It's really designed for connecting adjacent racks in data centres and is optimised for extreme speeds over short distances. It's very expensive, the range is not as good and it's unnecessary even for future proofing standards.
  
  Cat 7 is a proprietary standard. Ignore it.
  
  Cat 6 is faster (10gbps) than Cat 5e (1gbps) and is not prohibitively expensive. In reality using this is future proofing as it's unlikely you have internet that runs faster than 1gbps but to me it seemed worth doing. Cat 6a is the slightly newer standard which supposedly has lower crosstalk and I found it pretty much the same price as Cat 6 so I went for that.
  
  Cat 5e is useful where you have really tight spaces because it is less rigid and more bendable than Cat 6. I've used this in a couple of places.
  
  You can mix cables on your network fine (eg Cat 6 to run to a room, Cat 5 to run round a corner) although obviously the maximum throughput for any endpoint is going to be limited by the slowest point on the path from the router.
  
  Two other tips:
  
  - Crimping ethernet jacks is incredibly annoying and fiddly at first but then very satisfying when you get good at it.
  
  - Think creatively about how to get your cables around. I struggled for a long time to get cable through my walls and floor from the front of my house to the back through a difficult spot - I ended up going outside and over the roof instead which was much simpler but not something which occurred to me for a long time!

  My .02...Another nice attribute of Cat 6 or Cat 6a over Cat 5e is Cat 5e is only 24AWG where as Cat 6/6a is 23 AWG. This little extra helps POE especially on longer runs. Just do the Cat 6/6A. 🍻

  
• Reply 8 of 14

  Japhey Posts: 1,767member

  August 25, 2023 9:31PM

  boulderer said:

  Japhey said:

  Why Cat 5 instead of 6 or 8? I only ask because I’m wiring my house this fall and the more knowledge I have, the better. 
  

  I've just gone through this so allow me to share my knowledge.
  
  Cat 8 is ludicrous overkill for any home or even office environment. It's really designed for connecting adjacent racks in data centres and is optimised for extreme speeds over short distances. It's very expensive, the range is not as good and it's unnecessary even for future proofing standards.
  
  Cat 7 is a proprietary standard. Ignore it.
  
  Cat 6 is faster (10gbps) than Cat 5e (1gbps) and is not prohibitively expensive. In reality using this is future proofing as it's unlikely you have internet that runs faster than 1gbps but to me it seemed worth doing. Cat 6a is the slightly newer standard which supposedly has lower crosstalk and I found it pretty much the same price as Cat 6 so I went for that.
  
  Cat 5e is useful where you have really tight spaces because it is less rigid and more bendable than Cat 6. I've used this in a couple of places.
  
  You can mix cables on your network fine (eg Cat 6 to run to a room, Cat 5 to run round a corner) although obviously the maximum throughput for any endpoint is going to be limited by the slowest point on the path from the router.
  
  Two other tips:
  
  - Crimping ethernet jacks is incredibly annoying and fiddly at first but then very satisfying when you get good at it.
  
  - Think creatively about how to get your cables around. I struggled for a long time to get cable through my walls and floor from the front of my house to the back through a difficult spot - I ended up going outside and over the roof instead which was much simpler but not something which occurred to me for a long time!

  Thank you for sharing all this. I’m probably going with Cat6a, but I’m still in the planning phase of deciding jack locations and wire routes. I have a couple difficult spots myself, and your last paragraph gave me a new idea. So, thanks again. 
• Reply 9 of 14

  jfabula1 Posts: 138member

  August 26, 2023 5:25PM

  Wifi 7 already? Gee my ISP only max out at 400
• Reply 10 of 14

  nemaworm Posts: 29member

  August 26, 2023 5:39PM

  I did cat 6.  It is more shielded , slightly thicker wire for long runs and future proofs you more for security Poe security cameras and overall more bandwidth.   I also pic up old apple routers on offerup for $20 and add them where the living room tv is, bedroom tv, and one around the patio area.  This gives me 3 additional gigabit ports on each wifi router for connecting to the TV/apple TV, HiFi stereo.  The one in the patio area gives me the wifi for the backyard area where the bbq parties are. I have it setup with the separate 5ghz channel to connect too and thats the only one I give out to the guests.  One day I’ll mesh network but so far for $60 I have a system that covers the house and gives high speed to the 4k streaming and 800mbs download speed for a low price.   A 4k stream usually averages 25mbps so for most people internet that is 300-500mbps handles everything in a home. Which the old 802.11ac standard handles just fine.

  edited August 2023
• Reply 11 of 14

  tht Posts: 5,452member

  August 26, 2023 5:53PM

  There's a solid possibility that many people haven't even moved past Wi-Fi 5, previously known as 802.11ac. New routers or mesh networks can easily cost hundreds of dollars, though if you're reading this article, you're likely one of the few ready to take the plunge.

  Still using my BGW320-505 Fiber modem as WiFi router. I believe it is 802.11ac.
  
  The only real benefit that WiFi 6E would have for me is AirDrop, or data transfers, assuming compatible devices and they can do a direct link.
  
  The most modern WiFi device in the house is my 17yo's M2 MBA. So, no need to move beyond WiFi 5 until more devices are WiFi 6E capable, which could be 3 years from now. Maybe 4. It's just going to stretch out.
  
• Reply 12 of 14

  bluefire1 Posts: 1,302member

  August 26, 2023 6:56PM

  I have whatever router my cable company gave me 2-3 years ago and it’s absolutely fine.

  edited August 2023
• Reply 13 of 14

  dewme Posts: 5,376member

  August 27, 2023 4:29AM

  Japhey said:

  eightzero said:

  If I could, I'd ditch wifi in my home completely in favor of CAT5 ethernet cables. That wiring is something of a chore though. And all the little odds and ends at require wifi certainly don't need these uber speeds.

  Why Cat 5 instead of 6 or 8? I only ask because I’m wiring my house this fall and the more knowledge I have, the better. 

  Having the ability to run Ethernet cable is a huge benefit.  When I built my house in 2019 I ran Cat 6 to every level and every room that I intended to have a computer or TV. With Ethernet and Apple TV or Roku you don’t need cable TV wiring or cable TV boxes unless you’re doing something like pay per view that requires a set top box. 

  
  

  I’d also suggest thinking about the possibility of eventually using a Unifi or similar modular and scalable network solution that takes advantage of PoE. This means running Ethernet cable to the ceilings where you can later install separate ceiling mounted WiFi access points that can be tailored to your needs. Also consider running Ethernet cable to periphery locations and entries to your home so you can install security cameras and video doorbells. 

  
  

  Having the luxury of running Ethernet cable anywhere is a rare thing. The reliability of hard wired Ethernet is hard to beat. Using Ethernet for WiFi access point backhaul is a better option than bringing an extra WiFi channel into the mix. No interference, obstruction, or line of sight issues with Ethernet. 

  
  

  Once you’ve closed in the walls and ceilings your options for running wires declines rapidly. Try to anticipate your future needs. I planned my Ethernet wiring installation around the intention of using a full Unifi based solution. I am very happy that I did. Whenever I reach critical mass of WiFi devices that support WiFi 6 or newer all I have to do is swap out my access points. 

  edited August 2023
• Reply 14 of 14

  RonRN18 Posts: 1member

  September 15, 2023 6:15AM

  In my home, my Internet service is a synchronous 1 Gbps. My router is a small, fanless PC with four 1 Gbps Ethernet ports running pfSense. The LAN port connects via a "trunked" 1 Gbps port on one of my Aruba S3500-24P switches. I have a total of four of these Aruba switches; two in my primary (48U) computer rack and one each in my home's insulated attics. All of these Aruba switches are interconnected with 10 Gbps links. I run CAT6A to the location of all fixed devices with Ethernet ports, including five Unifi 802.11ac access points. My home is not huge but I do have a detached garage which has its own AP and then I placed two in my front attic and two in my rear attic. By their placement, I can ensure even spread of the 5Ghz signal throughout the house and a data hog in the master bedroom will not affect another data hog in the front room.  
  
  I currently have the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max but in a few hours, I plan to pre-order the new 15 Pro Max... I've waited long enough to pull the pin.  I have done speed tests with my current iPhone and usually get between 350-400 Mbps up and down when on my home WiFi. For the purposes of speed testing, I have a VM running LibreSpeed, so I am not testing to a server outside the home, truly over the Internet, but rather an in-home speed server. I am tempted to upgrade my access points to ones that support WiFi 6E, but I am not sure it will actually accomplish anything. Would I actually see ANY benefit?