First USB, then HDMI, now Wi-Fi! Here comes Wi-Fi 6 Release 2!!

[Lurick]

Summary

In following the confusing naming schemes of USB and HDMI alliances now the Wi-Fi Alliance has decided to get in on the fun of adding all sorts of new revisions and release names to the existing WiFi 6 standard.

 

Quotes

Quote

For those who have dozens of smart home devices littered throughout their house, Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 brings power consumption improvements. Devices that use the new standard can rely on new low-power and sleep modes, which is particularly interesting for battery-powered products.

Wi-Fi 6 Release 2’s features apply across all of the standard’s supported bands, including 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. This is important as all three have their own use cases, with 2.4GHz often still remaining the only option in low-power smart home devices, given that it’s the cheapest technology and the one with the highest range.

 

My thoughts

This naming convolution and meshing of stuff with confusion nomenclature really needs to stop. I mean it KIND of makes sense, it's WiFi 6 and 6E but with new features but come on, this really should have been pushed off to WiFi 7 or something later on. Now it's going to be a real "joy" explaining these to customers. Then there is the fact that low energy and other wake-up functionality was supposed to be part of WiFi 6 originally so why it's now coming out as a "release 2" is just mind boggling and beyond stupid imo.

 

Sources

https://www.androidpolice.com/wi-fi-6-release-2-announced-to-further-confuse-you-about-wi-fi-standards/

[Doobeedoo]

Yeah it is a mess.

USB4 at least looks to be a better new slate. It's also Type-C only.

HDMI should move to 3 soon with their mess.

DP 2 is yet to come so that one looks proper at least.

[StDragon]

Nope. Not confusing enough. WiFi 6 will now have to be renamed WiFi 6.1 and 6.1E.

[Lurick]

1 minute ago, StDragon said:

Nope. Not confusing enough. WiFi 6 will now have to be renamed WiFi 6.1 and 6.1E.

The WiFi release formerly known as WiFi 6

[StDragon]

Just now, Lurick said:

The WiFi release formerly known as WiFi 6

Right. And new stickers will ship so stores can slap them on the existing boxes. But not all boxes will get stickers....because.

What a fluster cluck.

[TetraSky]

Eh, it's not as bad as HDMI and USB.

Quote

Given that Wi-Fi 6 was supposed to be a new beginning for the convoluted and complicated naming scheme Wi-Fi previously relied on, converting the unintuitive Wi-Fi n/ac/ax scheme into the logically progressing Wi-Fi 4, 5, and 6, it's a bummer we're once again left with a system that has us scratching our heads what is what, with Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 coexisting. It's especially disheartening that Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 is meant to enhance both Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, making it even more difficult to grasp.

This is just something new. It's not outright renaming something into something else just for the sake of confusing people.

I'm still not sure what is going on with USB. Going from 3.0, to 3.1 gen 1, to 3.2 gen 1.... Then there's 3.1 that became 3.1 gen 2 and finally 3.2 gen 2....

Like WHY Seriously should've just stayed with 3.0 for the gen 1, 3.1 for gen 2 and 3.3 for the newest, etc. Would've been simple!

Quote

• USB 3.2 Gen 1: originally known as USB 3.0, and previously renamed to USB 3.1 Gen 1. It’s the original USB 3.0 specification, and it can transfer data at up to 5Gbps.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2: Previously known as USB 3.1, and then later as USB 3.1 Gen 2. It offers speeds at up to 10Gbps.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2x2: formally known as USB 3.2, it’s the newest and fastest spec, promising speeds at up to 20Gbps (by using two lanes of 10Gbps at once).

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

41 minutes ago, Doobeedoo said:

Yeah it is a mess.

USB4 at least looks to be a better new slate. It's also Type-C only.

HDMI should move to 3 soon with their mess.

DP 2 is yet to come so that one looks proper at least.

Wouldn't hold my breath, DP 1.4 is already a complete mess as there is no definition of what features a device MUST support to be called that.

[Fasterthannothing]

Improper naming isn't a bug it's a feature to sell more stuff

[Computer Guru]

If it's just related to power consumption, I don't think it's a problem. That's like a point release to a software that makes it a bit more efficient - so long as it remains feature-compatible with the existing set of access points and clients with the same features they expect, it's more like an added bonus if you end up with 6.2 <-> 6.2 than anything else.

[AlTech]

11 hours ago, Doobeedoo said:

Yeah it is a mess.

USB4 at least looks to be a better new slate. It's also Type-C only.

I thought USB 3.2 2x2 was Type-C only. Type A has been deprecated since 3.1 iirc and yet we're still seeing new devices with Type A ports.

[Lurick]

9 hours ago, Computer Guru said:

If it's just related to power consumption, I don't think it's a problem. That's like a point release to a software that makes it a bit more efficient - so long as it remains feature-compatible with the existing set of access points and clients with the same features they expect, it's more like an added bonus if you end up with 6.2 <-> 6.2 than anything else.

The issue, at least from my point of view, is that these features were defined as part of the original WiFi 6 spec so why release or call something new just to introduce something that's already there.

[CTR640]

14 hours ago, StDragon said:

Nope. Not confusing enough. WiFi 6 will now have to be renamed WiFi 6.1 and 6.1E.

Are you nuts? It should be WiFi 6 gen1.2.2.1 2x1.

[Lurick]

1 minute ago, CTR640 said:

Are you nuts? It should be WiFi 6 gen1.2.2.1 2x1.

WiFi 6 gen1.2.1 8x8 MIMO

[tikker]

15 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Wouldn't hold my breath, DP 1.4 is already a complete mess as there is no definition of what features a device MUST support to be called that.

Because, to my understanding of the same mess with HDMI recently, it's the DP specification that is at currently at 1.4. There isn't really a "DP 1.4",  just like there is no "HDMI 1.4" and no "USB 3.0", which is why USB and DP at least make a tiny effort to press you to use their respective "SuperSpeed XX Gbps" and HBRX/UHBR names instead of the spec version. I do agree the landscape has become incredibly confusing with so many optional features and little to no certifications for the majority of them.

1 hour ago, Lurick said:

The issue, at least from my point of view, is that these features were defined as part of the original WiFi 6 spec so why release or call something new just to introduce something that's already there.

So do I understand correctly that in this case you can acutally build either a WiFi 6, WiFi 6E or WiFi 6 Release 2 device? As in all three exist as a separate spec? That's a technicality though and I agree that this adds confusion. Especially since it's the third release after 6 and 6E. Where's the logic in that?

[Lurick]

38 minutes ago, tikker said:

So do I understand correctly that in this case you can actually build either a WiFi 6, WiFi 6E or WiFi 6 Release 2 device? As in all three exist as a separate spec? That's a technicality though and I agree that this adds confusion. Especially since it's the third release after 6 and 6E. Where's the logic in that?

That's about what it seems like but WiFi 6 Release 2 is just an extension or codification of what was originally supposed to be in WiFi 6 to being with. It's definitely not simple and we'll have to see what happens with the markets I guess as to how it's handled for devices.

[paddy-stone]

Yeah these "updates" or naming conventions still don't beat p.diddy/puff daddy and all of his changes to his names 

[StDragon]

17 minutes ago, Lurick said:

That's about what it seems like but WiFi 6 Release 2 is just an extension or codification of what was originally supposed to be in WiFi 6 to being with. It's definitely not simple and we'll have to see what happens with the markets I guess as to how it's handled for devices.

The concern is if this is a HW level change, or more protocol that bring up older WiFi 6 equipment up to code with a software/firmware update. I would hate to think existing 6 hardware has already become locked in place as-is.

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 hour ago, StDragon said:

The concern is if this is a HW level change, or more protocol that bring up older WiFi 6 equipment up to code with a software/firmware update. I would hate to think existing 6 hardware has already become locked in place as-is.

Its certainly odd, as I too was under the impression existing WiFi 6 equipment has the low-power improvements.  Almost certain my phone gets better battery life since I switched to WiFi 6.

Although it was already a mess as not all existing WiFi 6 routers/APs support TDMA which is a big improvement of WiFi 6.

[Doobeedoo]

7 hours ago, AluminiumTech said:

I thought USB 3.2 2x2 was Type-C only. Type A has been deprecated since 3.1 iirc and yet we're still seeing new devices with Type A ports.

But it's still a mess and under 3.x naming with SS+ etc nonsense, can't even know what devices support it and how many it even have it.

At least USB4 is kinda a new slate and Type-C only from now finally.

[StDragon]

1 hour ago, Grand Admiral Thrawn said:

Who decides what the proper naming is?

Only the finest.

[LAwLz]

I think it's sad that on a tech forum, the discussion is focused on the name rather than the technology being presented. I also don't think the name is that hard to understand. It's similar to when we had wireless AC wave 2. 

 

Wi-Fi 6 release 2 is a minor update to Wi-Fi 6. I fail to understand what's so hard to understand about it. What do you people want? Would Wi-Fi 6.1 have been better maybe? 

This post isn't aimed at anyone in particular. I see plenty of media outlets also confused (or pretending to be confused) and I just don't understand how or why. 

[Lurick]

1 minute ago, LAwLz said:

I think it's sad that on a tech forum, the discussion is focused on the name rather than the technology being presented. I also don't think the name is that hard to understand. It's similar to when we had wireless AC wave 2. 

 

Wi-Fi 6 release 2 is a minor update to Wi-Fi 6. I fail to understand what's so hard to understand about it. What do you people want? Would Wi-Fi 6.1 have been better maybe? 

Because it's not needed? Because you fail to understand the confusion this would bring to the consumer?

If it's just a software update that's fine but if this requires new hardware (which it shouldn't since these features were in the WiFi 6 spec to being with) then it's an even bigger issue. And HEAVEN FORBID tech people have a little fun with a stupid name pattern that's been seeing an uptick lately.

[Lurick]

8 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I think it's sad that on a tech forum, the discussion is focused on the name rather than the technology being presented. I also don't think the name is that hard to understand. It's similar to when we had wireless AC wave 2. 

 

Wi-Fi 6 release 2 is a minor update to Wi-Fi 6. I fail to understand what's so hard to understand about it. What do you people want? Would Wi-Fi 6.1 have been better maybe? 

This post isn't aimed at anyone in particular. I see plenty of media outlets also confused (or pretending to be confused) and I just don't understand how or why. 

We don't want these naming schemes going crazy when WiFi JUST finished simplifying the naming scheme. 6 and 6E were fine because 6E was a big extension of WiFi 6 so it made sense but target wake time and uplink mimo was a part of the WiFi 6 spec (I'm like 99% sure on uplink mimo and 100% sure on the target wake time and other power savings parts)

*shakes fists at the cloud* Dang WiFi!

 

Edit:

Just double checked and Uplink MU-MIMO was part of the original spec:

https://www.commscope.com/blog/2019/wi-fi-6-802.11ax-fundamentals-what-is-mu-mimo/

https://www.arista.com/assets/data/pdf/Whitepapers/MU-MIMO-Whitepaper.pdf

 

[LAwLz]

13 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Because it's not needed?

What exactly isn't needed? A new name for a new standard? I'd say keeping the name the same would have made it way more confusing. 

 

13 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Because you fail to understand the confusion this would bring to the consumer?

Yes, I really don't understand how this is confusing. At least not for people on this forum that should be somewhat technologically literate. I can understand how it might be confusing for my grandad, but he struggles with understanding that Wi-Fi 6 is newer and better than Wi-Fi 5 so I don't think any naming scheme could help him. 

 

13 minutes ago, Lurick said:

(which it shouldn't since these features were in the WiFi 6 spec to being with) 

No they weren't.

I think the technology existed (at least Uplink MUMIMO was thought of) and were possibly supported by some, but it was never part of the Wi-Fi 6 certification standard. 

 

 

Some of these features will possibly be supported on existing hardware through software updates and re-certification. For example i know Qualcomm implemented Uplink MU-MIMO in their Wi-Fi 6 products despite it not being part of the standard. Not sure about the power saving features though.

Woulsnt it be more confusing if they called it Wi-Fi 7 and suddenly a bunch of Wi-Fi 6 devices to reclassified as Wi-Fi 7? Isn't that what people who don't understand the USB spec keep making jokes about? 

[Lurick]

10 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

What exactly isn't needed? A new name for a new standard? I'd say keeping the name the same would have made it way more confusing. 

 

Yes, I really don't understand how this is confusing. At least not for people on this forum that should be somewhat technologically literate. I can understand how it might be confusing for my grandad, but he struggles with understanding that Wi-Fi 6 is newer and better than Wi-Fi 5 so I don't think any naming scheme could help him. 

 

No they weren't.

 

See my edit, they were defined as part of the original WiFi 6 spec with whitepapers from 2019 and 2020 talking about them but if this "release 2" is just a software update to enable the features then it's fine, still less than ideal, but I can deal with it better that way.

 

A few more papers and releases:

https://www.wi-fi.org/download.php?file=/sites/default/files/private/Wi-Fi_CERTIFIED_6_Highlights_202112.pdf

https://help.keenetic.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010536300-What-you-need-to-know-about-Wi-Fi-6-IEEE-802-11ax-

https://www.extremenetworks.com/wifi6/what-is-80211ax/

https://www.juve-patent.com/sponsored/wi-fi-6-key-innovations-and-their-contributors-part-2/

 

Edit:

There was a comment I made about these being codified or not originally, they were supposed to be part of the spec but if they didn't make it in I would at least like to know that.