When To Use 5G And When To Use Wi-Fi 6?
When To Use 5G And When To Use Wi-Fi 6?
5G is cellular service and Wi-Fi 6 is a short-range wireless access technology. Both technologies have characteristics that make them useful in specific corporate roles.
We have seen the hype about whether 5G cellular or Wi-Fi 6 will win in enterprise use, but the fact is that the two are largely complementary, which will create an interesting competitive environment in the early 2020s.
The potential of 5G in enterprises
The promise of 5G to enterprise users is to provide higher connection speeds with lower latency. Cellular technology uses licensed frequency bands, which can largely eliminate the potential interference that may occur in unlicensed Wi-Fi frequency bands. Like the current 4G LTE technology, 5G can be provided by cellular wireless operators or built as a dedicated network.
The 5G architecture requires more wireless access points, and there may be poor connection quality or no connection indoors. Therefore, a typical organization needs to evaluate its current 4G and potential 5G service configurations for the PCs, routers, and other devices that connect to it. The deployment of indoor microcells, repeaters, and distributed antennas can help solve indoor 5G service problems. Like 4G, the best enterprise application case for 5G should be for real mobile connections, for example, public safety vehicles and non-carpeted coverage areas (such as mining, oil and gas extraction, transportation, agriculture, and some manufacturing industries).
In addition to extensive mobility, 5G also has advantages in terms of identity verification and deployment speed when roaming, which just meets the WAN connection needs of temporary offices or retail locations. 5G will have the ability to divert traffic under data congestion such as live video streaming. As the 5G standard matures, this technology will improve its options for low-power IoT connections.
In the next four to five years, 5G will be gradually rolled out from major cities and specific regions; 4G technology will continue to be popular in the next few years. Enterprise users will need new equipment, dongles, and routers to connect to 5G services. For example, Apple’s iPhone is not expected to support 5G until 2020, and IoT devices require specific cellular network compatibility to connect to 5G.
4G LTE has made cellular services the main WAN connection. 5G may be more cost-competitive or cheaper than many wired WAN options (such as MPLS or the Internet). 5G provides more choices for corporate WAN administrators, providing more bandwidth to their branch sites and remote users-over time, it may replace MPLS.
The potential of Wi-Fi 6 in the enterprise
Wi-Fi is almost everywhere, and it can connect portable laptops, tablets, and other devices to corporate networks. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is the latest version of Wi-Fi and is expected to increase speed, reduce latency, improve aggregate bandwidth, and provide advanced traffic management. Although Wi-Fi 6 and 5G have some similarities (both are based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), Wi-Fi 6 is less susceptible to interference, consumes less energy (extends the battery life of the device), and improves spectral efficiency is improved.
As with typical Wi-Fi, many manufacturers currently have Wi-Fi 6 early manufacturer-specific versions. The Wi-Fi Alliance plans to obtain Wi-Fi 6 standard equipment certification in 2020. Most enterprises will upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 in accordance with the standard access-point (AP) life cycle (about three years) unless they have specific performance/latency requirements, which will prompt them to upgrade faster.
Wi-Fi access points will still be affected by interference. Designing and configuring access points to provide adequate coverage will be a challenge. Enterprise LAN managers will continue to need tools and partners provided by vendors to configure the optimal Wi-Fi coverage for their organizations. Wi-Fi 6 solutions must be integrated with wired regional infrastructure. Wi-Fi providers need to better provide enterprises with unified network management of wireless and wired solutions.
The need for wired backhaul
For these two technologies, the combination of wireless and wired network infrastructure can provide end-to-end high-speed communications. In enterprises, Wi-Fi is usually used with wired Ethernet switches in areas and some larger branch offices. Some devices are connected to the switch via cables, others are connected via Wi-Fi, and laptops may use both methods. Wi-Fi access points are connected through the internal Ethernet of the enterprise and connected to the WAN or the Internet through optical fiber connections.
The 5G architecture uses optical fiber extensively to connect the distributed wireless access network back to the core of the 5G network. Optical fiber usually needs to provide the high bandwidth required to connect 5G endpoints to SaaS-based applications, as well as provide real-time video and high-speed Internet access. Dedicated 5G networks must also meet high-speed wired connection requirements.
Toggle issue
As mobile phones switch between 5G and Wi-Fi 6, corporate IT managers should pay attention to the handover challenge. These issues will affect performance and user satisfaction. Some organizations are working hard to develop standards to promote better interoperability between Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. As the Wi-Fi 6 architecture is in line with 5G, the experience of moving between cellular and Wi-Fi networks should be smoother.
The comparison of 5G and Wi-Fi 6 depends on location, application, and equipment
Wi-Fi 6 and 5G compete with each other in specific situations in a corporate environment, depending on location, application, and device type. IT managers should carefully evaluate their current and emerging connectivity needs. Wi-Fi will continue to dominate the indoor environment, while mobile-cellular networks will win wider outdoor coverage.
Some overlapping situations occur in stadiums, hotels, and other large event venues, and many users will compete for bandwidth. Government applications (including smart city aspects) can be applied to Wi-Fi and cellular. There are many distributed medical devices and users who need to connect in healthcare facilities. Large-scale distributed manufacturing environments have similar characteristics. The emerging IoT application environment is probably the most interesting overlapping use case.
Recommendations for IT leaders
Although the wireless technologies that support them are converging, Wi-Fi 6 and 5G are fundamentally different networks and have their own roles in enterprise connections. Enterprise IT leaders should pay attention to how Wi-Fi and cellular networks complement each other. Wi-Fi will continue as a built-in technology to connect PCs and laptops, process mobile phone and tablet data, and implement some IoT connections.
After 4G LTE is upgraded to 5G, it will still be the real mobile technology for mobile phone and tablet connection, as well as an option for PC connection (via a dongle), and it will become more and more popular for connecting some IoT devices. The 5G WAN link will increasingly become the standard, serving as the main link for backup and remote offices to improve the reliability of SD-WAN.