Difference between 5G and Wi-Fi 6

In the ever-evolving world of technology, two groundbreaking advancements take center stage with the promise of faster, more reliable connectivity: 5G and Wi-Fi 6. Both technologies are designed to enhance our digital experience, but their purposes and areas of operation are very different. In this article, we'll delve into the key differences between 5G and Wi-Fi 6, revealing their respective capabilities, applications, and impact on our connected world.

Parameter	5G	Wi-Fi 6
Supported Frequency Bands	low-frequency band (< 1 GHz), medium frequency band (1–7 GHz), high-frequency band (24–29 GHz)	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz
channel edge	Max. 100 MHz (Sub 6 GHz), Max. 400 MHz (mmWave)	20, 40, 80, 160 MHz
Spectrum Type	Licensed spectrum (including unlicensed spectrum and dedicated network spectrum)	unlicensed spectrum
Carrier Aggregation	Supported	Supported (40, 80, 160, or 80 + 80)
Channel Access Mechanism	OFDMA	OFDMA
MIMO	Outdoor: 64T64R-16 streams Indoor: 4T4R-4 streams	8T8R/12T12R-8 streams
Modulation Technology	256QAM	1024QAM
mobility	10ms	50ms
Latency	eMBB: 4ms uRLLC: 0.5ms	20ms
Inter-cell interference control capability	Strong	Weak
Coverage Area	100-300 m (small cell), up to dozens of km (macro base station)	Less than 50 m (indoor), up to 300 m (outdoor)
Chip/Terminal Cost	High	Low
Deployment Cost	High (enterprise LAN coverage) Low (macro site coverage)	Low
Deployment and O&M Capabilities	High	Low

Spectrum Type

Traditionally, cellular networks work on licensed spectrum, and Wi-Fi works on unlicensed spectrum. But in the 5G era, this division is becoming blurred. On the one hand, some countries, such as Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, France, and the United States, have allocated a localized spectrum for 5G private networks. Enterprises can use the spectrum after applying for approval. On the other hand, the NR-U defined in the standard is originally a 5G radio operating on an unlicensed spectrum. In this trend alone, Wi-Fi 6 faces greater competitive pressure from cellular networks than previous generations.

Coverage Area

Because the licensed spectrum allows for higher transmit power, 5G Small Cells typically have a range of 100 to 300 meters, which is larger than indoor Wi-Fi (usually within 50 meters)

Chip/Terminal Cost

Wi-Fi 6 chips are cheaper than 5G chips and have significant cost advantages.

Deployment Cost

For wide-area coverage, 5G has advantages in coverage capability and can reuse the existing 2G/3G/4G site deployment. The deployment cost is lower than that of Wi-Fi. However, in enterprise LAN scenarios, the costs of building 5G networks and deploying terminals are much higher than those of Wi-Fi. However, 5G has advantages in anti-interference, reliability, low latency, multi-connection, and mobility. For services that have higher requirements on latency and reliability, such as automatic control, 5G private networks still need to be deployed. In the medium and long term, it is believed that 5G dedicated network deployment costs will decrease. Once the costs are reduced to a low enough level, more enterprises will consider replacing some or all Wi-Fi networks with 5G.

Overall, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 are both competitors and complements. At the same time, as technologies and applications evolve and enter the 5G and Wi-Fi 6 era, the boundary between cellular networks and Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly blurred.

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