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How to Recognize WiFi 6 Compatible Devices

In an ideal world, all technologies should be compatible with each other, but the reality is somewhat more bitter. It will have happened to you more than once, for example, when we talk about cables or mobile chargers. It turns out that your phone charger is not compatible with that of your friend or family member and you need another cable or charger. And that before was much worse.

So when a new technology emerges, it is easy to be afraid that your current devices will become obsolete or useless. The good news is that this is not the case in such a drastic way. In recent years, most technological innovations try to be compatible with the previous ones. This is what happens with WiFi connectivity.

Currently, most devices connect via WiFi without cables using the WiFi 5 standard. Its technical name is somewhat more elaborate, IEEE 802.11ac. But sooner rather than later, we will have WiFi 6 technology, faster, more efficient and safer, among other things. The million-dollar question is: how do I know if my devices are compatible?

Devices Prior to WiFi 6

Let’s start with the main thing. If I purchase a product that uses the latest version of the WiFi standard, what happens to my current devices? The good news is that you won’t have to get rid of them. WiFi 6 technology supports devices with older versions of the standard, that is, with WiFi 5 or WiFi 4. However, don’t expect the same speed or the benefits of the newer protocol.

For example, if you buy a Smart WiFi 6 Amplifier –which will be available in mid-November of this year–, you can connect any WiFi device with it, even if they are compatible with the previous standard. Of course, to obtain all its advantages it will be better to connect devices compatible with WiFi 6. But, at least, your current devices will remain valid.

Continuing with the Smart WiFi 6 Amplifier, it acts as a signal amplifier but also as an access point, which means that it can help you make your devices previous to the newer standard compatible and benefit from its features.

Recognize WiFi 6 Compatible Devices

The answer seems obvious. If it says on the product sheet that it is compatible with WiFi 6, it will be. Maybe yes, in practically all cases, but sometimes it is convenient to go further and look at the technical data sheet beyond advertising.

If you have physical access to the product or its product box, the easiest way to see if that product is compatible is to view the WiFi 6 Certified label. If you can’t find it on the box or on the product sticker, you can also search by the name of its standard, IEEE 802.11ax.

Thus, the technical data sheet should contain either the official name or the name of the standard. Sometimes it will just say something like “Wi-Fi 802.11ax” or, more simply, “Wi-Fi b, g, n, ac, ax”. Each letter refers to a WiFi standard. The one that interests us is ax, equivalent to WiFi 6.

Note that it is easy to confuse IEEE 802.11ax (WiFi 6) with its older version, IEEE 802.11ac (WiFi 5). Hence, its manager, the international organization WiFi Alliance, opted for clearer names.

Free download Mi Movistar APK for Android

Although some of the mobile data plans offered by Movistar allow you to enjoy high-speed Internet from your smartphone or tablet without a data limit, in some plans, there is a certain limit on how many megabytes you can consume each month. In these cases, knowing how much you consume of mobile data will help you to know if your current data plan falls short or if you could change your Internet access habits outside your home when you do not have access to WiFi.

There are many ways to know how much mobile data you have used in the current month. To begin with, from your Movistar space, accessible from any browser. You will only have to go to the My Consumption section with your customer data and see the mobile data available on each of your contracted lines. But there are more comfortable ways, such as going directly to the Living App Mi Movistar of the Hogar Digital service or activating the consumer widget of the app itself.

Mobile Data Available in Mi Movistar

The Mi Movistar mobile app compatible with iOS and Android, allows you to consult and manage in detail everything related to your products contracted with Movistar. You can see the voice and data consumption you have made, extra expenses, what your services include or even extract your invoices in PDF (or see it on the screen, as you prefer). In addition, within each section, you will be able to see data as specific as what is the current upload and download speed of your fibre, etc.

When you enter the Mi Movistar application, by default you will see the Account tab. There you will see your lines and contracted products. When you enter each line you will see the mobile data you have used and the data you have left. If you click on Data you will see the additional expense, if you have exceeded the limit of data consumed. And if you go down that page, you will see a graph with the data consumed each day.

If you are short of mobile data, by accessing each line from My Movistar you will be able to contract more data in packages of several gigabytes. As simple as clicking on Contract in the package that interests you the most.

Mobile Data with the Mi Movistar Widget

And if you are interested in consulting your mobile data more often without having to enter the Mi Movistar application, you can add that information to the screen of your iPhone, iPad or Android by activating the Consumer Widget, available for free in the application itself.

The consumption widget will tell you the same thing that we have seen in the application within each contracted line. Specifically, you will see your data consumption in kilobytes or megabytes, voice consumption in minutes, if you have exceeded your data limit in euros, etc. But the advantage is that you will see that information directly on the screen of your smartphone.

How to Activate the My Movistar Widget?

To activate it you will have to open My Movistar and click on the icon of your profile, in the upper right corner. You will see your profile and configuration options, such as Widget. If you have several lines contracted, you can choose which line you want to monitor.

Then you must activate the My Movistar consumption Widget as you activate any other Widget. On Android, by pressing on an empty space on the home screen, the Widgets option will appear. Find the Mi Movistar consumption widget and then slide it to the location or position you prefer.

Signs That You Need a WiFi Booster

One of the great achievements of technology, after the Internet, has been the wireless signal. We no longer have to invest in endless wiring to access the web. However, routers are devices with limitations (like all) and, therefore, we will need a powerful WiFi amplifier when they do not suffice by themselves.

Here are some of the signals that can help you know if you need a better WiFi amplifier.

There are areas of a building, plant or office that the signal does not reach, also known as “dead zones”.
There are enough areas that WiFi reaches, but it is very slow and hinders optimal work development.
The plant or building is too big for a single router, leaving some important areas of the company lame.
The business requires WiFi in an external area of the building.
There is consistently higher latency (ping) in the signal, resulting in slower loading websites, among other issues.

If one or more of these signals are being met, then it’s probably time you needed a WiFi booster. Next, we explain how this device works and how you can solve the previous signals.

What You Need to Know About a WiFi booster

What is it and what does it consist of?

A WiFi amplifier is a device that serves as a link between the router (signal transmitter) and the rest of the devices (receivers) with the intention of enhancing and expanding the range of the signal. The idea is to reach a greater number of areas and improve fluency. But why do you need an amplifier even when you have a high-speed network?

The problem, actually, is that the WiFi signal works through electromagnetic waves and its stability depends on various factors. For example, if we are in an open and lonely place, surely we will not have problems, but in a place with many structural barriers (such as walls) between the emitter and the receiver, the electromagnetic waves bounce and weaken or cannot reach their destination.

Another problem arises when different electromagnetic waves collide with each other, generating interference and reducing power and range. With an amplifier we can solve these problems and, of course, a better WiFi signal amplifier is synonymous with lower latency and greater stability in the connection.

How Does It Work?

The operation of a WiFi amplifier is quite simple, we only need to connect it to the power in an intermediate location where the device receives the signal from the router and, in turn, covers the “dead zones” we want to reach, thus solving problems of connectivity in the company. It is important that the amplifier receives the best possible signal quality; otherwise, the retransmission will be poor.

We must also take into account the characteristics of the router and the amplifier if we want to achieve an optimal connection. For example, if the router works based on the 802.11ax standard ( WiFi 6 ) and we use an amplifier with the 802.11ac standard ( WiFi 5 ), we will lose part of its potential. Ideally, we use a better WiFi signal amplifier that allows us to take advantage of the benefits of technology. The same happens if our router works with different bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).

Advantages of Using a Powerful WiFi Amplifier

Better coverage for buildings and large plants, where WiFi does not reach all spaces.
Better video streaming over WiFi.
Greater fluidity and fewer spikes in latency.
The amplifier can be moved from one location to another to support WiFi needs in various locations.
An additional Ethernet connection is obtained from the amplifier for equipment that requires it and without having to be near the router.
It improves the WiFi signal in the areas suffering from structural interference or electromagnetic wave shock.

Telefonica’s Smart WiFi 6 Amplifier uses the latest technologies of the WiFi 6 standard, such as OFDMA to efficiently manage devices connected to a network (and reduce latency) and BSS colouring to reduce wave interference with external devices.

In addition, Smart WiFi 6 stands out for its simplicity and minimalist design. It does not have external antennas, but it includes, internally, 12 antennas to guarantee all the power we need, something to take into account when choosing the best WiFi amplifier.