6 GHz WiFi Traffic Jams Looming?

CableLabs Has Some Worrying News For Condo Dwellers

The 6 GHz WiFi band is likely going to face congestion issues in the coming years in certain places.  CableLabs, a non-profit networking think tank run by cable television operators recently ran some tests and the results were somewhat depressing.  In a simulated 12 storey residential building with a dozen apartments on each floor their tests showed one third of the connections suffered from latency greater than 10 ms and at least a 2% packet loss.  That won’t break their connection, however it will definitely degrade video calls and make online gaming more than a little frustrating.

This test should be taken with a grain of salt, TV operators and other service providers have been lobbying regulators to give them more of the currently unlicensed spectrum.  The tests may have been conducted in a way that exacerbates the signal interference however there is no doubt WiFi congestion will become a thing.  Anyone who has attended a large tech conference can certainly attest to the fact WiFi congestion is a thing.

For now 6GHz WiFi should be fine, but as more devices start using that portion of the spectrum there will be issues in high density condos and other locations.