Amazon could be planning a new way to upgrade your Wi-Fi speeds
FASTER Wi-Fi speeds are coming courtesy of a new Amazon-designed router, new documents seem to suggest.
Amazon is gearing up to launch a new version of its Eero mesh Wi-Fi system, which promises next-generation speed. As spotted by The Verge, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filings appeared this week for all-new devices called Eero 6 Plus and the Eero Pro 6E. Manufacturers hoping to launch a new consumer electronic product with support for wireless communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, or cable needs to be rubber-stamped by the FCC. This has led to a number of as-yet-unannounced gadgets being revealed by dull United States government paperwork, and the Eero 6 Plus and the Eero Pro 6E seem to be the latest in a long line.
The brand names listed on the FCC filing suggest that Amazon will implement Wi-Fi 6E, meaning it can take advantage of 6GHz spectrum for faster connections.
Wi-Fi 6E beams up to seven 160 MHz channels, which distributes devices pretty evenly across the speedy network to ensure that every gadget has enough bandwidth. In comparison, Wi-Fi 6 devices are bundled together between two 160 MHz channels, so there's more of a chance of congestion. As such, Wi-Fi 6E devices are more likely to be able to access next-generation speeds, like gigabit downloads. If you're paying for the ultimate full-fibre broadband speeds, you'll want to make sure that most of the devices in your home are able to unlock these speeds. Of course, reverting to an ethernet cable is the easiest way to guarantee bandwidth for each device.
However, there are a number of devices without an ethernet port, like some streaming gadgets for your telly, smart home gadgets like the Amazon Echo Show and Nest Hub, as well as connected home security gadgets. As such, routers with Wi-Fi 6E are likely to become more crucial over time... especially as gigabit-capable broadband becomes more commonplace across the UK (Openreach hopes to have upgraded 25 million premises by December 2026, while Virgin Media already offers gigabit-speeds to 15 million homes).
Wi-Fi routers with support with Wi-Fi 6E are few and far between at the moment. Netgear recently launched a mesh system with Wi-Fi 6E support under its Orbi brand, which costs $1,500, while a rival system from Linksys arrives with a $1,200 price tag. There's no word on how much Amazon will charge, but we'd assume it's less than that.
As always, nothing is confirmed until we see the new Wi-Fi router on shelves, so don't throw out your current kit quite yet. Express.co.uk will have more news as soon as it's available, so stay tuned.