Looking for compatibility and experiences between Framework Laptop and Wifi 6E routers, specifically on the 6GHz bands.
Anyone?
At home, I have a couple of Asus RT-AX55 series (one used as extender on the other end of the house). Get anywhere from 500-900Mbps down (on 1Gb Internet plan) using Wifi 6. Didn’t see the need for a “Gaming” or 6E router… have dozens of wireless devices for home automation etc. and never had an issue with anything, not to mention that the Asus phone app to manage it all is really slick.
Thanks for the reply…but I’m looking specifically for 6GHz behaviour / characteristics on the Framework laptop. (The RT-AX55 doesn’t do 6GHz)
My airspace is getting rather congested with 5GHz routers (residential)…so thinking maybe it’s time for me to pay some premium and get onto 6GHz before others do. (With wifi being a shared medium, I’m always trying to 1-up my neighbour’s wifi)
I have an Asus GT-AXE11000, with several nodes that are AC086U and AC-68U. I was able to connect using the 6GHz band in windows but have yet to get it working in linux, which is what I normally run.
Oooh…good to know…so it’s an issue in linux then?
LOL… Saw the 6 and assumed you were just looking for any old WiFi 6 router HAHAHAHA… Yes, it does NOT do the 6GHz band… there is only a few other 5GHz band in my area so we can easily stay away from each other using wifi analyzer. but I see your issue.
Re issue in linux, possibly. I haven’t dug into it at length as it hasn’t been an issue. A brief search indicated that it should be possible, so now it’s time to go down the rabbit hole to figure out what I need to do. Currently if I set the router to separate out the 6GHz band onto a different SSID I don’t see that SSID when scanning from the laptop. I know that it works because I have connected to it from a phone. Will see what I can find, and if anyone happens across this thread and has suggestions, I am all ears. Thanks!
hahaha
Per this thread, kernels past 5.15 have a change that disables the 6G bands on the Framework laptop and possibly others.
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Thanks for linking it here. Saw that this morning.
Not sure if 6Ghz is a thing yet but if it’s any consolation, the Asus AX68U is a mighty fine router!
Best Regards
Varg
GT-AXE16000, GT-AXE11000, RBRE960, MR7500/AXE6600, RAXE500…etc.
Damn, looks nice. My bad then. Given that the channels are split into sub channels (I.e 5ghz band is split into separate bands, literally to deal with congestion and other niche issues such as connectivity problems), is congestion really an issue?
As someone else who also likes to one up thy neighbours WiFi, why not just get a gigabit connection + WiFi 6/E router? Saves you a penny and really, I don’t think there is any real benefit to using 6Ghz, sure, you’d increase the OTA Bandwidth but the range is probably noticeable shorter than 5GHz. But given the max you’re ever going to get with consumer devices is 100Mbps-1Gbps, you’re capped anyway, especially if your home connection is something like 55mbps.
I hope the above makes sense.
Best Regards,
Varg
Shared medium / air space.
Mesh, 802.11r
On gigabit fibre, FTTH.
M8 you’re already winning
As mentioned previously, this is not really a problem for residential spaces, even student accomodations where we are packed like sardines 
that’s just my own opinion and you may feel differently and that’s ok
Had a quick look up of this, looks nice but is it really practical for a residential space? Especially if 1 AP can cover your entire property, if you’re on a county estate and have a large home then gg for you, this looks like a real nice to have.
Overall, id probably wait until something less overkill comes along. All the gaming stuff is really overblown, I had an episode with it about 2 years ago and realised it’s not at all appropriate for my use case and my money is better spent elsewhere.
If you have the money to burn then by all means, go ahead and let us know how it goes. One hiccup though I think is I’m not sure there are many, if at all any M.2 form factor WiFi Cards that could actually utilise the 6ghz band. Sure, you can connect to the WiFi but you’ll most likely be put on a 2.4/5Ghz Band and channel by the router anyway, unless you disable those bands and use 6ghz exclusively, be mindful though if you’re using IoT devices (Cameras, projectors and TV’s etc), they may have an absolute paddy and not connect.
But eh, you’ve already got a gg wp with the fibre
Here’s the thing:
If the ISP link isn’t fast enough, you’d want to get a faster plan / ISP. If the link is fast enough, you want to maximize that locally. So I’m in that 2nd case.
Don’t have money to burn…but looking ahead. The prices of 6e routers have been dropping over the past few months.
Currently have 3 routers deployed…one on each floor. (Wired backhaul)
(I have IoT stuff on the 2.4GHz…low speed requirement, separate vlan)
Anyway, we seem to be going beyond the intended discussion scope of the thread. Thanks for the discussion though.
Feel free to correct me here if I’m wrong as I’m recalling the next from memory. You can get roughly 600 miles (Or simply, A LOT) from a fibre cable before there is any signal degradation or some scamps are going around slashing the cables in your neighbourhood. Your ISP link will be just fine, to the point you are capped by the services/vendors you are accessing.
A prime example here is downloading videogames, I have a gigabit connection but there’s no chance Steam, GoG and Unisoft are going to give me a whole Gigabit of bandwidth to download a game, with Steam I get ~700mbps max (For popular games, less popular is more like ~300mbps, am wired on ethernet btw) and I’m based in a city where one of their download/exchange centers are.
Now a really great application of WiFi 6 can be for your home network, say using Steam Play on your TV upstairs when your PC is downstairs. Or even using a VPN to your home network while you’re out and about to stream AAA games to your handheld (Again there are other limits here, but they certainly won’t be from your infrastructure).
In regards to this, I can’t comment, I have never personally lived anywhere where I live on more than 1 floor, but this is where I would assume the internal infrastructure benefits of WiFi 6/E come in hand. I myself have 2 802.11AX routers set up in my home to deal with the thick walls and dampening from what lies inside those walls so I can visit my Ivory Throne and watch YouTube.
I imagine more calm 6Ghz routers for consumers will come out in the next couple, if not next year, probably even better prices then but really do beware of the connectivity issues, especially if you’re looking to support older hardware.
Best Regards,
Varg
…wait until you have kids…all using different services at the same time. i.e. This is not a single user, single service use case.
I understand the point you are making here. Perhaps get a second line put in and utilise WAN aggregation for a more future proof solution at your gateway router, I believe most 802.11AX routers support this technology. There’s a very low likely hood you’re currently saturating your current internal bandwidth unless you’re using a router from your ISP (Looking at the crappy BT Home Hub there, glad to be rid of that thing and BT, I hope others have had a more.positive experience.)
Even something like 2700mbps throughput would be more than enough (Especially if you have 3) and you can get that from a £150 or less router. Also considering you’re not going to be going full throttle all the time (Unless you’re renting out a Server Farm in your basement, self funding underfloor heating).
Overall, looking at the thread, I’d reckon a second line is your best bet for future proofing, especially if you’re after accessing external services. If you’re already utilising 802.11r, keep it, otherwise 802.11ax is your best bet for the next 5 or so year and more, most large corporations still use 802.11ac for their premises.
Best Regards,
Varg
It doesn’t change the LAN wifi requirement / desire.
Currently, per router (acting as dumb AP, WRT3200ACM), I can get about 650Mbps over the 5GHz band (*best case). The LAN–>WAN, over wired, I get about 940Mbps (symmetrical).