Kagan: Will 5G and Wi-Fi 6 work well together?

One of many questions I am asked frequently is, which new technology will be faster and better, and which should you choose, 5G or Wi-Fi 6? The truth is, this is a silly question. It’s like asking, which should you choose, 4G or Wi-Fi? These are two different technologies that work well separately and together in our wireless life. Let me explain.

5G will be available everywhere in the United States as long as you are on that part of the wireless network. Wi-Fi 6 is different. It has a smaller signal footprint and is often better for specific areas like in a home, office, store or community area.

With one, you connect to the wireless network like AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. With the other, you connect using your smartphones Wi-Fi feature. This is not the regular wireless network. So, as you can see, these are two very different wireless services.

Note, Wi-Fi can be secure or not secure. So, it’s important to know how you are connected if you require security. With your 5G connection, that’s not an issue for most people.

5G and Wi-Fi 6 are next generation of wireless

5G is the next generation of wireless technology. It’s accessed over your wireless network. Wi-Fi 6 is the next generation of Wi-Fi. It’s also faster but is limited in reach. With this service, you don’t use your wireless network. Rather, you use the Wi-Fi connection at the establishment you are in.

That means places like coffee shops, shopping centers, grocery stores, malls and nearly every store or restaurant you go into.

The Wi-Fi signal is often a small footprint and typically each has to be logged into separately.

Choose the Wi-Fi service you connect to carefully to make sure your communication is safe and secure. Just remember, Wi-Fi is not the most secure so don’t connect to your bank account or send a personal or private message over a public Wi-Fi signal.

There are secure and in-ecure Wi-Fi signals to connect to

Another benefit with Wi-Fi is it takes the pressure off of public wireless networks. When you connect, your signal does not use the wireless network. Instead it goes over the wire line Internet connection.

Your smartphone, tablet, laptop or other wireless device often has the ability to connect to the Internet using both the 4G or 5G wireless network or using Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi 6.

We have found that when we can, it’s often better to use a Wi-Fi connection as long as it is secure.

We are better off not overwhelming the commercial wireless networks. However, it is important to use a secure Wi-Fi connection. After all, we don’t want others reading our emails or watching what we are doing online.

5G and Wi-Fi 6 will grow Qualcomm, AT&T Mobility, Xfinity and more

The point is this; just like we have used 4G and Wi-Fi in the past, separately and together, we will use 5G and Wi-Fi 6 the same way.

Some of the companies providing network equipment for both 5G and Wi-Fi 6 are Qualcomm, Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia and others.

Every wireless carrier like AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Xfinity and Spectrum will also be networks in this 5G space.

This time, growth ahead to 5G and Wi-Fi 6 will be even further. It will impact other industries and create new sectors as well.

5G and Wi-Fi 6 empowers Autonomous Driving, telehealth and more

Think connected cars or autonomous driving, telehealth and all sorts of other industries who will not only fully embrace this new technology but use it to show rapid growth and change in their industries as well.

5G and Wi-Fi 6 will transform the world in which we live. It will not only speed up the wireless world but will transform every other industry over the next decade.

There will be early adopters in every industry. Their transformation and success will force competitors into the same space.

Some competitors will do a great job with this. Others who are forced along for the ride will most likely struggle.

Customers and users will start to separate these companies into two groups. One which is innovative and on the growing side of the growth wave. And the other who struggles and ends up on the falling side of the same growth wave.

There will be winners and losers as we move forward. There always are.

Choose companies on growing side of wireless growth wave

Remember, 5G is part of the traditional wireless network. That means as long as you have a strong signal to the wireless network like AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile, you can be connected.

When you have access to a secure Wi-Fi 6 connections, you should automatically change to this technology. It will provide a fast and secure connection and won’t bog down the 5G network.

This is the way many users already work.

So, just like we used 4G and Wi-Fi together, we will use 5G and Wi-Fi 6 together. Accept, this time instead of just impacting the wireless industry, it will also impact companies in every other industry over the next decade.

Keep your eyes open for companies on the growing side of the growth wave. Some companies will stay in the growing side while many others will crest and start to struggle. It’s important to know where each company ranks.

Knowing the difference makes all the difference in the world whether you are an investor, worker, executive, business customer or consumer.