Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: I was shopping for a new wireless router for our small medical practice, and I was wondering if you could explain what Wi-Fi 6E is and if it’s better for healthcare organizations?

Montana Subscriber

Answer: Wi-Fi 6E allows users to have access to the entire 6 GHz wireless band, as well as the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The latter bands are available for Wi-Fi 6-compatible routers, also known as dual-band routers.

The move from 5 GHz to 6 GHz may not sound impressive, but it multiplies the airwaves by four. This adds 14 more 80 MHz channels and seven more 160 MHz channels. The dramatic increase in available signals will provide less signal interference from wireless devices, such as laptops, tablets, smart devices, and smartphones.

Essentially, with less down time, Wi-Fi 6E should provide more efficient use of the wireless spectrum with reduced latency and optimal performance. Healthcare organizations can enjoy more throughput on the router. It’s like opening additional lines at the airport to get more people through the security checkpoint.

However, before you make the jump to Wi-Fi 6E, you should discuss plans with your health IT team to ensure your devices, infrastructure, and IT ecosystem are designed to work with the Wi-Fi 6E wireless standard.