Comcast is calling its new Wi-Fi 6E gateway Supersonic Wi-Fi. The company cites speeds exceeding 1 Gbps for the offering, which is available for Xfinity Internet Gigabit and Ultrafast customers.
Comcast Internet Gigabit service offers speeds up to 1.2 Gbps downstream and the company’s Ultrafast service supports speeds up to 600 Mbps downstream. The company notes in today’s press release that it envisions offering symmetrical gigabit service in the future.
Wi-Fi 6E can support speeds exceeding 1 Gbps due to its ability to operate in the 6 GHz band as well as in traditional Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
“Together, these Wi-Fi bands reduce interference and increase bandwidth in the home by 3X to support the massive influx of connected devices used by consumers today,” Comcast said.
Multi-Gigabit Service Needs Fast Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is a hot area these days. As broadband providers roll out service supporting speeds exceeding 1 Gbps, the Wi-Fi gateway can become a connectivity bottleneck.
Offering Wi-Fi 6E gateways would appear to be even more critical for fiber broadband providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Frontier that are offering multi-gigabit speeds as high as 5 Gbps symmetrically.
Other features of Comcast Supersonic Wi-Fi include:
- xFi Advanced Security
- Support for the xFi app that provides a dashboard for all devices on the home network, providing the ability to pause access, set up parental controls, etc.
- xFi Pods included at no charge for households that need them in order to ensure coverage throughout the home
- Free Flex 4K streaming TV device with voice remote control included
- Zigbee compatibility, enabling the gateway to act as a central connector for smart lights, smart locks, etc.
Wi-Fi speeds are likely to get more attention moving forward. Vint Cerf, the man sometimes called the “father of the internet” recently recommended that the government update its broadband speed test methodology to distinguish between a household’s Wi-Fi speed and the speed of its broadband connection.
