WI-FI 6 Or 4G/5G: Which Technology Is For Which Uses?

WI-FI 6 and 4G/5G are two technologies meet different requirements. However, they can reasonably coexist within the same company, which will then opt for a mixed solution. The digital transformation of businesses continues to accelerate. This phenomenon is accentuated by the current health and economic crisis, which has led to a massive adoption of digital tools in most sectors. 

Exponential production of data, overconsumption of bandwidth, digitalization of professions and processes, speed and productivity constraints are all challenges that organizations must face. The arrival of cutting-edge technologies such as the Wi-Fi 6 standard and professional 4G/5G now allow them to respond to these connectivity challenges essential to their transformation and the continuity of their activities.

However, choosing a network requires asking the right questions. Both different and complementary, these two technologies do not meet the exact needs and uses and do not require the same operational and financial resources. In addition to the return on investment, essential elements are taken into account in this approach: the extent of network coverage, user profile, uses, security levels, and deployment time.

Wi-Fi 6: A Private Corporate Network Offering An Efficient, Flexible And Controlled End-To-End Connection

Taking all of these criteria into account, we see that the Wi-Fi network is a solution widely adopted in office environments and places open to the public. The reasons for this adoption are multiple: open to all and less expensive to deploy and support, it meets a large number of requirements and constraints in terms of quality, ROI, services, and coverage. In addition, Wi-Fi relies on free frequencies, requiring no frequency allocation process from an organization such as Arcep.

As for its frequency bands, they are much broader and thus offer higher peak throughputs (the maximum value that the throughput of a network can reach). Although it offers less overall coverage than an LTE network, Wi-Fi integrates natively with the LAN, making it a natural extension of the corporate network. It, therefore, allows companies to build their private network – and thus to own it – but also to define the connections and access, both for employees and the external public. In addition, Wi-Fi allows businesses to keep in touch with all visitors who connect to their private network via a dedicated portal.

Advantages

A private Wi-Fi network also offers fundamental advantages in terms of cost per user due to its reasonably simple pricing model: either the company buys its network or opts for a model operated by a Wi-Fi operator via a subscription. This second model is then closer to the professional 4G/5G model, thus improving the quality of service – with the difference that the subscription is made at the terminal and not at the user for greater flexibility in access terms.

Finally, even if the professional 4G/5G network remains one of the highest standards in terms of reliability, security and criticality, the technological developments brought by Wi-Fi 6 tend to get closer to mobile networks without necessarily presenting the necessary level for critical services. Thus, companies benefit from perfect control of coverage areas and deployment methods and can offer their employees and visitors a quality and secure broadband connection. 

Professional 4G/5G: The Response To The Technological Challenges Of Industrial Sites

4G/5G LTE becomes suitable when we are interested in complex industrial sites because it particularly meets the challenges of mobility coverage, performance, security and quality of service. Industrial sites very often combine very congested indoor areas (inside buildings) and outdoor areas (outside buildings) over a large area. A configuration that is very often found in ports, airports, mines or refineries. 

Where the coverage of a Wi-Fi network is more limited, 4G/5G LTE makes it possible to cover much larger areas optimally and at controlled costs. Wi-Fi coverage will require many more transmission points with an associated fiber network, a costly configuration for an industrialist. In addition to the extent of the coverage area, mobility management is crucial for companies that have deployed cutting-edge technologies such as IoT or robotic applications for example. 

In the case of professional 4G/5G, operational management is ensured by the operator, who defines the coverage areas by adapting to the customer’s needs and providing expertise and quality of service in order to guarantee a seamless connection. It allows a user to move from one network to another or from one terminal to another without network loss, whatever the area and its extent, while offering excellent throughput and latency time. Efficient. The adoption of these cutting-edge technologies also raises the question of security. 

Finally, one of the significant points of private mobile networks is the support of critical services, also called Mission Critical. The prioritization mechanisms implemented in a private 4G/5G network make it possible to manage the quality of the connection according to users and services to prioritize a critical voice call to the firefighters, for example, or a sending of cumbersome images to a simple email.

Professional Wi-Fi 6 And 4G/5G: Complementary Technologies

These two technologies meet different requirements. However, they can coexist within the same company, which will then opt for a mixed solution. Let’s take the example of airports, considerable sites in which public and private spaces such as offices, industrial zones, emergency services and shops coexist, and where technologies make it possible to optimize both daily lives: employees and the traveler experience. Professional 4G/5G technology is ideally suited to operations requiring high operational criticalities, such as baggage management, aeronautical maintenance or personal safety.

At the same time, Wi-Fi will help with the management of passenger flows to offer an additional service to travelers via hotspots or to provide wireless access to private company networks in order to optimize the connectivity of employees present in the airport area. The adoption of a mixed solution can also be a real asset in industrial zones or even in warehouses when it comes to welcoming visitors, providing employees with a quality broadband connection, tracing specific containers, or even monitoring temperatures via IoT sensors. 

Before embarking on the deployment of a professional Wi-Fi or 4G/5G network, it is essential to define specifications. Operators and integrators support companies in this choice by carrying out a precise audit of needs, constraints and uses before proposing the appropriate solution that best meets all of the defined criteria and requirements.

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