- The FCC has approved new rules that expand how unlicensed devices can use the 6 GHz Wi-Fi band.
- The change introduces a new “geofenced variable power” category, allowing higher power and outdoor use under specific conditions.
- While little will change overnight, the decision could improve future Wi-Fi performance for your phone, smart home gear, and more.
Wi-Fi doesn’t usually make headlines unless something breaks, but this week it got a boost that could shape the next wave of connected gadgets. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to expand how unlicensed devices can use the 6 GHz band, a move that could make future Wi-Fi gear faster and more flexible than what we have today.
As Fierce Network reports, the FCC’s decision creates a new category of unlicensed devices called geofenced variable power (GVP). This allows certain products to use higher power levels than before, including outdoors, as long as they rely on location-based controls to avoid interfering with existing users of the spectrum. Until now, most unlicensed 6 GHz devices were limited to lower power and indoor-only use.