MU-MIMO: What It Is & Why It Improves Overall WiFi Performance

Nowadays, in our homes to connect to the Internet, we mainly use the Wi-Fi wireless network provided by our router, either the one provided by the operator or the one purchased by ourselves. From the Wi-Fi 5 standard, a technology called MU-MIMO has appeared that allows us to improve the overall WiFi performance of the wireless network, today in RedesZone we will explain in detail what this MU-technology is. MIMO. optimize the wireless network to get the most out of it.

Starting with the Wi-Fi 4 standard, or also known as Wi-Fi N, MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology was launched. This technology allows us to receive and send data simultaneously through multiple Wi-Fi antennas, each of these antennas is capable of providing simultaneous data stream. For example, today's home routers with Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 typically support 2 or 3 data streams for each frequency band, and up to 4 data streams for top routers. range. This allows us to achieve high connection speeds, as long as the wireless clients also have multiple data streams. In an ideal scenario, if we have a router with four data streams, a client that also has four data streams will be able to exchange information at the highest possible speed,

However, as there are still many devices such as smartphones and tablets that only have one data stream, or at most two data streams, it will impact us to have a more wireless network. slow, in which the main injured will be the fastest devices. Usually we have many devices connected to our router, nowadays it is normal for a person to have multiple devices connected at the same time, such as smartphone, laptop, tablets, smart TV and any other IoT device.

The problem occurs when we connect to multiple devices at the same time. Then we end up with a loss of speed, because a router can only exchange traffic with one device simultaneously, so “slower” devices that only have one data stream are irreparably harming. to faster ones that have more data flow. .

To improve this situation, MU-MIMO technology was created, a feature that optimizes the overall performance of the wireless network and which we will talk about next.

What is MU-MIMO and what is it for

MU-MIMO technology stands for " Multiple-User MIMO ", Or also known as" Multiple-user, multiple input and multiple output ». This feature was incorporated into the Wi-Fi 5 standard, or also known as Wi-Fi AC, however, it was optional, and many routers with Wi-Fi 5 do not have this technology that did not take advantage of it. than at the 5 GHz frequency band. , since in the 2,4 GHz band we were still using Wi-Fi 4.

With the launch of Wi-Fi 6, MU-MIMO is available in both frequency bands, both in the popular 2,4 GHz band and also in the 5 GHz band, since we have Wi-Fi 6 in all of them. frequency bands. A very important feature is that in addition to MU-MIMO, Beamforming technology is essential to achieve good coverage. The two technologies are related because they work together in home and business routers.

Brief explanation of beamforming technology

With the arrival of Wi-Fi 5, which corresponds to the standard 802.11ac , as we mentioned previously, the Beamforming technology is also arrived . Thanks to it, we can focus the signal to a receiver that is connected. Thus, the goal is for the customer to get better coverage, as well as higher wireless speed. In practice, the use of Beamforming technology, in addition to offering greater coverage against a router or an AP that does not have this technology, will also allow us to achieve a little more Wi-Fi range. To finish this section in relation to distance, here is what we can provide:

• When we are close to the router or access point, Unless there is a large wall or obstacle, we will not notice any improvement.
• In the event that we are at an average distance from the router or the point of access, this is where we will make the most of the beamforming technology. So we will get more coverage, and also more speed.
• If we are very far from the router or access point , we won't notice much improvement, but it is possible that we will get a little more coverage, with which we will gain stability, but the speed difference will be small. He is able to perform simultaneous transmissions to clients , in the “upstream” direction, ie from the access point to the clients. However, with Wi-Fi 6, MU-MIMO is two-way, both download and upload, and is already available on some ASUS routers.

A very common example of the great improvement MU-MIMO technology brings to us is when we have a router with three streams of data, but we connect clients that come from a single stream. The wireless network, instead of operating at the maximum speed provided by these three data streams, will operate at the maximum speed provided by one stream. Therefore, we will not be able to take full advantage of the real potential of the wireless router that we have purchased.

On the other hand, if we use MU-MIMO technology, the router can send (and receive if we have two-way MU-MIMO) a data stream to each of the clients. Therefore, the data will be sent simultaneously and we will make the most of the available bandwidth. Thus, the three clients will send and receive data at the same time in parallel, and not serially as occurs when SU-MIMO (Single-User MIMO) technology is used. Here is an example of how the two technologies work

In the image above, we can clearly see that the performance (overall network) has tripled when using MU-MIMO technology. Moreover, not only will this allow us to maximize the bandwidth, but we will also be able to get more WiFi clients to transfer their data and save extra time by simultaneously sending data to clients. We must remember that with Wi-Fi 6 MU-MIMO is bidirectional, so we can both send and receive data simultaneously.

What we need to make MU-MIMO technology work

The first thing to comment on is that this technology may be present in the Wi-Fi standard 5 (Wi-Fi AC) in which it would only work in the 5 GHz band. It is also available in the new Wi-Fi standard 6 (Wi-Fi AX), but unlike the previous Wi-Fi 5, in this new standard it allows us to operate in both the 2,4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

La technology MU-MIMO allows, in theory, that up to a maximum of 4 devices share the same Wi-Fi connection time, in which the data will be sent simultaneously. Here's an example of the difference it makes to work with the older SU-MIMO technology, which only allows one device to work at a time.

A very important fact to keep in mind is that the router and wireless client devices must be compatible with this technology . This means that, even if you buy a recent high-end router that supports this technology, if your devices do not support it, you will not get any benefit from it. Also, to take advantage of MU-MIMO technology, we will need at least two devices in our house that support it. Otherwise, we won't notice any improvement because a group of only one team is formed, which is like working with SU-MIMO technology.

Currently, the technology MU-MIMO only works for data downstream from Wi-Fi 5 technology , that is, from the router to our devices. However, with the arrival of the 802.11ax technology, also called WIFI 6, it will now be able to operate both downstream and upstream. Currently, manufacturers have not yet integrated the two-way functionality into MU-MIMO, or at least they have it in the testing phase and it has not yet reached the public.

This technology  does not improve the range of our wireless router in any way . However, thanks to technology Beamforming which we talked about previously, and which is already included in the Wi-Fi 5 standard, we may see some improvement.

MU-MIMO performance: is it worth having it in our router?

The performance MU-MIMO can give us is important, and as we saw in the previous examples, we can even triple the performance. While it is true that we need at least two clients that are compatible with this technology to be able to take advantage of it, in any case having it in the router will not harm us at all, but will only improve performance. global network. This way, if you are planning to buy a new router, it is recommended that you integrate it so that we can enjoy it in the future.

Right now we can already have a router with this technology at a good price and even one with cheap Wi-Fi 6 could be within our reach. Therefore, since this is a technology that has been on the market for quite some time, buying with a router that has MU-MIMO technology is more than recommended, so when we buy new smartphones, USB or PCIe WiFi cards and other compatible devices, we can tighten the wireless network to the maximum.