You have many devices connected to your Wifi network, and now you want to add a Roku Ultra. However, given the data requirements of this 4K streaming media player, you are afraid it could seriously impact your internet speed. For this reason, you may be wondering if Roku Ultra would benefit from the next-generation Wifi 6.

Roku Ultra can be used with Wifi 6 routers, and users may notice a more consistent internet connection with this type of Wifi. However, Roku has not yet implemented Wifi 6 receivers into their technology, so the media player will not benefit from all the improvements. 

In the following sections, we will discuss how the Roku Ultra media player may see a performance improvement when connected to a Wifi 6 router. Keep reading to learn more!

Does Roku Ultra Support Wifi 6?

Having a fast and strong internet connection is imperative to play 4K UHD content smoothly. Watching a movie that stops from time to time to load the next few minutes is certainly unpleasant, and significantly degrades the quality of your movie night experience. 

You are considering buying a Roku Ultra or upgrading your Wifi to avoid any speed-related issues, but first, you need to know if the two devices are compatible and if Roku Ultra can support Wifi 6. 

Even the latest version of Roku Ultra does not come with a Wifi 6 receiver integrated. However, Roku Ultra devices will still work and may even benefit from the use of a Wifi 6 router. Let’s take a deeper look at the differences between these two technologies. 

What is Wifi 6?

This next version of Wifi is already here, and it’s ready to satisfy our data and technology needs in the upcoming years. The next-generation wireless internet technology, Wifi 6, claims to be around 1.5 times faster (9Gbps vs 6 Gbps) than its predecessor, Wifi 5. 

This higher speed may not seem like a huge improvement to most people. But, the biggest difference between Wifi 5 and Wifi 6 is better connectivity among a large number of in-home devices. 

People now have more devices connected to their wireless home networks than ever. Even just five years ago, it was typical to have 4 to 5 devices connected to a wireless network. Now, this number is much closer to 10 devices connected at once. Things like smart TVs, smartphones, AI assistants, speakers, computers, and tablets all require a strong Wifi connection.

Most of these devices will have a Wifi 5 receiver, and as you have probably noticed, the more devices you have connected to the router, the slower the connectivity will be. This is exactly what Wifi 6 wants to solve. Two key technologies make this possible:

  • Multi-User, multiple input, multiple outputs (MU-MIMO)Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)

With these technologies in play, Wifi 6 can maintain its speed even when many devices are in use at once. 

Can a Roku Ultra Benefit from Wifi 6?

If you have a router that uses Wifi 5 technology, you will not see any improvements in terms of speed while using a device with a Wifi 6 antenna. The router’s capabilities determine your internet’s consistency, and a Wifi 5 router will always struggle when it’s connected to too many devices.

This principle changes when the properties are switched. Even though the Roku Ultra has a Wifi 5 antenna, you will still see a difference in connectivity when you use a Wifi 6 router. Not many devices come with Wifi 6 support just yet, but Wifi 6 routers can connect to Wifi 5 devices and will be able to keep a constant internet speed, no matter how many devices you add to your wireless network.

You will not be able to take direct advantage of Wifi 6’s faster internet speed, as Wifi 5 antennas do not support it. However, there are still benefits of using Wifi 6 with older devices. 

We mentioned earlier that Wifi 6 is approximately 1.5 times faster than Wifi 5. However, most users don’t report much difference in terms of speed while using the newest version of Wifi technology. The biggest difference comes in terms of internet connection consistency.

If you frequently experience dropped connections or issues with your Wifi 5 router, it could be because the router is overwhelmed with the number of devices on your network. Switching to Wifi 6 can help provide a more consistent speed.

Wrapping Up

No Roku device supports Wifi 6 yet, including their most powerful streaming media player, the Roku Ultra. However, having this Wifi technology at home will still make a difference when it comes to the consistent speed of each device. 

The main advantage of Wifi 6 is its ability to connect to many devices at once and maintain its speed. This does not require a Wifi 6 antenna, so you can still connect your Wifi 5 devices, including Roku Ultra, to the new network.