You may never have heard of beamforming before, but it is a relatively simple concept which could very easily speed up your Wi-Fi connection in the near future.
A normal Wi-Fi connection works by broadcasting a signal in all directions over a wide area, but beamforming improves on this by aiming concentrated signals directly at targets, which in turn increases connection speeds. Whilst beamforming as a concept has been possible with the right router and Wi-Fi adapter for quite a while, the connection technique is only becoming more popular now.
Beamforming can be extremely helpful for increasing Wi-Fi speeds by utilizing bandwidth more efficiently, as well as potentially increasing network connection range. Since bandwidth can be used more efficiently, download capability and speed, as well as video streaming or voice calls should all be improved.
In the past, devices that are capable of using beamforming were not regulated in any way, meaning that it was very easy for companies to release technologies which were incompatible with one another. At last, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), which governs electronics standards internationally has issued standardized methods for beamforming, which means that all newly produced beamforming technology should be able to work together. Whilst the technology is not yet available in all devices, this standardization policy should certainly play an integral part in seeing Wi-Fi speeds increase.
