Does your motherboard support WiFi 6?

does-my-motherboard-support-wifi-6

We often get asked ‘Does my motherboard support WiFi 6?’. Yes, most motherboards should support WiFi 6.

What is WiFi 6?

Wifi 6 is the next generation wireless standard for sending data wirelessly. It’s known as 802.11ax . There are currently two iterations of this standard, namely AX1 and AX2; but in reality these are not likely to be used widely in consumer products – at least initially. Instead, what you’re most likely to encounter is Wifi 6 (or 802.11ax). It has one version (or band) called 2×2 MIMO with 80MHz channels; this is the “official” Wifi 6 standard.

In terms of transmissions speed, it can go as fast as 2.8 gigabits per second (Gbps). This is up from the current 802.11ac’s speeds of 1.3Gbps, which is also called WiFi 5 . Of course, in real world use cases, these figures are much lower; depending on conditions and how many devices you have connected to your router(s).

The official launch date for Wifi 6 (802.11ax) was 2018 (initially set for 2017), but because there were delays , this meant that not all routers and phones will be using it yet – especially older ones that won be replaced in the near future.

The new standards are said to improve the older versions by offering better bandwidth performance, network capacity, and battery life . For example, Wifi 6 devices can go for 4K video streaming with higher resolution compared to other WiFi versions. This is because of the efficiency that comes with Wifi 6, where devices get multi-gigabit support through beamforming technology. And since it’s using existing OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology from LTE cellular networks, wireless network infrastructure upgrades will be minimal.

However it must be noted that these releases do not make previous iterations obsolete or outdated; they were made available as a means to serve different needs and capabilities. In this case it was about prioritizing high-bandwidth, high-performance devices. WiFi 6 is aimed at mainstream consumer electronics like smartphones, laptops and tablets.

How is it that most motherboards support WiFi 6?

WiFi 6 is just a wireless standard. So as long as you have the WiFi 6 module plugged in internally or externally, your motherboard should support WiFi 6 speeds. You will also need to have a WiFi 6 modem/router/mesh unit. Unsure if you have one? Our WiFi technician should be able to help you out.

wifi-6-router

List of motherboards that come with WiFi 6

At the time of writing this article, the below motherboards come with WiFi 6.

ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ax
ASRock B550 Taichi
ASRock B550 Taichi Razer Edition
ASRock H670M-ITX/ax
ASRock TRX40 Creator
ASRock TRX40 TAICHI
ASRock X299 CREATOR
ASRock X570 Creator
ASRock X570 Extreme4 WiFi ax
ASRock X570 PG Velocita
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4 WiFi ax
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3
ASRock X570 Steel Legend WiFi ax
ASRock X570 Taichi
ASRock X570 Taichi Razer Edition
ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3
ASRock Z490 Taichi
ASRock Z590 Extreme WiFi 6E
ASRock Z590 OC Formula
ASRock Z590 PG Velocita
ASRock Z590 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4
ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E
ASRock Z590 Taichi
ASRock Z590-C/ax
ASRock Z590M-ITX/ax
ASRock Z690 Extreme WiFi 6E
ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4
ASRock Z690 Steel Legend WiFi 6E
ASRock Z690 Taichi
ASRock Z690 Taichi Razer Edition
ASRock Z690M-ITX/ax
Asus PRIME B550M-A (WI-FI)
Asus Prime X299 Edition 30
Asus Prime Z590-P WiFi
Asus PRIME Z690-P WIFI
Asus PRIME Z690-P WIFI D4
Asus ProArt X570-CREATOR WIFI
Asus ProArt Z690-CREATOR WIFI
Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Extreme
Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula
Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Hero (WI-FI)
Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Impact
Asus ROG MAXIMUS XII APEX
Asus ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME
Asus ROG MAXIMUS XII FORMULA
Asus ROG MAXIMUS XII HERO (WI-FI)
Asus ROG Maximus XIII Apex
Asus ROG Maximus XIII Extreme
Asus ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO
Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z690 APEX
Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME
Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z690 FORMULA
Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO
Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore
Asus ROG STRIX B460-I GAMING
Asus ROG STRIX B550-E GAMING
Asus ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI)
Asus ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING
Asus ROG STRIX B560-A GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX B560-E GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX B560-F GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX B560-G GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX B660-A GAMING WIFI D4
Asus ROG STRIX B660-I GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX H470-I GAMING
Asus ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming
Asus ROG STRIX TRX40-XE GAMING
Asus ROG Strix X299-E Gaming II
Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming
Asus ROG STRIX X570-E GAMING WIFI II
Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming
Asus ROG STRIX Z490-E GAMING
Asus ROG STRIX Z490-G GAMING (WI-FI)
Asus ROG STRIX Z490-I GAMING
Asus ROG STRIX Z590-A GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX Z590-E GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX Z590-F GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX Z590-I GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX Z690-A GAMING WIFI D4
Asus ROG STRIX Z690-E GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX Z690-G GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG STRIX Z690-I GAMING WIFI
Asus ROG ZENITH II EXTREME ALPHA
Asus Strix B550-XE Gaming WiFi
Asus TUF GAMING B460-PRO (WI-FI)
Asus TUF GAMING B460M-PLUS (WI-FI)
Asus TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (WI-FI)
Asus TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS (WI-FI)
Asus TUF GAMING B550M-ZAKU (WI-FI)
Asus TUF GAMING B560-PLUS WIFI
Asus TUF GAMING B560M-PLUS WIFI
Asus TUF GAMING B660-PLUS WIFI D4
Asus TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI
Asus TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI D4
Asus TUF GAMING H470-PRO (WI-FI)
Asus TUF GAMING H570-PRO WIFI
Asus TUF GAMING H670-PRO WIFI D4
Asus TUF GAMING X570-PRO (WI-FI)
Asus TUF GAMING X570-PRO WIFI II
Asus TUF GAMING Z490-PLUS (WI-FI)
Asus TUF Gaming Z590-PLUS WIFI
Asus TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4
Asus X299 Edition 30
Asus Z590 WIFI GUNDAM EDITION
Asus Zenith II Extreme
EVGA X570 DARK
EVGA Z490 DARK
EVGA Z490 DARK K|NGP|N
EVGA Z490 FTW WIFI
EVGA Z590 DARK
EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI
Gigabyte B460 AORUS PRO AC
Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX
Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2
Gigabyte B550 AORUS MASTER
Gigabyte B550 AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte B550 VISION D
Gigabyte B550 VISION D-P
Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte B550M AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte B560 AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte B560M AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte B660 AORUS Master
Gigabyte B660 AORUS Master DDR4
Gigabyte B660 DS3H AX DDR4
Gigabyte B660 GAMING X AX DDR4
Gigabyte B660I AORUS Pro DDR4
Gigabyte B660M AORUS Pro AX
Gigabyte B660M AORUS Pro AX DDR4
Gigabyte B660M DS3H AX DDR4
Gigabyte B660M GAMING X AX
Gigabyte B660M GAMING X AX DDR4
Gigabyte H470 AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte H470I AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte TRX40 AORUS MASTER
Gigabyte TRX40 AORUS PRO WIFI
Gigabyte TRX40 AORUS XTREME
Gigabyte TRX40 DESIGNARE
Gigabyte X299X AORUS MASTER
Gigabyte X299X DESIGNARE 10G
Gigabyte X570 AORUS MASTER
Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO WIFI
Gigabyte X570 AORUS ULTRA
Gigabyte X570 AORUS XTREME
Gigabyte X570 I AORUS PRO WIFI
Gigabyte X570S AERO G
Gigabyte X570S AORUS MASTER
Gigabyte X570SI AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte Z490 AORUS MASTER
Gigabyte Z490 AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA
Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA G2
Gigabyte Z490 AORUS XTREME
Gigabyte Z490 VISION D
Gigabyte Z490I AORUS ULTRA
Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ELITE AX
Gigabyte Z590 AORUS MASTER
Gigabyte Z590 AORUS PRO AX
Gigabyte Z590 AORUS TACHYON
Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ULTRA
Gigabyte Z590 AORUS XTREME
Gigabyte Z590 VISION D
Gigabyte Z590I AORUS ULTRA
Gigabyte Z590I VISION D
Gigabyte Z690 AERO D
Gigabyte Z690 AERO G
Gigabyte Z690 AERO G DDR4
Gigabyte Z690 AORUS ELITE AX
Gigabyte Z690 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4
Gigabyte Z690 AORUS MASTER
Gigabyte Z690 AORUS PRO
Gigabyte Z690 AORUS PRO DDR4
Gigabyte Z690 AORUS TACHYON
Gigabyte Z690 AORUS ULTRA
Gigabyte Z690 AORUS XTREME
Gigabyte Z690 UD AX
Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4
Gigabyte Z690I AORUS ULTRA
Gigabyte Z690I AORUS ULTRA DDR4
Gigabyte Z690M AORUS ELITE AX DDR4
MSI B560M PRO WIFI
MSI B560M PRO-VDH WIFI
MSI Creator TRX40
MSI Creator X299
MSI H510I PRO WIFI
MSI MAG B460M MORTAR WIFI
MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI
MSI MAG B560 TOMAHAWK WIFI
MSI MAG B560M MORTAR WIFI
MSI MAG B660 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4
MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI
MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4
MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI
MSI MAG X570S TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI
MSI MAG Z590 TOMAHAWK WIFI
MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI
MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4
MSI MEG B550 UNIFY
MSI MEG B550 UNIFY-X
MSI MEG X570 ACE
MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
MSI MEG X570 UNIFY
MSI MEG X570S ACE MAX
MSI MEG Z490 ACE
MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE
MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY
MSI MEG Z490I UNIFY
MSI MEG Z590 ACE
MSI MEG Z590 GODLIKE
MSI MEG Z590 UNIFY
MSI MEG Z590 UNIFY-X
MSI MEG Z590I UNIFY
MSI MEG Z690 ACE
MSI MEG Z690 UNIFY
MSI MEG Z690 UNIFY-X
MSI MPG B460I GAMING EDGE WIFI
MSI MPG B550 GAMING CARBON WIFI
MSI MPG B550 GAMING EDGE WIFI
MSI MPG B550I GAMING EDGE MAX WIFI
MSI MPG B550I GAMING EDGE WIFI
MSI MPG B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI
MSI MPG X570 GAMING PRO CARBON WIFI
MSI MPG X570S CARBON MAX WIFI
MSI MPG X570S EDGE MAX WIFI
MSI MPG Z490 CARBON EK X
MSI MPG Z490 GAMING CARBON WIFI
MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI
MSI MPG Z490M GAMING EDGE WIFI
MSI MPG Z590 GAMING CARBON WIFI
MSI MPG Z590 GAMING EDGE WIFI
MSI MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI
MSI MPG Z690 EDGE WIFI DDR4
MSI MPG Z690 FORCE WIFI
MSI PRESTIGE X570 CREATION
MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI
MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI DDR4
MSI TRX40 PRO WIFI
MSI Z590 PRO WIFI

How to get WiFi 6 if your motherboard doesn’t come with it?

If your motherboard doesn’t come with a built-in WiFI 6 module, then you will need to purchase an USB dongle/adapter like those from D-Link.

Author:
I am a computer engineer holding a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, complemented by a Master's in Business Administration from University of Strathclyde, Scotland. I currently work as a Senior IT Consultant in Melbourne, Australia. With over 15 years of...