Wi-Fi Standards
All Wi-Fi standard versions with speeds, features, and compatibility.
Wi-Fi standards (IEEE 802.11) define wireless networking protocols. The Wi-Fi Alliance's generational naming — Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), and Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) — clarifies the progression. Wi-Fi 7 introduces 320 MHz channels and 4096-QAM, achieving theoretical speeds exceeding 40 Gbps. Each generation improves not just speed but latency, capacity, and power efficiency for dense device environments.
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
4/105 GHz-only Wi-Fi with up to 6.9 Gbps (Wave 2, 160 MHz). Introduced MU-MIMO for serving multiple devices simultaneously. Still the most common Wi-Fi standard …
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
6/10Added OFDMA and improved MU-MIMO for better performance in crowded environments. Dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) with up to 9.6 Gbps. The current mainstream wireless standard.
Wi-Fi 6E
6/10Wi-Fi 6 extended to the 6 GHz band, offering more channels, less congestion, and multi-gigabit speeds for short-range wireless connections.
Wi-Fi 7
9/10Next-gen wireless with 320 MHz channels, 4096-QAM, and Multi-Link Operation (MLO). Theoretical peak over 46 Gbps. First routers shipping in 2024.