Wifi Standards

[Trml]

802.11 Standards Explained: 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11b/g/n, 802.11a - UMA Technology

Understanding 802.11 Standards: From 802.11a to be

umatechnology.org

Works for me, good summary info.

The following has overview tables for the protocols:

IEEE 802.11a-1999 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Furthermore, not to forget, to care for efficient channel configuration, allocated frequencies differ across worldwide regions, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels

At the console I use

$ iw dev
phy#0
    Interface wlan0
        ifindex 3
        wdev 0x1
        addr aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff
        ssid anotherssid
        type managed
        channel 44 (5220 MHz), width: 40 MHz, center1: 5230 MHz
        txpower 15.00 dBm
        multicast TXQ:
            qsz-byt    qsz-pkt    flows    drops    marks    overlmt    hashcol    tx-bytes    tx-packets
            0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0        0

followed by "iw phy0 info" for device capabilities, if needed.

Regarding wifi mesh solutions at home, I have been educated by openwrt that the most useful standard to have in router/ap/wifi-extenders is 802.11r. It enables basic fast-roaming (e.g. moving around with a laptop/phone). Basically any router that is supported by openwrt can do 802.11r, no matter how old.

Other mesh protocols (e.g. 802.11s) bring benefit when you need true lag-free roaming (e.g. uninterrupted video chat) or support a high number of users, and are much heavier on hardware requirements.

 

[dos2unix]

This original article is a bit dated. I should probably add some newer standards.


1. Wi-Fi AC (802.11ac)

Standard Name: IEEE 802.11ac
Marketing Name: Wi-Fi 5
Frequency Bands: 5 GHz only
Max Theoretical Speed: Up to ~3.5 Gbps (with multiple antennas)
Key Features:

Introduced MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output) for better multi-device performance.
Wider channels (up to 160 MHz) for faster speeds.
Focused on improving speed over 5 GHz.


2. Wi-Fi AX (802.11ax)

Standard Name: IEEE 802.11ax
Marketing Name: Wi-Fi 6
Frequency Bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (dual-band)
Max Theoretical Speed: Up to ~9.6 Gbps
Key Features:

OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) for better efficiency with many devices.
Improved MU-MIMO (uplink and downlink).
Better performance in crowded environments.
Lower latency and improved battery life for devices.


3. Wi-Fi 6E

Extension of Wi-Fi 6
Adds 6 GHz band (in addition to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).
Provides more channels and less interference.
Ideal for high-bandwidth applications like AR/VR and 8K streaming.


4. Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)

Standard Name: IEEE 802.11be
Marketing Name: Wi-Fi 7
Frequency Bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz
Max Theoretical Speed: Up to ~46 Gbps
Key Features:

Multi-Link Operation (MLO): Devices can use multiple bands simultaneously for higher throughput and lower latency.
Wider channels (up to 320 MHz).
Advanced modulation (4096-QAM) for more data per signal.
Designed for ultra-low latency and high reliability (great for gaming, VR, and real-time apps).

Standard	Marketing Name	Bands	Max Speed	Key Features
802.11ac	Wi-Fi 5	5 GHz	~3.5 Gbps	MU-MIMO, wider channels
802.11ax	Wi-Fi 6	2.4 & 5 GHz	~9.6 Gbps	OFDMA, better efficiency
802.11ax + 6E	Wi-Fi 6E	2.4, 5, 6 GHz	~9.6 Gbps	Adds 6 GHz band
802.11be	Wi-Fi 7	2.4, 5, 6 GHz	~46 Gbps	Multi-Link, 320 MHz channels

 

[dos2unix]

Standard	Marketing Name	Bands	Max Speed	Key Features
802.11b	Wi-Fi 1	2.4 GHz	11 Mbps	First widely adopted Wi-Fi, DSSS modulation
802.11a	Wi-Fi 2	5 GHz	54 Mbps	Introduced OFDM, less interference than 2.4 GHz
802.11g	Wi-Fi 3	2.4 GHz	54 Mbps	OFDM on 2.4 GHz, backward compatible with b
802.11n	Wi-Fi 4	2.4 & 5 GHz	~600 Mbps	MIMO, channel bonding, improved range
802.11ac	Wi-Fi 5	5 GHz	~3.5 Gbps	MU-MIMO, wider channels
802.11ax	Wi-Fi 6	2.4 & 5 GHz	~9.6 Gbps	OFDMA, better efficiency
802.11ax + 6E	Wi-Fi 6E	2.4, 5, 6 GHz	~9.6 Gbps	Adds 6 GHz band
802.11be	Wi-Fi 7	2.4, 5, 6 GHz	~46 Gbps	Multi-Link, 320 MHz channels

 

[Smilax]

I still do too.