802.11x: Wi-Fi standards and speeds explained

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax): High-efficiency

The Wi-Fi 6 standard, published in 2021, is targeted at dense scenarios, such as sports stadiums, airports, offices, etc. Wi-Fi 6 operates in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums and, through more efficient spectrum utilization, promises four times the throughput of Wi-Fi 5. Wi-Fi 6 employs a multi-user mechanism that allows the 9.6Gbps data rate to be split among multiple devices. It also supports routers sending data to multiple devices in one broadcast frame and it enables Wi-Fi devices to schedule transmissions to the router. Collectively, these features improve aggregate throughput and support the use of Wi-Fi in data-heavy situations, as well as for applications like video and cloud access, where real-time performance and low-power consumption for battery-powered devices are required.

Wi-Fi 6E: Enhanced Wi-Fi 6

Enhanced Wi-Fi 6 sounds like a simple extension of Wi-Fi 6, but it represents a significant technology milestone: Wi-Fi 6E is the first standard that utilizes the 6GHz frequency band, which was recently made available by the FCC. The jump to 6GHz quadruples the number of airwaves by making available 14 additional 80MHz channels and 7 additional MHz channels. Wi-Fi 6E has the same maximum theoretical speed as Wi-Fi 6 (9.6Gbps), but it has higher real-world speeds and better range. Wi-Fi 6E can support online gaming, high-definition video, telepresence and unified communications. But it also requires new hardware.

What are the emerging Wi-Fi standards?

Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be): Extremely high throughput

Wi-Fi 7, known as Extremely High Throughput, is the first standard built from the ground up to run on the 6 GHz frequency. (It also runs on 2.4 and 5GHz spectrums to accommodate countries that have not made the 6GHz band available for Wi-Fi.) Wi-Fi 7 features 320 ultra-wide channels; multi-link operation (MLO), which allows devices to transmit and receive data simultaneously for increased throughput and reduced latency; and 4K QAM, which achieves a 20% higher transmission rate than 1024 QAM.  Wi-Fi 7 is nearly 5 times faster than Wi-Fi 6, with a maximum theoretical speed of 46Gbps and an estimated real-world speed of 6Gbps. Use cases include multi-user AR/VR, immersive 3-D training, electronic gaming, hybrid work, industrial IoT, and automotive.  

According to IDC’s worldwide Wi-Fi technology forecast, Wi-Fi 7 will see rapid adoption across a broad ecosystem with more than 233 million devices expected to enter the market in 2024, growing to 2.1 billion devices by 2028. Smartphones, PCs, tablets, and access points (APs) will be the earliest adopters of Wi-Fi 7. Customer premises equipment (CPE) and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) equipment are also expected to gain early market traction, says IDC.

The Wi-Fi Alliance’s official certification program for Wi-Fi 7 devices marks an important milestone for potential enterprise users. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 program, announced in January 2024, means that the lengthy standardization process the Wi-Fi Alliance goes through for each successive generation of Wi-Fi has reached a fairly stable place. The opening of official certification testing means that OEMs can now submit their products to verify that they’re Wi-Fi 7-compliant.

802.11bb: LiFi

The Global Light Communication Standard, published in November 2023, marks a milestone in the development of LiFi technology, which uses light rather than radio frequencies to transmit data. By harnessing the light spectrum, LiFi can deliver faster, more reliable wireless communications with better security compared to Wi-Fi and 5G. The IEEE 802.11bb standard defines the physical layer specifications and system architectures for LiFi and paves the way for the interoperability of LiFi systems with Wi-Fi.