| Generation | Visual | IEEE standard |
Adopted | Maximum link rate (Mbit/s) |
Radio frequency (GHz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 802.11 | 1997 | 1–2 | 2.4 |
| — | — | 802.11b | 1999 | 1–11 | 2.4 |
| — | — | 802.11a | 1999 | 6–54 | 5 |
| — | — | 802.11g | 2003 | 2.4 | |
| Wi-Fi 4 | 802.11n | 2009 | 6.5–600 | 2.4, 5 | |
| Wi-Fi 5 | 802.11ac | 2013 | 6.5–6933 | 5[a] | |
| Wi-Fi 6[1] | 
|
802.11ax | 2021 | 0.4–9608 | 2.4, 5 |
| Wi-Fi 6E | 6[b] | ||||
| Wi-Fi 7[2] | 
|
802.11be | 2024[c] | 0.4–23,059 | 2.4, 5, 6 |
| Wi-Fi 8[3][4][5] | — | 802.11bn | 2028 | 100,000 | 2.4, 5, 6 |
IEEE 802.11bn, dubbed Ultra High Reliability (UHR), is to be the next IEEE 802.11 standard.[6] It is also designated Wi-Fi 8. As its name suggests, 802.11bn aims to improve the reliability of Wi-Fi.[5]
Notes
- ^ 802.11ac only specifies operation in the 5 GHz band. Operation in the 2.4 GHz band is specified by 802.11n.
- ^ Wi-Fi 6E is the industry name that identifies Wi-Fi devices that operate in 6 GHz. Wi-Fi 6E offers the features and capabilities of Wi-Fi 6 extended into the 6 GHz band.
- ^ The Wi-Fi Alliance began certifying Wi-Fi 7 devices in 2024, but as of January 2025 the IEEE standard 802.11be is yet to be ratified.
References
- ^ "MCS table (updated with 80211ax data rates)". semfionetworks.com.
- ^ "Understanding Wi-Fi 4/5/6/6E/7". wiisfi.com.
- ^ Reshef, Ehud; Cordeiro, Carlos (2023). "Future Directions for Wi-Fi 8 and Beyond". IEEE Communications Magazine. 60 (10). IEEE. doi:10.1109/MCOM.003.2200037. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "What is Wi-Fi 8?". everythingrf.com. March 25, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Giordano, Lorenzo; Geraci, Giovanni; Carrascosa, Marc; Bellalta, Boris (November 21, 2023). "What Will Wi-Fi 8 Be? A Primer on IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability". arXiv:2303.10442.
- ^ Levinbook, Yoav; Ezri, Doron (2024-07-01). "AP cooperation in Wi-Fi: Joint transmission with a novel precoding scheme, resilient to phase offsets between transmitters". Signal Processing. 220 (July 2024). doi:10.1016/j.sigpro.2024.109432. Retrieved 2024-02-24.