Reference tool
WiFi Standards Reference
Compare Wi-Fi 4, 5, 6, 6E, and 7 side by side: maximum speeds, frequency bands, channel widths, and the real-world use cases for each.
WiFi Standards Reference
| Generation | Standard | Year | Max Speed | Bands | Max Channel | MIMO / Streams | Latency | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WiFi 4 | 802.11n | 2009 | 600 Mbps | 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz | 40 MHz | 4×4 MIMO | ~20–40 ms | |
| WiFi 5 | 802.11ac | 2013 | 6.9 Gbps | 5 GHz only | 160 MHz | 8×8 MU-MIMO (downlink) | ~10–20 ms | |
| WiFi 6 | 802.11ax | 2019 | 9.6 Gbps | 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz | 160 MHz | 8×8 MU-MIMO (up/downlink) | ~5–10 ms | |
| WiFi 6E | 802.11ax (6 GHz) | 2021 | 9.6 Gbps | 6 GHz (+ 2.4/5 on tri-band) | 160 MHz | 8×8 MU-MIMO | <5 ms | |
| WiFi 7 | 802.11be | 2024 | 46 Gbps | 2.4, 5, & 6 GHz | 320 MHz | 16×16 MU-MIMO | <1 ms |
Frequently asked questions
Should I upgrade my office to WiFi 6 or WiFi 6E?
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) is the recommended baseline for any new enterprise deployment or refresh. It delivers meaningful improvements over WiFi 5 in high-density environments due to OFDMA and improved MU-MIMO, which matter most in meeting rooms and open offices with many concurrent devices. WiFi 6E adds the uncongested 6 GHz band, worthwhile for organizations doing heavy video production, low-latency trading, or deploying many devices in a small space. The main limitation of 6E is that clients must also support 6 GHz, which most devices purchased before 2022 do not.
What is WiFi 7 and when should businesses deploy it?
WiFi 7 (802.11be) was finalized in 2024 and introduces Multi-Link Operation (MLO), 320 MHz channels, and 4096-QAM, delivering theoretical speeds up to 46 Gbps. For most businesses, WiFi 7 infrastructure is appropriate for greenfield buildouts that need to be future-proof for 7–10 years, or for specific high-demand environments like broadcast studios or dense trading floors. As of mid-2025, client device support is growing but not yet ubiquitous. WiFi 6E remains the mature enterprise choice for most deployments.
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