The WiFi Alliance decided in 2018 to change from the 802.11 Wi-iF Standard Number and Letter format to to a consumer friendly Wi-Fi Generation system. This is great for consumers, but as designers and installers of Wi-Fi Networks we need to know the underlying IEEE Standards.
Below is a Table and List of Wi-Fi Generation and Corresponding Specification of the Standards.
Table View
| Wi-Fi # | Subsection | Standard | Adopted | Frequency | Channel Widths | Link Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi 0 | (Legacy Mode) | 802.11-1997 | 1997 | 2.4 GHz | 1-2 Mbps | |
| Wi-Fi 1 | B | 802.11b-1999 | 1999 | 2.4 GHz | 1-11 Mbps | |
| Wi-Fi 2 | A | 802.11a-1999 | 1999 | 5 GHz | 6-54 Mbps | |
| Wi-Fi 3 | G | 802.11g-2003 | 2003 | 2.4 GHz | 20/40 MHz | 72-600 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi 4 | N | 802.11n-2009 | 2008 | 2.4/5 GHz | 20/40 MHz | 72-600 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi 5 | AC | 802.11ac-2013 | 2014 | 5 GHz | 20/40/80/160 MHz | 433-6933 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi 6 | AX | 802.11ax | 2019 | 2.4/5 GHz | 20/40/80/160 MHz | 574-9608 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi 6E | AX | 802.11ax | 2020 | 6 GHz | 20/40/80/160 MHz | 574-9608 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi 7 | BE | 802.11be | 2024 | 2.4/5/6 GHz | 20/40/80/160/320 MHz | 1.3-46 Gbps |
| Wi-Fi 8 (Draft) | BN | 802.11bn | ~2028 | 2.4/5/6/7/42.5/71 GHz | TBD | ~100 Gbps |
List View
Wi-Fi 0
- Standard: 802.11-1997 (legacy mode)
- Adopted: 1997
- Frequency: 2.4 GHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: 1-2Mbps
Wi-Fi 1 – B
- Standard: 802.11b-1999
- Adopted: 1999
- Frequency: 2.4 GHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: 1-11 Mbps
Wi-Fi 2 – A
- Standard: 802.11a-1999
- Adopted: 1999
- Frequency: 5 GHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: 6-54 Mbps
Wi-Fi 3 – G
- Standard: 802.11g-2003
- Adopted: 2003
- Frequency: 2.4 GHz
- Channel Widths: 20 MHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: 6-54 Mbps
Wi-Fi 4 – N
- Standard: 802.11n-2009
- Adopted: 2008
- Frequency: 2.4/5 GHz
- Channel Widths: 20/40 MHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: 72-600 Mbps
Wi-Fi 5 – AC
- Standard: 802.11ac-2013
- Adopted: 2014
- Frequency: 5 GHz
- Channel Widths: 20/40/80/160 MHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: 433-6933 Mbps
Wi-Fi 6 – AX
- Standard: 802.11ax
- Adopted: 2019
- Frequency: 2.4/5 GHz
- Channel Widths: 20/40/80/160 MHz
- Theoretical Link Rate:574-9608 Mbps
Wi-Fi 6E – AX
- Standard: 802.11ax
- Adopted: 2020
- Frequency: 6 GHz
- Channel Widths: 20/40/80/160 MHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: 574-9608 Mbps
Wi-Fi 7 – BE / Extremely High Throughput (EHT)
- Standard: 802.11be
- Adopted: 2024
- Frequency: 2.4/5/6GHz
- Channel Widths: 20/40/80/160/320 MHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: 1.3 – 46 Gbps
Wi-Fi 8 – bn (Drafting Stage) / Ultra High Reliability (UHR)
- Standard: 802.11bn
- Adopted: ~2028
- Frequency: 2.4/5/6/7/42.5/71 GHz
- Channel Widths: ? MHz
- Theoretical Link Rate: ~100Gbps
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