Guide to Wi-Fi Standards and Speeds

It is assumed that after the introduction of the new Wi-Fi 7 standard, which will greatly affect the market, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) will continue to develop other wireless communication standards. In 2023 alone, it introduced several of them: 802.11bb for communication via light waves; 802.11az, significantly improving location accuracy; 802.11bd for V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) wireless communication, i.e., from car to car.

Predicting trends, IEEE is also exploring new areas of technology: enhanced data privacy (802.11bi), Wi-Fi location determination (802.11bf), random and dynamic MAC addresses (802.11bh).

Below is the very guide to Wi-Fi standards, divided into 4 categories:

1) key standards that are actively being deployed today;

2) new standards that are actively being developed;

3) niche standards;

4) future standards under development.

Key Standards

Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)

Since 2013, Wi-Fi 5 has been used in the 5 GHz frequency band with support for MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) technology. It is characterized by faster data transmission and improved coverage. Theoretically, Wi-Fi 5 can transmit data at speeds up to 3.5 Gbps, although a speed of more than 1 Gbps looks more realistic. Devices supporting this standard are still widespread, mainly in the consumer electronics and home office equipment segment.

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax): High Performance

Wi-Fi 6, first deployed in 2021, is aimed at high-density areas such as sports stadiums, airports, offices, etc. It operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and, thanks to more efficient use of these bands, guarantees a throughput four times higher than Wi-Fi 5. Wi-Fi 6 allows the use of a multi-user algorithm that distributes the data transfer rate among multiple devices. It is supported on routers through which data is sent within a single broadcast packet and allows Wi-Fi devices to schedule transmission to the router. All these features together help consolidate transmitted traffic and provide Wi-Fi support in high-data scenarios, as well as for video and cloud access applications where high transfer speeds are required with low power consumption on battery-powered devices.

Wi-Fi 6E: Enhanced Wi-Fi 6

The enhanced Wi-Fi 6 standard is similar to an addition to the original, but in fact, its appearance is a huge step forward, as Wi-Fi 6E operates in the 6 GHz frequency band, recently opened for use by the Federal Communications Commission (USA). Switching to this frequency quadruples the volume of radio waves, allowing the addition of 14 80 MHz channels and 7 additional megahertz channels. Overall, Wi-Fi 6E has the same maximum potential speed as Wi-Fi 6 (9.6 Gbps), but in reality, it has higher speed and wider range. Wi-Fi 6E supports online gaming, high-definition video streaming, telepresence, and unified communications, but requires updated equipment to use.

Emerging Standards

Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be): Extremely High Throughput

Wi-Fi 7, known for its very high bandwidth, is the first standard designed from scratch to operate in the 6 GHz frequency band. It is also available in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands in countries where the 6 GHz band is legally closed for Wi-Fi use. It supports the use of 320 ultra-wide channels, as well as MLO (multi-link operation) mode, which allows data to be transmitted simultaneously between devices with increased bandwidth and minimal latency. Other advantages include 4K QAM quadrature modulation, which increases the amount of data transmitted by 20% compared to 1024 QAM. Wi-Fi 7 is almost 5 times faster than Wi-Fi 6: the maximum potential data transfer rate in this standard is 46 Gbps, the approximate actual speed is 6 Gbps. The list of applications for the standard includes multi-user AR/VR, immersive 3D training, electronic gaming, hybrid work, IIoT, and automotive.

802.11bb: LiFi

In November 2023, a standard was introduced using LiFi technology to transmit data using light, unlike radio frequency. As a result, wireless communication in this format can be more secure compared to Wi-Fi and 5G. The 802.11bb standard defines the physical layer and system architecture characteristics for LiFi and allows for functional compatibility between LiFi and Wi-Fi systems.

802.11az: Next Generation Positioning

With the increased use of augmented reality tools, tracking, social networks, HeathTech, inventory management tools, and other applications, there has been a need for pinpoint placement of Wi-Fi equipment inside buildings. The IEEE 802.11az standard makes it possible to improve the accuracy of device localization from 1-2 meters to centimeters.

The new standard allows, in particular, to fine-tune user navigation in shopping centers, track inventory in warehouses, improve security situations – for example, in cases where you can set up a computer to turn on using a smartwatch or remotely open a car door within close proximity. The technology can also be used for payment processing, as well as simpler and easier connection of a mobile phone to an access point in a home mesh network while moving indoors.

802.11bd: next-generation communication between cars

One of the main expectations associated with the development of the smart car niche is their ability to create networks for exchanging information about safety levels and traffic management. The 802.11bd standard, introduced in March 2023, improves this type of interaction. It is twice as fast as the 802.11p standard, with a longer range, better positioning support, and two-way compatibility with 802.11p standard devices.

Niche standards

802.11ah: Wi-Fi HaLow

The 802.11ah standard is used in unlicensed networks in frequency bands below 1 GHz (typically 900 MHz), excluding the TV White Space band. The purpose of using 802.11ah is to build Wi-Fi networks with an extended range that go beyond typical 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks (low frequencies are the key to increased range), with data transfer rates of up to 347 Mbps.

In addition to all of the above, this standard aims to reduce power consumption, which is extremely important when using IoT devices. Perhaps in this it can even compete with Bluetooth.

802.11ad: high bandwidth, short distance

The 802.11ad standard features high speeds – up to 6.7 Gbps at 60 GHz. But you have to sacrifice distance: the maximum range of 802.11ad is 3.3 meters from the access point.

802.11ay: next-generation 60 GHz

This standard, presented in July 2021, supports a maximum throughput of at least 20 Gbps at a frequency of 60 GHz, while expanding the range and increasing reliability.

What Wi-Fi standards are currently being developed?

802.11bf: Sensing WLAN

This standard uses WLAN to detect wireless communication signals in order to identify specific target features in a given environment – specifically range, speed, angle, motion, presence or proximity, gestures. The object can be either a person or an animal, and the environment can be a room, house, vehicle, or office.

802.11bh: MAC Address Randomization and Changing

This standard helps formalize the concept of MAC address privacy for 802.11 stations, including MAC address changes and the use of a random MAC address. However, the consequences of this approach can affect not only the operation of 802.11 networks but also other services. The goal of developing this standard was to improve and mitigate the consequences of protecting user privacy with a randomized or dynamic MAC address.

802.11bi: Enhanced Data Privacy

The goal of this standard is to define modifications to 802.11 MAC specifications to create new mechanisms that will help enhance the protection of sensitive data. As is known, especially sensitive are information about location, movement, contacts, and activity.

Future Standards

· Battery-Free IoT Networks: accumulated environmental power can be used as a source of electricity for distributed IoT devices. They, in turn, can be used in agriculture, mining, logistics, smart home, etc.

· Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) and Metaverse – this requires extremely high bandwidth with minimal latency. New Wi-Fi functionality for the 1-7.125 GHz bands is being explored.

· AI/Machine Learning (ML) – such a standard requires the use of huge amounts of data circulating between sources such as cameras, smartphones, game consoles, and a central server where all this is processed. New algorithms will help analyze the source and reduce the amount of data that the network can process.

Are we ready for Wi-Fi 8?

Despite the fact that even the Wi-Fi 7 standard has not yet been officially approved, IEEE is already working on Wi-Fi 8, which is characterized by high reliability. It is expected to be released in 2028.

Wi-Fi 8 aims to improve service availability by introducing multi-link operation (MLO), a wide spectrum through integrated millimeter-wave operations, determinism through physical and MAC layer enhancements, and worst-case delay control through access point coordination.

What are your expectations for the implementation of Wi-Fi 8?