Evolution of Wi-Fi Standards (IEEE 802.11 Set)

By Aiden West
  • 802.11-1997 releases

    802.11-1997 releases

    Very first router protocol. Ran at 2 mbps at 2.4 GHz
  • 802.11b/a releases

    802.11b/a releases

    Both released at the same time, but a was considered to be better because of the OFDM technique, used to generate wireless signal. 802.11b ran 11 mbps at 2.4 GHz, whereas 802.11a ran 54 mbps at 5 GHz
  • 802.11g releases

    802.11g releases

    802.11g released giving the public 54 mbps at 2.4 GHz; a step down from 802.11a.
  • 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) releases

    802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) releases

    5th Wi-Fi protocol to be created, running 600 mbps at 2.4/5GHz
  • 11ac (Wi-Fi 5) releases

    11ac (Wi-Fi 5) releases

    Fastest protocol yet, with 6.8 Gbps at 5GHz
    A massive jump in tech and a massive win for humans.
  • 11ax (Wi-Fi 6) releases

    11ax (Wi-Fi 6) releases

    Allowed 1.4x the speed of the previous installation, running 9.6 Gbps at 2.5/5 GHz.
  • 11ax (WiFi 6E) releases

    11ax (WiFi 6E) releases

    The "E" edition which allowed for 9.6 Gbps at a new frequency of 6 GHz (which was never seen before).
    9.6Gbps at 2.5/5/6 GHz

  • 11be (WiFi 7) releases*

    Allows for 480% or 4.8x the speed of 11ax, running 46.1 Gbps at 2.5/5/6 GHz with a new possible bandwidth of 320 bps, twice the speed of 11ax *expected 2024