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Wi-Fi technology has advanced rapidly in the last decade. While Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) dominated the market for many years, most new devices now support Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E, and the newest generation — Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) — is beginning to appear in high-end phones, laptops, and routers.
Each generation improves speed, efficiency, and performance in crowded environments. Understanding these standards helps you choose the right equipment and get the most from your internet connection.
Wi-Fi 5 operates on the 5 GHz band and was introduced in 2013. It remains widely deployed and delivers strong performance, especially compared with older 2.4 GHz technologies.
However, it is no longer the fastest widely available standard.
Introduced in 2019, Wi-Fi 6 brought major improvements in multi-device handling, range, and real-world speeds.
Wi-Fi 6E, introduced in 2021, extends Wi-Fi 6 into the new 6 GHz band, offering much less interference and significantly more bandwidth.
Most smartphones and laptops released since 2020 support Wi-Fi 6, and many newer high-end devices support Wi-Fi 6E.
Wi-Fi 7 is the newest standard (finalized in early 2024). It dramatically increases throughput and reduces latency, thanks to features such as 320 MHz channels, 4K-QAM, and Multi-Link Operation (MLO).
High-end routers and premium devices released in 2024–2025 increasingly support Wi-Fi 7.
All real-world speeds assume strong signal, modern hardware, and optimal conditions. These numbers vary significantly based on environment.
| Standard | Frequency Bands | Theoretical Max Speed | Typical Real-World Speed | Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 802.11a | 5 GHz | 54 Mbps | ~20 Mbps | 1999 |
| 802.11b | 2.4 GHz | 11 Mbps | ~6 Mbps | 1999 |
| 802.11g | 2.4 GHz | 54 Mbps | ~20 Mbps | 2003 |
| 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) | 2.4 GHz | 150 Mbps* | ~70 Mbps | 2007 |
| 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) | 5 GHz | 150 Mbps* | ~90 Mbps | 2007 |
| 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) | 5 GHz | 3.5 Gbps* | ~400–700 Mbps | 2013 |
| 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) | 2.4/5 GHz | 9.6 Gbps* | ~600 Mbps–1.2 Gbps | 2019 |
| 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E) | 6 GHz | 9.6 Gbps* | ~800 Mbps–1.5 Gbps | 2021 |
| 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) | 2.4/5/6 GHz | 46 Gbps* | ~2–5 Gbps (peak) | 2024 |
*Per-stream values scale upward with multiple spatial streams (e.g., 2×2, 4×4 MIMO).
Modern Wi-Fi standards, especially Wi-Fi 5, 6, 6E, and 7, use technologies that greatly increase throughput.
MIMO lets a router use multiple antennas to send data streams simultaneously.
This allows capable devices to exceed the bandwidth of a single stream under the right conditions.
Wi-Fi 6/6E and Wi-Fi 7 introduce:
These features dramatically improve performance in busy households, apartments, or offices.
Exclusive to Wi-Fi 7, this lets a device use multiple bands (5 GHz + 6 GHz) at the same time for higher speeds and lower latency.
This is why Wi-Fi 7 can exceed gigabit-class wired performance in real-world conditions.
Routers vary in number of antennas and supported streams. More antennas typically allow:
Most devices still use 1×1 or 2×2 antennas, but high-end devices may benefit from more.