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Wi-Fi 0
1997
IEEE 802.11™ is the first 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi standard. This standard and its subsequent amendments are the basis for Wi-Fi wireless networks.
Evolution of IEEE Standards for Wi-Fi TECHNOLOGY
Wi-Fi technology is based on the IEEE 802.11™ series of wireless connectivity standards which have revolutionized how we communicate and access information.
Wi-Fi 1
1999
Wi-Fi 2
1999
Wi-Fi 3
2003
Wi-Fi 4
2009
Wi-Fi 5
2013
Wi-Fi 6
2021
IEEE 802.11b™, or Wi-Fi 1, also operated at 2.4 GHz to reduce interference from microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, and other sources, and to achieve higher data rates.
IEEE 802.11a™, or Wi-Fi 2, was the first standard to feature a multi-carrier modulation scheme to support high data rates. It supported 5 GHz operation and its 20 MHz bandwidth supported multiple data rates.
IEEE 802.11g™, or Wi-Fi 3, allowed for faster data rates of up to 54 Mbit/s in the same 2.4 GHz frequency band as IEEE 802.11b, thanks to an OFDM multi-carrier modulation scheme and other enhancements.
IEEE 802.11n™, or Wi-Fi 4, supported the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz frequency bands with up to 600 Mbit/s data rates. The high data throughputs enabled the use of WLAN networks in place of wired networks.
IEEE 802.11ac™, or Wi-Fi 5, was the first standard to enable the use of multiple input/multiple output technology so that multiple antennas could be used on both sending and receiving devices to reduce errors and boost speed.
IEEE 802.11ax™, or Wi-Fi 6, supports data rate at 9.6 Gbit/s. It improves aggregate throughput and supports the pervasive use of Wi-Fi in data-heavy and new applications such as video and cloud access.
Wi-Fi 1
1999
Wi-Fi 2
1999
Wi-Fi 3
2003
Wi-Fi 4
2009
Wi-Fi 5
2013
Wi-Fi 6
2021