WiFi Generations: A Comprehensive Comparison (6 vs 5 vs 4 vs 3 vs 2 vs 1)

This article provides a comparison between different WiFi generations: WiFi 6, WiFi 5, WiFi 4, WiFi 3, WiFi 2, and WiFi 1. It details the differences in speed, range, and other relevant parameters.

Introduction to WiFi

LAN (Local Area Network) provides wired connectivity using ethernet cables. To facilitate wireless connectivity, WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), also known as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), was developed. A WiFi router is essential for establishing a WiFi network.

The WiFi router connects to a wired broadband connection on one side and provides wireless signals to devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablets on the other. The IEEE WLAN group has developed a series of WiFi standards to support varying speeds, ranges, and frequencies. These standards include 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax, which can be referred to as WiFi 1 through WiFi 6, respectively.

WiFi 1 (IEEE 802.11b)

The IEEE 802.11b standard is known as WiFi 1. It was the first WiFi standard developed by IEEE for Wireless LANs.

• WiFi 1 devices operate at the 2.4 GHz frequency band and use DSSS/CCK modulation schemes for data transmission.
• It supports speeds of 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps.
• WiFi 1 offers coverage distances of approximately 38 meters indoors and 140 meters outdoors.

WiFi 2 (IEEE 802.11a)

The IEEE 802.11a standard is referred to as WiFi 2, succeeding IEEE 802.11b (WiFi 1).

• This standard introduced the multi-carrier modulation scheme OFDM to support higher data rates, unlike the single carrier used in WiFi 1.
• WiFi 2 routers and clients operate at a 5 GHz RF carrier frequency.
• It supports data rates of 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps due to the use of a 20 MHz bandwidth.
• WiFi 2 compliant routers provide a coverage range of about 35 meters indoors and 120 meters outdoors.

WiFi 3 (IEEE 802.11g)

The IEEE 802.11g standard is known as WiFi 3, following IEEE 802.11a (WiFi 2).

• WiFi 3 supports frequency bands of both 11b and 11a standard-based devices.
• It supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands.
• It incorporates all features supported by the 11a and 11b standards.

WiFi 4 (IEEE 802.11n)

The IEEE 802.11n standard is referred to as WiFi 4, succeeding IEEE 802.11g (WiFi 3).

• This standard introduced MIMO (Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output) technology.
• Beamforming was introduced, although interoperability testing was limited.
• It supports legacy fallbacks to previous WiFi versions (WiFi 1, WiFi 2, and WiFi 3).
• It supports 20 MHz and 40 MHz bandwidths.
• Data rates of up to 150 Mbps can be achieved due to the use of MIMO and higher bandwidth (40 MHz).
• WiFi 4 devices can support a range of approximately 70 meters indoors and 250 meters outdoors.
• MIMO configurations supported by WiFi 4 devices include 2T3R and 4T4R.
• Modulation schemes such as BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, and 64QAM are utilized.

WiFi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac)

The IEEE 802.11ac standard is known as WiFi 5, succeeding IEEE 802.11n (WiFi 4).

• Beamforming was fully integrated into MIMO, and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) was introduced.
• WiFi 5 supports higher throughput due to wider bandwidths (up to 160 MHz), MU-MIMO, a higher number of spatial streams (up to 8), and more advanced modulation schemes (256 QAM).
• It operates on the 5 GHz band and supports legacy multi-carrier (OFDM) and single-carrier (DSSS, CCK) modulation schemes, as well as baseband modulation types (BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64 QAM, 256QAM).
• Channel bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz are supported.
• WiFi 5 supports a maximum data rate of 6.93 Gbps (using 160 MHz bandwidth, 8 spatial streams, MCS9, 256QAM, with a short guard interval) and a coverage range of approximately 80 meters with 3 antennas (about 10 meters more than WiFi 4).
• MIMO configurations up to 4x4 can be employed.
• It supports both single-user and multi-user transmissions.

WiFi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax)

The IEEE 802.11ax standard is referred to as WiFi 6, representing the 6th generation of WiFi, and succeeding IEEE 802.11ac (WiFi 5).

Image Courtesy: Ruckus Networks

• WiFi 6 offers higher speeds and a greater coverage range compared to previous WiFi networks (WiFi 5, WiFi 4, WiFi 3, etc.).
• WiFi 6 operates at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands.
• OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) has been introduced in both uplink and downlink directions.
• Other key features include MU-MIMO, beamforming, 1024-QAM, longer OFDM symbol sizes, a higher number of spatial streams (up to 8), and uplink resource scheduling without contention (unlike 802.11ac).
• BSS (Basic Service Set) coloring is another unique feature.
• Due to its high efficiency, it is also known as HEW (High-Efficiency WLAN).
• 802.11ax offers improved efficiency, network capacity, performance, and user experience with reduced latency.

WiFi Generations: Feature Comparison

The following table compares the key parameters of different WiFi versions:

WiFi 5 vs WiFi 6: Physical Layer Parameters

The table below highlights the differences between WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 with respect to physical layer parameters.

Conclusion

Wi-Fi 6 offers significant improvements over Wi-Fi 5 in terms of speed, efficiency, capacity, and security. While Wi-Fi 5 operates on the 5 GHz band with a maximum speed of 3.5 Gbps, Wi-Fi 6 utilizes both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, delivering speeds up to 9.6 Gbps. Additionally, Wi-Fi 6 incorporates technologies like OFDMA, MU-MIMO, and BSS Coloring, enhancing network efficiency and reducing congestion, especially in high-density environments. Security is also enhanced with WPA3, making Wi-Fi 6 more resilient against cyber threats. Overall, Wi-Fi 6 is the preferred choice for modern networks requiring higher performance, improved reliability, and better power efficiency for connected devices