Difference between wifi 6 and wifi 5,wifi 4,wifi 3,wifi 2,wifi 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.

Difference between wifi 6 and wifi 5, wifi 4, wifi 3, wifi 2, wifi 1

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