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Looking for the latest WiFi standards comparison? This table covers everything from WiFi 4 (802.11n) to WiFi 8 (802.11bn), including max data rate, MIMO configuration, OFDMA support, multi-link operation (MLO), and frequency bands.

WiFi Generations Comparison Table

Feature	Wi-Fi 4	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi 7	Wi-Fi 8
IEEE Standard	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Channel Bandwidth	20/40 MHz	20/40/80/160 MHz	20/40/80/160 MHz	Up to 320 MHz	Up to 640 MHz
Frequency Bands	2.4GHz and 5GHz	5GHz	2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz	2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz	2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
Max Data Rate	600Mbps	3.5Gbps	9.6Gbps	46Gbps	100Gbps
Modulation	64QAM	256QAM	1024QAM	4096QAM	4096QAM
MIMO	4x4 MIMO, DL only	4x4 MIMO, DL only	4x4 MIMO, UL&DL	16x16 MIMO, UL&DL	16x16 MIMO, UL&DL
Security Protocol	WPA2	WPA2	WPA3	WPA3	WPA4 / WPA3+
Coordinated OFDMA	—	No (Only OFDM)	Yes (single RU)	Yes (multiple RUs)	Yes (dRU, coordinated)
Multi-Link Operation (MLO)	—	—	—	Yes	Yes
Target Wait Time (TWT)	—	—	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multi-AP Coordination	—	—	—	—	Yes
DSO/NPCA	—	—	—	—	Yes
dRU	—	—	—	—	Yes

Key Takeaways

• Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) : The foundation, introduced MIMO technology
• Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) : Focused on 5GHz band, brought wider channels
• Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) : Revolutionized dense environments with OFDMA and TWT
• Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) : Ultra-high throughput with 320MHz channels and MLO
• Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) : Future standard focused on reliability and deterministic latency

📄 Original version of this article: WiFi 4 vs WiFi 5 vs WiFi 6 vs WiFi 7 vs WiFi 8: WiFi Generations Explained was published on the NANJING MAXON official website and contains the most current technical specifications.

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