In today's digital age, Wi-Fi has become an indispensable part of our lives, but the evolution of this wireless communication technology has been a fascinating and rich journey. From its humble beginnings with the first steps taken, to the high-speed data transmission of Wi-Fi 7 today, each birth of a Wi-Fi standard has been accompanied by numerous innovations and technological breakthroughs.
802.11: The earliest Wi-Fi standard, released in 1997, supporting a maximum transmission rate of 2Mbps. This standard operated in the 2.4 GHz frequency band and employed Frequency-Shift Keying (FSK) and Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation techniques.
802.11a: Released in 1999, it introduced the 5 GHz frequency band for the first time, offering higher transmission rates of up to 54 Mbps. Using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology, it supported up to 8 parallel data streams, opening up new possibilities for high-speed wireless communication at that time.
802.11b: Also released in 1999, with a maximum transmission rate of 11 Mbps, significantly surpassing the performance of 802.11. Although slightly slower than 802.11a, this standard operated in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, providing better penetration and coverage, and adopted more advanced modulation techniques (Complementary Code Keying).
802.11g: Released in 2003 as the successor to 802.11b, it inherited its advantages in the 2.4 GHz frequency band and offered higher transmission rates of up to 54 Mbps. It used the same OFDM technology as 802.11a but with better compatibility. However, due to the same frequency band, it was not compatible with 802.11a.
802.11n (Wi-Fi 4): Released in 2009, it introduced Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology, enabling simultaneous transmission of multiple data streams, improving transmission rates and coverage. It operated in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, with a maximum transmission rate of up to 600 Mbps or higher.
Wi-Fi 4 series modules:6188E-UF, O8723UE, 6223A-SRD.
802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5): Released in 2013, primarily operates in the 5 GHz frequency band, introducing more MIMO streams, beamforming technology, and higher modulation techniques, with a maximum transmission rate of up to gigabits per second (Gbps).
Wi-Fi 5 series modules:8121N-UH, 6111E-UC, 6222D-UUC
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6): Released in 2019, aimed at enhancing network capacity and efficiency. It introduces several improvements such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO), etc., to accommodate the increasing number of connected devices and high-density environments, providing better support for bandwidth-intensive applications like high-definition video streaming, online gaming, etc.
Wi-Fi 6E/6 series modules:O2066PM, O2066PB,O2064PM
802.11be (Wi-Fi 7): Released in 2024, it represents the next generation Wi-Fi standard, corresponding to the upcoming new revision IEEE 802.11be - Extremely High Throughput (EHT). Building upon Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 7 introduces technologies such as 320MHz bandwidth, 4096-QAM, Multi-RU, multi-link operation, enhanced MU-MIMO, and multi-AP coordination. These advancements enable Wi-Fi 7 to offer higher data transmission rates and lower latency compared to Wi-Fi 6. The theoretical throughput of Wi-Fi 7 is expected to support up to 46Gbps, roughly four times more than Wi-Fi 6.
From the initial 2Mbps to the arrival of Wi-Fi 7 at 46Gbps today, each standard's birth represents an unwavering pursuit of speed, coverage, and connectivity. With the advent of the digital age, Wi-Fi has seamlessly integrated into our lives and work, becoming a bridge connecting the world. And with the introduction of Wi-Fi 7, we look forward to faster, more stable wireless networks bringing us richer experiences and application scenarios, making the future even brighter.
