Data chart (Infographic)

An infographic chart showing the "evolution of Wi-Fi Generations" from the beginning of the era in 1997 to the forecast of the future in 2028.

The chart tells you four key data in each era: Wi-Fi 0-8, IEEE standards (such as 802.11b / g / n), GHz spectrum and maximum speed of traffic (Mbps / Gbps), which can be summarized in detail by era:

1. Initial era of reclamation (1997 - 1999)

Wi-Fi 0 (1997) | Standard 802.11: The earliest starting point, running on 2.4\ text {GHz} spectrum, only speeds 2\ text {Mbps}, which is considered very slow compared to today, but it is the cornerstone.

Wi-Fi 1 (1999) | Standard 802.11b: Later developed, it also used the same 2.4\ text {GHz} wave, but increased its speed to 11\ text {Mbps}, began to make home wireless Internet use more popular (in the photo, the icon is seen as the first Apple AirPort to be a flying saucer shape).

Wi-Fi 2 (1999) | Standard 802.11a: Launched in the same year but moved to 5\ text {GHz} wireless spectrum for the first time. It achieved a much better speed in that era, 54\ text {Mbps}, but with a shorter signaling distance limit than 2.4\ text {GHz} waves.

2. The era of entry into the mainstream and transition (2003 - 2013)

Wi-Fi 3 (2003) | 802.11g Standard: Combine the advantages of Wi-Fi 1 and 2 with a long-range transmission of 2.4\ text {GHz} waves, but speeds up to 54\ text {Mbps}. This is an era when almost all notebooks and computers began to have built-in Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi 4 (2009) | Standard 802.11n: It's a big leap forward, because it was the first era to support Dual-Band (2.4\ text {GHz} and 5\ text {GHz}) and can reach speeds of up to 600\ text {Mbps}. It started to support amazing streaming video viewing in those days.

Wi-Fi 5 (2013) | 802.11ac Standard: This era primarily emphasizes speed upgrades on 5\ text {GHz} waves to escape interference from 2.4\ text {GHz} waves by pushing the Gigabits wall speed to a maximum of 6.9\ text {Gbps}.

3.Modern era and ultra-high speed (2019 - 2024 years)

Wi-Fi 6 (2019) | 802.11ax Standard: Designed to solve the problem of "sluggish net when people use it at the same time," it supports 2.4\ text {GHz} and 5\ text {GHz} waves by increasing the maximum speed to 9.6\ text {Gbps}.

Wi-Fi 6E (2021) | Standard 802.11ax (Extended): It builds on Wi-Fi 6 by giving the green light to use the new spectrum, 6\ text {GHz}, for the first time, making it a much wider channel. The signal does not collide with its neighbors. The maximum speed is still 9.6\ text {Gbps}, but obviously more stable.

Wi-Fi 7 (2024) | 802.11be Standard: The prevailing modern era, supporting all 3 spectrum (2.4, 5, 6\ text {GHz}), increasing the channel width to 320\ text {MHz}, speeding up to 23\ text {Gbps}, slickly supporting 8\ text {K} entertainment and VR / AR devices.

4. Projected future (2028)

Wi-Fi 8 (2028) | The 802.11bn standard: * is the next generation in development (according to the chart as the forecast schedule). It still runs on three major spectrum (2.4, 5, 6\ text {GHz}). Although the initial theoretical speed of 23\ text {Gbps} is the same as Wi-Fi 7, the main goal of Wi-Fi 8 is to focus on "Reliability & Efficiency" rather than just speed-up power madness, so that the AI and IoT-era connections work seamlessly. Most