What are the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax standards? Which Standard is the Best and Strongest Today?

Currently, the market is flooded with countless different IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) standards such as wireless standards 802.11a, 802.11b/g/n, or 802.11ac/ax, etc. This inevitably causes difficulties for users during the purchasing process. In this article, Phuc Gia® will answer the questions: What are the WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax standards? Which IEEE standard is the best and strongest? thereby helping you easily make your choice when selecting appropriate devices.

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What are the WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Standards?

The WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards are specific subsets of the 802.11 connectivity standard, which is a set of standards created by the IEEE organization to specify the technical parameters for wireless networks.Operating on the 5 GHz frequency band with a maximum theoretical speed of up to 1920 Mbps, the WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax standards help users experience the highest level of Internet access speed.

Table 1: Summary of Current Wi-Fi Standards

802.11 Standard

In 1997, the IEEE organization introduced the first wireless network standard named the 802.11 standard. The maximum network speed that the 802.11 standard supported was only 2 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Due to the current speed of Internet access, the 802.11 standard is considered too slow and is no longer widely used in the market.

802.11b Standard (Wi-Fi 1 Standard)

Approximately two years after the introduction of the 802.11 standard, the IEEE continued to introduce a new standard called the 802.11b standard with several improvements. Specifically, the 802.11b standard supported 11 Mbps but still utilized the 2.4 GHz frequency band. The connection range of the 802.11b standard could reach up to 150m, depending on the environment.

Because it still uses the 2.4 GHz frequency band, devices equipped with the 802.11b standard are highly susceptible to magnetic interference, especially when placed near devices like televisions, microwave ovens, or telephones.

802.11a Standard (Wi-Fi 2 Standard)

The 802.11a standard was developed concurrently with the 802.11b standard but was primarily aimed at enterprise customers rather than residential users like standard b, resulting in a relatively high price.

The 802.11a standard supported speeds nearly 5 times higher than standard b, reaching a maximum of 54 Mbps on the 5 GHz radio frequency band. Thanks to the change in frequency band, the 802.11a standard overcame the weakness of being easily affected by magnetic interference. However, the drawback of this standard was that the operating range was narrowed to only 40 – 100m because high frequencies struggle to penetrate obstacles like walls and partitions.

802.11g Standard (Wi-Fi 3 Standard)

The 802.11g standard, launched in 2003, was a combination of the 802.11a standard and the 802.11b standard. The 802.11g standard supported speeds up to 54 Mbps like standard a but used the 2.4 GHz frequency band like standard b. Consequently, this standard offered high speed and a good signal range (80 – 200 m).

Since it uses the 2.4 GHz frequency band like standard b, standard g is also susceptible to magnetic interference. However, due to similarities in specifications, standard g and standard b have backward compatibility. The 802.11g standard is still quite commonly used in households today due to its relatively low cost.

802.11n Standard or 802.11 b/g/n (Wi-Fi 4 Standard)

The 4th generation WiFi standard from the IEEE was launched in 2009 under the name 802.11n standard (or 802.11 b/g/n). This standard is currently one of the most favored due to its high transmission speed, stable signal, and reasonable price.

The 802.11n standard utilizes MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) technology, allowing it to support a maximum speed of up to 600 Mbps. It can operate on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, with a connection range of up to 250m depending on the environment.

802.11ac Standard or 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Wi-Fi 5 Standard)

Finally, the newer standard is named 802.11ac standard (or 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standard). Launched in 2013, the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standard is a completely dominant upgrade over its predecessor, standard n.

Standard a/b/g/n/ac also employs MIMO technology, achieving a maximum speed of up to 1730 Mbps and utilizing the 5 GHz frequency band, providing users with the highest network speeds. Due to its many valuable improvements, the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standard is relatively expensive.

802.11ax Standard (Wi-Fi 6 Standard)

The Wi-Fi 802.11ax standard, also known as 6th Generation Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi ax standard, is the latest Wi-Fi standard officially recognized by the Wi-Fi Alliance on September 16, 2019.

Wi-Fi 6 is not a new tool for connecting to the Internet; rather, it is an upgraded standard that compatible devices, especially routers, can leverage to transmit Wi-Fi signals more efficiently.

The 802.11ax standard applies longer OFDM and GI symbols to generate a network signal that is 4 times stronger than the 802.11ac network standard. Furthermore, the use of wider transmission channels (up to 160MHz compared to the old standard’s 80MHz) and higher capacity allows for a greater coverage area for Wi-Fi 6, making the Wi-Fi speed faster and more seamless during use.

Which Wi-Fi Standard Has the Best Speed?
Based on the figures above, it can be concluded that the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi standard offers the highest speed currently. The speed of the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi standard is very high, reaching up to 1920 Mbps; theoretically, this standard can be 3 times faster than standard n.

Although the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi standard is excellent, it is very difficult for this Wi-Fi standard to become widespread due to its high cost. Instead, standard n is more commonly used because its speed still meets users’ needs while remaining reasonably priced.

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