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wifi categories

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Wi-Fi, a wireless networking technology, has gone through various iterations over the years, each denoted by a standard or category. These standards are developed and maintained by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) under the 802.11 family of protocols.

Here is an overview of some of the significant Wi-Fi categories:

  1. 802.11b: Introduced in 1999, 802.11b was the first widely accepted Wi-Fi standard. It operated in the 2.4 GHz frequency band and offered a maximum theoretical throughput of 11 Mbps. It used the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) modulation technique.
  2. 802.11a: Also introduced in 1999, 802.11a operated in the 5 GHz frequency band and supported a theoretical maximum throughput of 54 Mbps. It used Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for modulation. Despite its faster speed and less interference-prone frequency band, 802.11a didn't gain as much popularity as 802.11b due to higher costs and shorter range.
  3. 802.11g: Introduced in 2003, 802.11g operated in the 2.4 GHz frequency band but offered backward compatibility with 802.11b devices. It used OFDM modulation and supported a maximum theoretical throughput of 54 Mbps. 802.11g gained popularity due to its compatibility with 802.11b and faster speeds.
  4. 802.11n: Ratified in 2009, 802.11n improved upon previous standards by supporting multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technology. It operated in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, offering higher throughput, up to 600 Mbps theoretically using multiple streams. 802.11n also introduced technologies like channel bonding and spatial multiplexing to enhance speed and reliability.
  5. 802.11ac: Introduced in 2013, 802.11ac, also known as Wi-Fi 5, operates only in the 5 GHz band. It significantly increased throughput by using wider channels and advanced modulation techniques, supporting multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) and achieving theoretical speeds of up to several Gbps (Gigabits per second).
  6. 802.11ax: Introduced in 2019 and known as Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ax improves network capacity and efficiency in crowded environments. It operates in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and introduces technologies like Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), target wake time (TWT), and uplink and downlink MU-MIMO. Wi-Fi 6 offers faster speeds, reduced latency, and improved performance in dense wireless environments.
  7. 802.11ay: This standard, sometimes referred to as WiGig, operates in the 60 GHz frequency band. It's designed to support very high data rates, potentially reaching multiple Gbps, but over shorter distances due to the high-frequency nature of the signal, which has limitations in terms of penetrating obstacles.