Side-by-Side Comparison
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 7
Comparing 2 standards across 12 specifications. 12 key differences identified.
Comparing:
Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac) was ratified in 2013, operating exclusively in the 5 GHz band. It introduced 80 MHz and 160 MHz channel bonding, 256-QAM modulation, and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) downlink, reaching theoretical maximum data rates up to 6.93 Gbps.
Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be, Extremely High Throughput) was approved by IEEE-SA in 2024, operating across 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. It features 320 MHz channel bandwidth, 4096-QAM modulation, 8x8 MU-MIMO (an early draft's 16 spatial streams was dropped before finalization), and Multi-Link Operation (MLO), achieving theoretical speeds up to about 23 Gbps in a single band.
Specification Comparison Table
12 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
IEEE Standard
|
IEEE 802.11ac-2013 | IEEE 802.11be (Extremely High Throughput) |
|
Wi-Fi Generation
|
Wi-Fi 5 | Wi-Fi 7 |
|
Ratification Year
|
2013 (Wave 1) / 2016 (Wave 2) | 2024 |
|
Frequency Bands
|
5 GHz only (2.4 GHz uses 802.11n) | 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz (Tri-Band) |
|
Max Channel Width
|
160 MHz | 320 MHz |
|
Max Theoretical PHY Rate
|
6.93 Gbps | 23.06 Gbps |
|
Typical Client PHY Rate (2x2)
|
866.7 Mbps | 5.76 Gbps |
|
Modulation Standard
|
256-QAM | 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) |
|
Max Spatial Streams (MIMO)
|
8x8 (Wave 2) | — |
|
Multi-User MIMO
|
Downlink Only (DL MU-MIMO in Wave 2) | — |
|
Spatial Streams (MIMO)
|
— | 8x8 |
|
Key Capabilities
|
— | Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Multi-RU Preamble Puncturing |