Devolo

WiFi 6 (WLAN ax) - Brief definition

The WiFi standard IEEE 802.11ax (WiFi 6) achieves speeds of up to 9.6 Gbit/s and is more efficient, secure, and energy-saving thanks to OFDMA and other features.

Whether it's a smartphone, tablet, or notebook: every mobile device today is equipped with WiFi. The fast WiFi standard 802.11ax achieves speeds that are significantly higher than those of older standards.

What does WiFi ax mean?

Since the introduction of standardized WiFi standards in 1997, mobile devices have been operating with the IEEE 802.11 standard. This standard has been continuously updated and now reaches high speeds of up to 9.6 Gbit/s with the current standard IEEE 802.11ax – also known as WiFi 6.


Additionally, it is significantly more multitasking-friendly than earlier standards:  OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) allows for more efficient transmission of data packets. Other features such as Target Wake Time (TWT), BSS-Coloring and WPA3 improve energy efficiency, conflict avoidance in home networks, and overall security.


Read more: The Features of WiFi 6

The WiFi Standards at a Glance:

  • 802.11: The standard from 1999 achieved speeds of around 2 Mbits/s.
  • 802.11b: This extension dates back to 1999 and operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. The maximum data rate is 11 Mbit/s.
  • 802.11g: In 2003, the WiFi standard 802.11g was defined, which achieves speeds of up to 54 Mbit/s in the 2.4 GHz band.
  • 802.11n : The WiFi n standard from 2009 was the first to use innovative MIMO technology and achieves a maximum speed of 600 Mbit/s in dual-band operation at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
  • 802.11ac: The WiFi standard ac (WiFi 5) has been in use since 2013 and reaches maximum WiFi speeds of nearly 7 Gbit/s. The shorter transmission duration reduces energy consumption.
  • 802.11ax: The WiFi standard ax (WiFi 6) boasts transmission rates of up to 9.6 Gbit/s and multitasking features like OFDMA.

WiFi ax and Backward Compatibility

WiFi ax devices are backward compatible with older WiFi standards. This means that if you get a router, repeater, or powerline product that supports the current WiFi 6, your older devices from previous WiFi standards will continue to function normally in your home network. However, maximum performance is only achieved when both the transmitter and receiver support the 802.11ax standard.

Top devolo products with WiFi ax (WiFi 6)