There are currently several types of WiFi, this is something that will only grow in the short and medium term. And of course, as in other technology areas, it is common for there to be several versions side by side, from the latest, of course, to others that may be more than 20 years old. And those two decades are not exaggerated, because today many devices have connectivity with one of the oldest types of WiFi, dated no less than 1999. Yes, WiFi of the last century and every day more distant.

And why are such old types of WiFi maintained? In fact, you’ve probably already imagined it: backward compatibility. Unlike planned obsolescence, this backward compatibility allows devices that have existed for many years to remain fully functional. The fact that it is possible to buy, for example, a router compatible with 802.11aab today is, in my opinion, quite an exemplary practice. And yes, I know that there will be those who will think that this will increase the exposure area, but at the moment it is crucial that this device allows you to activate and deactivate at will.

What is 802.11abgn, WiFi 5 or WiFi 2.4 or 5, or even 6 gigahertz? This soup of nomenclatures can be a little indigestible because Two different denominations are combined, network protocol identification and commercial.. The first, one that starts with 802.11 and is in some cases reduced to letters such as WiFi ac, classifies WiFi types according to the standards on which it is based, while a one-digit or numeric designation along with a letter identifies WiFi types by their trade name.

IEEE802.11

Why are all WiFi types marked as 802.11? The reason for this can be found in the nomenclature proposed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), a global association that oversees the definition of standards. So when the first interconnection protocols, the IEEE, began to be defined he decided to assign them an 802 classification.(letters). So yes, indeed, whenever you read any reference to IEEE 802, you will know that it is a network type such as 802.3, ethernet (the most common type of cable network) or 802.5, Token Ring, a network type defined by IBM and which was in its very popular at the time.

So, as you may have deduced, IEEE 802.11 stands for a set of WiFi connection protocols. And the letters shown on the right uniquely identify each of the WiFi types that have become standards, whether used worldwide, such as a, n or ax, to give a few examples, or 802.11j. which is used exclusively in Japan. This explains the leaps, such as bago of this an, which raise doubts in some people.

In some cases we can see the year of its publication is added to the designation of the standard. Returning to the example of WiFi j, we also find it referred to as IEEE 802.11j-2004. As you can already imagine, the clearest way to find out what types of WiFi are compatible with your device, the most specific and reliable is to look for an 802.11 reference(letters) or, if this is not possible, Wi-Fi (letters).

However, to avoid meaningless sets of letters and numbers for most, the industry has decided to adopt a classification system based on generations, which in turn are associated with certain standards (the most popular, and therefore the most widespread) defined by the IEEE. This is a classification that you can see regularly and which is marked as WiFi (number)and which can also occasionally be identified by a number and letter, such as WiFi 3 or WiFi 6e.

Therefore, and to know what different types of WiFi offer us, it is above all know how to associate business identification with the 802.11 standard it refers tobecause in this way we will be able to find information about him to remove any doubts.

However, the important aspect is up to 802.11n, many devices in their name also referred to backward compatibility. At that time, it was common to find devices labeled WiFi 802.11abgn, which, as you can quickly deduce, were compatible with WiFi types a, b, g, and n. However, since the advent of 802.11ac, this practice has become obsolete and only the latest protocol has been introduced. . However, this does not mean that a router that supports 802.11ax is not compatible with 802.11n, for example.

As I said before, backward compatibility is very present in the world of connectivity (which is something completely implicit, of course in the very concept of connectivity, right? virtually all routers support 2.4 and 5 gigahertz bands, something necessary for more users than you might think. And the thing is, if you look closely, even today you can find connected home devices, such as light bulbs and WiFi plugs, that are only compatible with the 2.4 GHz WiFi types, generally WiFi G.

Wi-Fi types

However, keep in mind that these speeds are theoretical maxima, combining several channels (demultiplexing) and under ideal connectivity conditions. The real WiFi speeds are, as you probably know, a bit more modest.

If you look at WiFi 6 and WiFi 6e, you will see that both are based on the same standard (802.11ax) and that the only difference between them is that WiFI 6e adds a band of 6 gigahertz, thus expanding the range of radiographic spectrum that can be used. Therefore, this 802.11ax extension is not caused by an increase in its speed, but by it lighten the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands a bitwhich are beginning to be somewhat saturated, due to the expansion of plug-in devices.

With information from Wikipedia