What is WiFi 6, WiFi 6E and WiFi 7?
Definition
WiFi 6, WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 are successive generations of the 802.11 standard. WiFi 6 (802.11ax) added OFDMA and BSS colouring for dense spaces. WiFi 6E extended WiFi 6 into the 6 GHz band. WiFi 7 (802.11be) doubles channel width to 320 MHz and adds Multi-Link Operation.
WiFi 6, WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 explained
WiFi 6 was designed for crowded spaces rather than headline speed. OFDMA splits each channel into smaller resource units so many devices share one transmission, uplink and downlink MU-MIMO serve several devices at once, and BSS colouring helps neighbouring access points ignore each other’s traffic. Together they cut contention in venues with hundreds of devices.
WiFi 6E kept the same technology and added spectrum. The 6 GHz band offers far more clean channels than 5 GHz, with no legacy devices on it, which is valuable where 5 GHz is congested. Only 6E-capable devices can use it, so it adds capacity without replacing the older bands.
WiFi 7 builds on 6 GHz with 320 MHz channels, 4K-QAM modulation, Multi-RU and Multi-Link Operation, which lets a device use more than one band at once for speed or resilience. The upgrade decision depends on timing and devices: many organisations weighing 6E against 7 are planning a refresh around vendor end-of-sale dates, and gains only arrive as visitors’ devices support the new generation.
Guides on WiFi 6, WiFi 6E and WiFi 7
- Technical guideWiFi 6E vs WiFi 7: should you skip 6E and go straight to 7?
- Technical guideOFDMA explained: how WiFi 6 handles dense environments
- Technical guidePlanning a WiFi 6 to WiFi 7 access point refresh
Where it fits
Related terms
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