WiFi 5 vs WiFi 6 vs WiFi 7 Comparison: Easy explanation + Table

Obviously, the latest is always going to be the best. However, to get the benefits of the latest WiFi , it isn’t enough to have a laptop with the latest WiFi Card. Your router and your laptop must both support the latest. 

The following are the currently three generations available on both laptops and desktops as of October 2024. Don’t worry about the jargon, I’ll go over what it means for those who want to understand everything. 

Let’s go over the jargon then explain what the actual performance differences are. If you want to avoid the jargon and want to get straight into the performance differences with real world examples, jump to the next section. 

Effiency (OFDMA & Target WakeTime): OFDMA is a more efficient technique to sending/receiving signals which reduces interference and improves speed. Both OFDMA and TWT make sending/receiving signals more efficient as well as reducing energy consumption. They both work together by going to stand by mode when there’s no signal activity.

Latency: This form of latency means the response time between the router and your device. It’s not related to internet speed, bandwidth , etc, but how fast they interact with each other, this doesn’t necessarily give you more speed but improves the experience in applications like gaming (FPS games that depend on latency in a shoot out), Online VR and more importantly STREAMING, the “lag” between the viewer and you might be reduced with the latest WiFi.

Difference between WiFi Generations

1. WiFi 5 (802.11ac)

• Speed: Faster than WiFi 4, especially in environments with a couple of devices. WiFi 5 is enough for gaming, streaming and everyday tasks.
• Range:It’s best suited for short distances. Say every device on the first floor. If you’re going to have devices on lower and upper floors using it. You want to buy a repeater. The 5GHz band used in this generation doesn’t penetrate well through walls so the repeated must be strategically placed as well.
• Capacity: Supports lots of devices but you will experience slower speeds in places where too many devices are connected.

2. WiFi 6 (802.11ax)

• Speed: WiFi 6 offers faster at home and faster speeds in congested networks as well. 
• Range:This operates at a lower frequency ( 2.4 GHz band ) thus it’s much more efficient at delivering signal through walls. 
• Capacity: Way better at handling multiple devices. This is the ideal choice for a house that uses lots of wireless devices (smart homes) or any environment (office building) with multiple devices. 

3. WiFi 7 (802.11be)

• Speed: WiFi 7 offers extremely fast speeds, ideal for bandwidth-intensive applications such as 8K video streaming, VR, and cloud gaming.
• Range: Because it operates at multiple frequency bands, it’s much more efficient with higher distances and penetrating walls.
• Capacity: This new protocol is designed to handle several devices. This would be the most efficient/best option for congested environments like buildings, schools and smart homes.