IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol summary
| Protocol | Frequency | Channel Width | MIMO | Maximum data rate (theoretical) |
| 802.11ac wave2 | 5 GHz | 80, 80+80, 160 MHz | Multi User (MU-MIMO) | 1.73 Gbps1 |
| 802.11ac wave1 | 5 GHz | 80 MHz | Single User (SU-MIMO) | 866.7 Mbps1 |
| 802.11n | 2.4 or 5 GHz | 20, 40MHz | Single User (SU-MIMO) | 450 Mbps2 |
| 802.11g | 2.4 GHz | 20 MHz | N/A | 54 Mbps |
| 802.11a | 5 GHz | 20 MHz | N/A | 54 Mbps |
| 802.11b | 2.4 GHz | 20 MHz | N/A | 11 Mbps |
| Legacy 802.11 | 2.4 GHz | 20 MHz | N/A | 2 Mbps |
2 3 Spatial streams with 64-QAM modulation.
- Released in June 2016
- Key New Features for Wi-Fi clients:
- Multi-User MIMO
- 160 MHz channels
| Mode | Maximum rate | Antenna transmit / Receive arrangements |
| 1x1 40 MHz | 200 Mbps | 1 TX (Transmit, Upload) 1 RX (Receive, Download) |
| 2x2 40 MHz | 400 Mbps | 2 TX 2 RX |
| 1x1 80 MHz | 433 Mbps | 1 TX 1 RX |
| 2x2 80 MHz | 866 Mbps | 2 TX 2 RX |
| 1x1 160 MHz | 866 Mbps | 1 TX 1 RX |
| 2x2 160 MHz | 1.73 Gbps | 2 TX 2 RX |
- Released in January 2014
- Data rates varying modulation types and number of spatial streams; 200 Mbps, 400 Mbps, 433 Mbps, 600 Mbps, 867 Mbps. See table below
- 24 non-overlapping unlicensed national information infrastructure (UNII) channels in 5 GHz frequency band
| Mode | Maximum rate | Antenna transmit / Receive arrangements |
| 1x1 40 MHz | 200 Mbps | 1 TX 1 RX |
| 2x2 40 MHz | 400 Mbps | 2 TX 2 RX |
| 1x1 80 MHz | 433 Mbps | 1 TX 1 RX |
| 2x2 80 MHz | 866 Mbps | 2 TX 2 RX |
- Data rates with varying modulation types: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps (see table below)
- Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) using multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) and channel bonding (CB)
- Three non-overlapping channels in industrial, scientific, medical (ISM) frequency band at 2.4 GHz
- 12 non-overlapping unlicensed national information infrastructure (UNII) channels in 5 GHz frequency band with and without CB
| Note | We recommend channel bonding for the 5 GHz because there are a limited number of non-overlapping channels available in the 2.4 GHz band. |
| Mode | Maximum rate | Antenna transmit / Receive arrangements |
| 1x1 20 MHz | 72.2 Mbps | 1 TX 1 RX |
| 1x1 40 Mhz | 150 Mbps | 1 TX 1 RX |
| 2x2 20 MHz | 144.4 Mbps | 2 TX 2 RX |
| 2x2 40 MHz | 300 Mbps | 2 TX 2 RX |
| 3x3 20 MHz | 216.7 Mbps | 3 TX 3 RX |
| 3x3 40 MHz | 450 Mbps | 3 TX 3 RX |