Terminology » WLAN » 802.11n vs 802.11ax: Key Differences Explained

802.11n vs 802.11ax: Key Differences Explained

wlan 802.11ax 802.11n wi-fi wireless technology

This page compares WLAN 802.11n and 802.11ax, highlighting the key differences between them.

WLAN 802.11n

  • 802.11n is a standard within the 802.11 family designed to deliver high data rates, expanding upon the capabilities of 802.11a/b/g standards.
  • It’s often referred to as the HT (High Throughput) specification.
  • Frequency Range: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
  • Backward Compatibility: Supports legacy fallbacks to 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g systems.
  • Modulation Scheme: OFDM and DSSS/CCK
  • Data Modulation: Supports BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, and 64 QAM.
  • Channel Bandwidth: 20MHz and 40MHz
  • OFDM Data Subcarriers/Pilots: 48/4, 108/6
  • OFDM Coding Rate: 5/6
  • Short Guard Interval: 400 ns
  • Spatial Streams: 4
  • Max. Data Rate: 600 Mbps with 40 MHz bandwidth and 4 streams.
  • Distance Covered (approx.): 70m (indoor), 250m (outdoor)
  • MIMO Configuration: Most devices use 2T3R (2 antennas in transmit and 3 antennas in receive), with maximum configurations going up to 4T4R.
  • Supports various types of explicit beamforming.
  • Supports single-user transmission.
  • PHY Layer Frame (in HT mixed mode) consists of: L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, HT-STF, HT-LTFs, and Data.

WLAN 802.11ax

  • IEEE 802.11ax technology represents the 6th generation of WiFi, often known as Wi-Fi 6. Due to its high efficiency, it’s also referred to as HEW (High Efficiency WLAN).

  • Developed to address limitations of 802.11ac, such as contention-based uplink access.

  • 802.11ax offers improved efficiency, network capacity, performance, and user experience with reduced latency.

  • Key Features:

    • Higher modulation scheme like 1024-QAM.
    • More OFDM subcarriers in a symbol, or a longer OFDM symbol.
    • Multiplexing users with MU-MIMO in both uplink and downlink.
    • Beamforming and OFDMA techniques.
    • 8 simultaneous MU-MIMO streams.
    • Uplink scheduling without contention.
    • BSS color codes.
    • Use of both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

Difference between 802.11n and 802.11ax

The following table highlights the key differences between 802.11n and 802.11ax.

Specifications802.11n802.11ax
Channel Size (MHz)20, 4020, 40, 80, 80+80, 160
Subcarrier Spacing (KHz)312.578.125
Symbol time (µs)3.212.8
ModulationBPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAMBPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, 1024QAM
MU-MIMONot availableImplemented in the Downlink and Uplink
OFDMANot availableImplemented in the Downlink and Uplink
Data rates600 Mbps10 Gbps (using 160MHz BW, MCS11, 8x SS)