RF802.11n vs 802.11ax: Key Differences Explained
wlan
802.11ax
802.11n
wi-fi
wireless technology
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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
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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).
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Developed to address limitations of 802.11ac, such as contention-based uplink access.
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802.11ax offers improved efficiency, network capacity, performance, and user experience with reduced latency.
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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.
| Specifications | 802.11n | 802.11ax |
|---|---|---|
| Channel Size (MHz) | 20, 40 | 20, 40, 80, 80+80, 160 |
| Subcarrier Spacing (KHz) | 312.5 | 78.125 |
| Symbol time (µs) | 3.2 | 12.8 |
| Modulation | BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM | BPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, 1024QAM |
| MU-MIMO | Not available | Implemented in the Downlink and Uplink |
| OFDMA | Not available | Implemented in the Downlink and Uplink |
| Data rates | 600 Mbps | 10 Gbps (using 160MHz BW, MCS11, 8x SS) |
