The IEEE 802.11ac standard is an evolution of the 802.11n standard, designed to provide faster wireless communication speeds. Here’s an overview of 802.11ac:

IEEE 802.11ac:

  • Release Date: The standard was officially ratified in January 2014.
  • Frequency Band: Operates exclusively in the 5 GHz frequency band, which is generally less crowded than the 2.4 GHz band, allowing for better performance in many scenarios.
  • Modulation: Uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for data transmission, similar to 802.11n, but with enhancements.
  • MIMO: Builds upon the Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) technology of 802.11n. 802.11ac introduced Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO), allowing a router to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously, reducing wait times and accelerating network speeds.
  • Maximum Data Rate: Offers data rates up to 1.3 Gbps under optimal conditions with three spatial streams and 80 MHz channels. With wider 160 MHz channels and more spatial streams, data rates can exceed 3 Gbps.
  • Channel Width: Supports 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and even 160 MHz channels, which enables higher throughput.
  • Wave 1 vs. Wave 2: The development of 802.11ac took place in two waves. Wave 1 supported speeds up to 1.3 Gbps and Wave 2 devices, which came later, supported speeds up to 2.34 Gbps, introduced MU-MIMO, and provided the option for 160 MHz channel bandwidths.
  • Beamforming: Beamforming became a standardized feature with 802.11ac. It allows the router to focus its signals towards specific devices rather than broadcasting in every direction. This improves the signal strength and reliability of the connection.
  • Backward Compatibility: Designed to be backward compatible with 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n when those devices operate in the 5 GHz frequency.

802.11ac was a significant leap forward from 802.11n in terms of maximum achievable data rates. This improvement was a result of utilizing wider channels, more MIMO spatial streams, and other technical enhancements. It quickly became the standard for many home and business Wi-Fi networks because of its increased performance and reliability.