Standards & SpectrumL2

Master Comparison

Table21 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
PHY designation	S1G	OFDM (Japan)	FHSS / IR / DSSS (legacy)	HR-DSSS	OFDM	ERP-OFDM	HT	VHT	HE	EHT	UHR (draft)
Wi-Fi generation	Wi‑Fi HaLow		Pre-Wi-Fi Alliance	Wi-Fi 1 (retroactive, Wi-Fi Alliance 2018)	Wi-Fi 2 (retroactive, Wi-Fi Alliance 2018)	Wi-Fi 3 (retroactive, Wi-Fi Alliance 2018)	Wi‑Fi 4	Wi‑Fi 5	Wi‑Fi 6 / 6E	Wi‑Fi 7	Wi‑Fi 8 (draft)
Bands	Sub-1 GHz	4.9/5.0 GHz	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz	5 GHz	2.4 GHz	2.4/5 GHz	5 GHz	2.4/5/6 GHz	2.4/5/6 GHz	2.4/5/6 GHz
Frequency range (MHz)	Approx 750-950 depending region; common 863-868 / 902-928	4900-5000 Japan-specific	2400-2483.5	2400-2483.5	5150-5825 typical domain dependent	2400-2483.5	2400-2483.5 and 5 GHz	5150-5850 MHz (5 GHz only; domain-dependent upper edge)	2400-2483.5 / 5150-5850 / 5925-7125 (6E), domain dependent	2400-2483.5 / 5 GHz / 5925-7125 domain dependent	2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz target; draft
Supported channel widths (MHz)	1, 2, 4, 8, 16	10, 20	20	20	20	20	20, 40	20, 40, 80, 160, 80+80	20, 40, 80, 160, 80+80	20, 40, 80, 160, 320	TBD likely 20-320+
Modulation scheme	OFDM	OFDM	FHSS / DSSS / IR	DSSS / CCK	OFDM	OFDM + DSSS/CCK protection	OFDM	OFDM	OFDM / OFDMA	OFDM / OFDMA / Multi-RU	UHR evolution of OFDMA/MLO
Digital modulation	BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, optional 256-QAM for some modes	BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM	DBPSK, DQPSK	DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK	BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM	DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK, BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM	0-31 (HT flat index); MCS 0-7 per NSS	BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM	BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM, 1024-QAM	BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM, 1024-QAM, 4096-QAM	TBD; expected evolution of HE/EHT constellations
MCS range	0-10	N/A (legacy OFDM rates)	N/A (DSSS/FHSS)	N/A (DSSS/CCK rates)	N/A (legacy OFDM rates)	N/A (legacy OFDM rates)	0-31	0-9	0-11	0-13	Draft
Coding rates	1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6	1/2, 2/3, 3/4	1/2	1/2, variable CCK coding	1/2, 2/3, 3/4	1/2, 2/3, 3/4	1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6	1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6	1/2, 3/4, 5/6	1/2, 3/4, 5/6	Draft
Guard intervals (us)	2, 4, 8 typical profiles	0.8			0.8	0.8	0.8, 0.4	0.8, 0.4	3.2, 1.6, 0.8	3.2, 1.6, 0.8	Draft
Spatial streams	1-4 spatial streams (implementations usually 1)	1x1	1x1	1x1	1x1	1x1	1-4 spatial streams	1-8 spatial streams	1-8 spatial streams	Up to 8 spatial streams (early drafts explored 16; final 802.11be-2024 kept 8)	Draft
MIMO configurations	Mostly SISO; MIMO uncommon	SISO	SISO	SISO	SISO	SISO	1x1 to 4x4	1x1 to 8x8	1x1 to 8x8	1x1 to 8x8	Draft
SU-MIMO	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
MU-MIMO DL / UL	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	Yes / No	Yes / Yes	Yes / Yes	Expected / Expected
OFDMA DL / UL	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	No / No	Yes / Yes	Yes / Yes	Expected / Expected
MLO	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Expected
Target Wake Time	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Expected
Mandatory/basic rates	Region-specific operating classes	6,12,24 Mbps for 20 MHz profile	1, 2 Mbps	1, 2 Mbps mandatory; 5.5, 11 supported	6, 12, 24 Mbps mandatory	1,2,5.5,11 plus OFDM basic rates per configuration	Legacy rates plus HT mixed mode	VHT in 5 GHz only	HE basic rate policy uses OFDM/HE; 6 GHz removes legacy rates	6 GHz no legacy basic rates; MLO discovery critical	TBD
Max bandwidth per channel (MHz)	16	20	20	20	20	20	40	160	160	320	TBD
Max theoretical PHY rate	~347 Mbps theoretical max	54 Mbps	2 Mbps	11 Mbps	54 Mbps	54 Mbps	600 Mbps	6.93 Gbps	9.6 Gbps	~23 Gbps (8SS)	Not finalized
Max PHY rate per single stream	Varies strongly by bandwidth and GI	54 Mbps	2 Mbps	11 Mbps	54 Mbps	54 Mbps	150 Mbps at 40 MHz SGI	866.7 Mbps at 160 MHz SGI	1.2 Gbps at 160 MHz MCS11	~2.88 Gbps at 320 MHz MCS13	Not finalized

── PHY / Signal Parameters ──8 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
OFDM subcarrier spacing (kHz)	31.25	312.5	N/A (DSSS/FHSS)	N/A (DSSS)	312.5	312.5	312.5	312.5	78.125	78.125	TBD
FFT size (per channel BW)	32/64/128/256/512 (1-16 MHz)	64 (20 MHz)	N/A	N/A	64 (20 MHz)	64 (20 MHz)	64 / 128 (20/40 MHz)	64/128/256/512 (20-160 MHz)	256/512/1024/2048 (20-160 MHz)	256/512/1024/2048/4096 (20-320 MHz)	TBD
OFDM symbol duration (µs)	40 µs (8 µs GI) / 36 µs (4 µs GI)	4.0 µs (0.8 µs GI)	N/A	N/A	4.0 µs (0.8 µs GI)	4.0 µs (0.8 µs GI)	4.0 µs (0.8) / 3.6 µs (0.4 SGI)	4.0 µs (0.8) / 3.6 µs (0.4 SGI)	16.0 / 14.4 / 13.6 µs (3.2/1.6/0.8 GI)	16.0 / 14.4 / 13.6 µs (3.2/1.6/0.8 GI)	TBD
Data / Pilot / Null subcarriers (20 MHz)	Scales with BW; 1 MHz = 24D+2P+6N	48D / 4P / 12N	N/A	N/A	48D / 4P / 12N	48D / 4P / 12N	52D / 4P / 8N (20 MHz)	52D / 4P / 8N (20 MHz)	234D / 8P / 13N (20 MHz)	234D / 8P / 13N (20 MHz)	TBD
LDPC support	Yes (mandatory for MCS 10)	No	No	No	No	No	Optional	Optional (mandatory some MCS)	Optional (mandatory high MCS/BW)	Mandatory	Expected Mandatory
Forward error correction (FEC)	BCC + LDPC (MCS 10)	BCC only	N/A	N/A	BCC only	BCC only	BCC (default) + optional LDPC	BCC (default) + optional LDPC	BCC + LDPC	BCC + LDPC (LDPC mandatory for 4096-QAM)	TBD
Preamble types	S1G-Short / S1G-Long / S1G-1M	Legacy OFDM	Short/Long PLCP (DSSS/FHSS)	Short/Long PLCP (HR-DSSS)	Legacy OFDM	Legacy / ERP-OFDM / ERP-DSSS/CCK	Legacy / HT-Mixed / HT-Greenfield	Legacy / VHT	Legacy / HE-SU / HE-MU / HE-ER / HE-TB	EHT-SU / EHT-MU / EHT-TB (+ legacy)	UHR (draft)
EVM requirement at highest MCS (dB)	≤ -38 dB (256-QAM)	≤ -25 dB (64-QAM)	N/A	N/A (CCK ~-25 dB)	≤ -25 dB (64-QAM)	≤ -25 dB (64-QAM)	≤ -28 dB (64-QAM)	≤ -32 dB (256-QAM MCS 9)	≤ -35 dBr (1024-QAM MCS 11, IEEE 802.11ax Table 27-80)	≤ -38 dBr (4096-QAM MCS 12/13, IEEE 802.11be)	TBD

── Link Budget / Regulatory ──4 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
IEEE ratification year	2016	2004	1997	1999	1999	2003	2009	2013	2021	2024	Draft (~2028 est.)
Max TX power (dBm, US FCC EIRP)	30 dBm (902-928 MHz ISM)	23 dBm (Japan 4.9 GHz)	30 dBm (2.4 GHz ISM)	30 dBm (2.4 GHz ISM)	23 dBm (5 GHz UNII-1/2)	30 dBm (2.4 GHz ISM)	30 dBm (2.4 GHz) / 23 dBm (5 GHz)	23 dBm (5 GHz UNII)	30 / 23 / 23 dBm (2.4/5/6 GHz)	Same as ax per band	TBD
Typical RX sensitivity (dBm, MCS 0/lowest)	≈ -95 dBm (MCS 0, 1 MHz BW)	≈ -82 dBm (6 Mbps)	≈ -80 dBm (1 Mbps DSSS)	≈ -76 dBm (11 Mbps CCK)	≈ -82 dBm (6 Mbps)	≈ -82 dBm (6 Mbps)	≈ -82 dBm (MCS 0, 20 MHz)	≈ -82 dBm (MCS 0, 20 MHz)	≈ -82 dBm (MCS 0, 20 MHz HE); ~5 dB improvement vs ac at same MCS	Similar to ax at low MCS	TBD
Typical indoor range (m)	100-1000 m (sub-GHz; up to 1 km outdoor)	≈ 50 m indoor	≈ 20 m	≈ 35 m	≈ 35 m (5 GHz, less penetration)	≈ 38 m	≈ 70 m (2.4 GHz)	≈ 35 m (5 GHz)	≈ 60 m (2.4 GHz) / 35 m (5 GHz) / 20 m (6 GHz)	≈ 35 m (5 GHz) / 20 m (6 GHz)	TBD

── Protocol / Features ──6 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
BSS Color (spatial reuse)	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Expected Yes
HARQ (Hybrid ARQ)	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No (studied, deferred)	Under study for 11bn
Preamble puncturing	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Expected Yes
Duplexing mode	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)	TDD (half-duplex)
Power save mechanism	TWT, S1G DTIM, PS-Poll	Legacy PS-Poll	Legacy PS-Poll	Legacy PS-Poll	Legacy PS-Poll	Legacy PS-Poll	U-APSD / S-APSD	APSD, VHT TXOP PS	TWT (individual & broadcast), BSR	Enhanced TWT, restricted TWT	TBD / further enhanced
Minimum security standard	WPA2 / WPA3	WPA / WPA2	WEP (legacy only)	WEP (legacy only)	WEP / WPA	WPA / WPA2	WPA2	WPA2	WPA3 mandatory	WPA3 mandatory	WPA3+ expected

── Deployment / Compatibility ──1 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Backward compatibility	No (isolated sub-GHz ecosystem)	802.11a (5 GHz OFDM)	Legacy 802.11 (FHSS/DSSS)	802.11 (DSSS)	No (new 5 GHz band at launch)	802.11b (2.4 GHz)	802.11a/b/g	802.11a/n (5 GHz only)	802.11a/b/g/n/ac	802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax	Expected: all prior + 802.11be

── QoS / MAC / Aggregation ──7 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
WMM / 802.11e QoS	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes (mandatory Wi-Fi 4+)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
WMM access categories	VO/VI/BE/BK (when WMM enabled)	No	No	No	No	No	VO / VI / BE / BK	VO / VI / BE / BK	VO / VI / BE / BK	VO / VI / BE / BK	VO / VI / BE / BK
Max AMPDU size (bytes)	4 MB (S1G)	No AMPDU	No AMPDU	No AMPDU	No AMPDU	No AMPDU	65,535	1,048,575	6,500,631 (HE)	15,728,640 (EHT)	TBD
Max AMPDU subframes	64	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	64	64	256	256 (EHT may increase)	TBD
Max AMSDU size (bytes)	3839 / 7935	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	3839 / 7935	3839 / 7935	3839 / 7935 / 11454 (HE)	11454	TBD
Block ACK support	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes (compressed Block ACK)	Yes	Yes (multi-TID)	Yes (multi-TID enhanced)	Yes
RTS/CTS / CTS-to-Self	Yes (S1G RTS/CTS)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (CTS-to-self for protection)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

── Beamforming & Antenna ──5 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Transmit beamforming (TxBF)	Optional (limited impl.)	No	No	No	No	No	Optional (implicit)	Yes (explicit SU-BF)	Yes (SU + MU)	Yes (SU + MU enhanced)	Yes
Explicit vs implicit BF	Explicit preferred	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Both (implicit common)	Explicit only	Explicit only	Explicit only	Explicit
Max beamformee streams	4	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4	8	8	16 (theoretical)	TBD
NDP / sounding mechanism	NDP (S1G NDP)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	NDP (compressed feedback)	VHT NDP	HE NDP	EHT NDP	TBD
Typical TxBF gain (dB)	2-4 dB	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	2-3 dB	3-5 dB	3-6 dB	3-6 dB	TBD

── Roaming & Mobility ──5 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
802.11r Fast BSS Transition	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes (optional)	Yes (optional)	Yes (optional)	Yes	Yes
802.11k RRM / Neighbor reports	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes (optional)	Yes (optional)	Yes (optional)	Yes	Yes
802.11v BSS Transition Mgmt	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes (optional)	Yes (optional)	Yes	Yes
OKC (Opportunistic Key Cache)	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Typical roam trigger RSSI	-80 to -85 dBm (sub-GHz)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	-70 to -75 dBm	-70 to -75 dBm	-67 to -72 dBm	-65 to -70 dBm	TBD

── Coexistence & Interference ──5 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
CCA energy detect threshold (dBm)	-96 dBm (1 MHz)	-62 dBm	-80 dBm	-76 dBm	-62 dBm	-62 dBm	-62 dBm (20 MHz)	-62 dBm	-62 dBm (ED unchanged); OBSS-PD adaptive -82…-62	-82 dBm	TBD
OBSS/PD threshold (dBm)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	-82 to -62 dBm (adaptive, BSS Color)	-82 to -62 dBm	TBD
2.4 GHz channel overlap (ch 1/6/11)	N/A (sub-1 GHz)	N/A	3 non-overlapping (1/6/11 US)	3 non-overlapping	N/A	3 non-overlapping (1/6/11)	3 non-overlapping (20 MHz) / 1 (40 MHz)	N/A	3 non-overlapping (20 MHz)	N/A	N/A
BT/Wi-Fi coexistence mechanism	Minimal overlap (sub-GHz)	N/A	PTA (Packet Traffic Arbitration)	PTA	N/A	PTA	PTA / MWS (802.11n+)	PTA / MWS	PTA / MWS / TWT-assisted	PTA / MWS	TBD
DFS requirement	No (sub-1 GHz)	Yes (4.9/5.0 GHz Japan)	No	No	Yes (5250-5850 MHz)	No	Yes (5 GHz DFS channels)	Yes (5 GHz DFS channels)	Yes (5 GHz DFS; 6 GHz AFC/LPI)	Yes	TBD

── Link Budget Parameters ──5 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Typical AP noise figure (dB)	5-8 dB	7-9 dB	8-10 dB	8-10 dB	7-9 dB	7-9 dB	5-7 dB	5-7 dB	4-6 dB	4-6 dB	TBD
Typical client noise figure (dB)	8-12 dB	9-12 dB	10-12 dB	10-12 dB	9-12 dB	9-12 dB	7-10 dB	7-10 dB	6-9 dB	6-9 dB	TBD
Min SNR required at highest MCS (dB)	~28 dB (256-QAM 3/4)	~25 dB (64-QAM 3/4)	N/A	N/A	~25 dB	~25 dB	~30 dB (64-QAM 5/6)	~35 dB (256-QAM 5/6 MCS 9)	~38 dB (1024-QAM MCS 11)	~43 dB (4096-QAM MCS 13)	TBD
Free-space path loss @ 1 m (dB)	~29 dB (900 MHz)	~46 dB (5 GHz)	~40 dB (2.4 GHz)	~40 dB	~46 dB	~40 dB	~40 / ~46 dB	~46 dB	~40 / ~46 / ~48 dB	~46 / ~48 dB	TBD
Typical implementation loss (dB)	1-3 dB	2-3 dB	2-3 dB	2-3 dB	2-3 dB	2-3 dB	2-3 dB	2-3 dB	1.5-2.5 dB	1.5-2.5 dB	TBD

── Frame / MAC Structure ──9 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
PPDU frame formats	S1G-Short / S1G-Long / S1G-1M / NDP	Legacy OFDM only	DSSS-Short / DSSS-Long / FHSS	DSSS-Short / DSSS-Long (HR)	Legacy OFDM (LSIG + DATA)	Legacy / ERP-OFDM / ERP-DSSS	L-SIG / HT-Mixed / HT-Greenfield	L-SIG / VHT-SIG-A / VHT-SIG-B / DATA	L-SIG / RL-SIG / HE-SIG-A / HE-SIG-B / PE / DATA	L-SIG / RL-SIG / U-SIG / EHT-SIG / PE / DATA	UHR - draft (evolving from EHT)
Max TXOP duration - VO (µs)	S1G: 1504	1504	N/A	N/A	1504	1504	1504	1504	1504	1504	TBD
Max TXOP duration - VI (µs)	S1G: 3008	3008	N/A	N/A	3008	3008	3008	3008	3008	3008	TBD
Max TXOP duration - BE/BK (µs)	S1G: 0 (EDCA default)	0	N/A	N/A	0	0	0	0	0	0	TBD
STBC (Space-Time Block Coding)	Yes (Tx diversity)	No	No	No	No	No	Yes (optional, 1-4 streams)	Yes (optional)	Yes (optional)	Yes (optional)	Yes
Greenfield / pure-HT mode	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes (HT-GF - no legacy preamble)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Short preamble (DSSS)	N/A	N/A	No (long preamble only)	Yes (optional)	N/A	N/A (ERP uses OFDM)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Max STAs per BSS (AID space)	8191 (13-bit AID)	2007 (11-bit)	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007 (11-bit AID)	2007	8191 (13-bit AID, HE)	8191	TBD (≥8191)
Uplink trigger frame types	No UL OFDMA	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Basic / BSRP / MU-BAR / BQRP / NDP-FB / MU-RTS / CTS-to-Self	Basic / BSRP / MU-BAR / EHT-MU-RTS / Cascading TF	TBD

── Timing Parameters ──7 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Slot time (µs)	52 µs (S1G)	9 µs	20 µs	20 µs	9 µs	9 µs (ERP) / 20 µs (legacy)	9 µs	9 µs	9 µs	9 µs	9 µs
SIFS duration (µs)	160 µs (S1G)	16 µs	10 µs	10 µs	16 µs	16 µs	16 µs	16 µs	16 µs	16 µs	16 µs
DIFS duration (µs)	364 µs	28 µs	50 µs	50 µs	28 µs	28 µs	28 µs	28 µs	28 µs	28 µs	28 µs
AIFS[VO] / AIFS[VI] / AIFS[BE] / AIFS[BK] (slots)	2/2/3/7 (WMM default)	2/2/3/7	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	2/2/3/7	2/2/3/7	2/2/3/7	2/2/3/7	2/2/3/7
CWmin / CWmax per AC (VO/VI/BE/BK)	3,7 / 7,15 / 15,1023 / 15,1023	3,7/7,15/15,1023/15,1023	31,1023 (single)	31,1023	15,1023	15,1023	3,7/7,15/15,1023/15,1023	3,7/7,15/15,1023/15,1023	3,7/7,15/15,1023/15,1023	3,7/7,15/15,1023/15,1023	TBD
ACK timeout (µs)	~320 µs (S1G)	~25 µs	~25 µs	~25 µs	~25 µs	~25 µs	~25 µs	~25 µs	~25 µs	~25 µs	~25 µs
Beacon interval (TU, typical)	100-1000 TU (IoT can use 1000)	100 TU	100 TU	100 TU	100 TU	100 TU	100 TU	100 TU	100 TU	100 TU	100 TU

── OFDMA Resource Unit (RU) Structure ──5 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
RU sizes available (tones)	N/A (S1G uses fixed BW)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	26 / 52 / 106 / 242 / 484 / 996 / 2×996	26 / 52 / 106 / 242 / 484 / 996 / 2×996 / 4×996 (320 MHz)	TBD (expanding EHT)
Min RU data subcarriers (26-tone)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	24 data tones (26-tone RU)	24 data tones	TBD
Max STAs scheduled per MU PPDU	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 (DL MU-MIMO only)	37 (DL OFDMA 26-tone RUs in 80 MHz)	Up to 36 per link (per band)	TBD
HE-SIG-B / EHT-SIG overhead (µs)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4-40 µs depending on MU users (HE-SIG-B symbols × 4 µs per symbol)	Variable (EHT-SIG compressed format reduces overhead vs HE-SIG-B)	TBD
Trigger-based UL OFDMA flow	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	AP sends TF → STAs respond simultaneously in assigned RUs (HE TB PPDU) → AP sends Multi-STA BA	Same + cascading TF support (chain of UL rounds without re-contention)	TBD

── Expert PHY - Corner Cases ──7 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Adjacent channel rejection (dBc)	~40 dBc	~37 dBc	~35 dBc	~35 dBc	~37 dBc	~37 dBc	~40 dBc	~40 dBc	~45 dBc (improved by narrower subcarriers)	~45 dBc	TBD
Phase noise requirement (dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz offset)	< -115 dBc/Hz (256-QAM)	< -110 dBc/Hz	< -100 dBc/Hz	< -100 dBc/Hz	< -110 dBc/Hz	< -110 dBc/Hz	< -112 dBc/Hz	< -115 dBc/Hz (256-QAM)	< -118 dBc/Hz (1024-QAM)	< -120 dBc/Hz (4096-QAM)	TBD
IQ imbalance & DC offset (dB)	< -30 dB imbalance	< -30 dB	< -25 dB	< -25 dB	< -30 dB	< -30 dB	< -35 dB	< -40 dB (wider BW = harder)	< -40 dB	< -45 dB (320 MHz)	TBD
Cyclic Shift Diversity (CSD)	Yes (per stream, S1G)	No	No	No	No	No	Yes (mandatory: -200/-100 ns for 2/3-4 streams)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Spectral mask compliance (dBr)	-20/-28/-40 dBr (1/2.5/5 MHz from edge)	-20/-28/-40 dBr	-30/-50 dBr	-30/-50 dBr	-20/-28/-40 dBr	-20/-28/-40 dBr	-20/-28/-40/-45 dBr	-20/-28/-40/-45 dBr	-20/-28/-40/-45 dBr (tighter at 6 GHz)	Similar to ax (to be confirmed)	TBD
Doppler spread tolerance (Hz)	~31 Hz (sub-1 GHz, good Doppler)	~312 Hz	~312 Hz	N/A (DSSS robust)	~312 Hz	~312 Hz	~312 Hz	~312 Hz	~78 Hz (4× narrower subcarrier = 4× more Doppler sensitive)	~78 Hz	TBD
Min required SNR at MCS 0 (dB)	~2 dB (BPSK 1/2)	~5 dB	~5 dB (BPSK)	~5 dB (DBPSK)	~5 dB	~5 dB	~5 dB	~5 dB	~5 dB	~5 dB	TBD

── Expert MAC - Advanced Features ──8 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Coordinated Multi-AP (802.11be)	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes - C-OFDMA (coordinated UL/DL) + C-SR (coordinated spatial reuse) + C-TDMA	Draft
EMLSR / EMLMR (MLO modes)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	EMLSR = Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (switches active link fast); EMLMR = Multi-Radio simultaneous TX+RX	Draft
STR vs NSTR MLO	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	STR (Simultaneous TX+RX, e.g. 2.4+6 GHz far apart) vs NSTR (e.g. 5+6 GHz close - self-interference risk)	Draft
6 GHz discovery mechanism	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) in 2.4/5 GHz beacons + FILS Discovery frames + Unsolicited Probe Response	Same + enhanced RNR for multi-link	TBD
TWT modes (announced / unannounced / broadcast)	Announced only (S1G)	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Individual TWT (announced + unannounced) + Broadcast TWT (shared schedule for many STAs)	Enhanced TWT + Restricted TWT (latency-guaranteed sessions for deterministic apps)	TBD
Protected Management Frames detail	No	No	No	No	No	No	Optional (802.11w)	Optional	Optional → Mandatory (WPA3)	Mandatory	Mandatory
Operating class (global, 802.11 Annex E)	Global class 68 (902 MHz) / 69 (863 MHz)	Class 59 (4.9 GHz Japan)	Class 81 (2.4 GHz 20 MHz)	Class 81	Class 115/118/121	Class 83/84	Class 83/84/115/116/117/118	Class 128/129/130	Class 131/132/133/134/135 (2.4/5/6 GHz)	Class 136 (320 MHz 6 GHz)	TBD
BSS Color collision / change procedure	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	STA detects color collision → reports to AP → AP broadcasts Color Change Announcement (CCA) in beacon/action frame → switches color after N beacons	Same	TBD

── Expert Antenna & RF Design ──4 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Antenna polarisation (typical)	Vertical (omnidirectional)	Dual (H+V)	Dual (H+V)	Dual (H+V)	Dual (H+V)	Dual (H+V)	Dual or cross-pol (+45°/-45°)	Dual or cross-pol	Dual or cross-pol	Dual or cross-pol	TBD
Antenna port correlation (ρ) target	< 0.5 (SISO typical)	< 0.5	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	< 0.5 for MIMO gain	< 0.3 (high-order MIMO)	< 0.3	< 0.2 (target for 16-stream)	TBD
Typical cable / connector loss (dB)	0.5-1.5 dB @ 900 MHz per 10m LMR400	1.5-3 dB @ 5 GHz per 10m LMR400	0.8-2 dB @ 2.4 GHz per 10m	0.8-2 dB	1.5-3 dB @ 5 GHz	0.8-2 dB	1.5-3 dB	1.5-3 dB	1.5-4 dB (6 GHz higher loss)	2-5 dB (6 GHz)	TBD
Multipath delay spread tolerance (µs)	8 µs (guard interval matches room delay)	0.8 µs	No OFDM (DSSS robust)	No OFDM	0.8 µs (typical indoor)	0.8 µs	0.8 µs (LGI) / 0.4 µs (SGI)	0.8 µs (LGI) / 0.4 µs (SGI)	3.2 µs (max GI - outdoor/large venue)	3.2 µs (same as ax)	TBD

── Expert Network & Deployment ──7 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Airtime fairness mechanism	EDCA + TWT scheduling	EDCA	CSMA/CA only	CSMA/CA only	EDCA	EDCA	EDCA + TXOP (no native ATF)	EDCA + TXOP (vendor ATF proprietary)	EDCA + OFDMA + TWT (native fairness)	Enhanced OFDMA + Restricted TWT	TBD
Hidden node mitigation	RTS/CTS	RTS/CTS	RTS/CTS	RTS/CTS	RTS/CTS	RTS/CTS	RTS/CTS + CTS-to-Self	RTS/CTS	RTS/CTS + BSS Color (partial)	RTS/CTS + MU-RTS/CTS	TBD
Near-far problem / power control	TPC mandatory (sub-GHz regional)	TPC	No TPC (DSSS power control basic)	No	TPC (802.11h mandatory for DFS channels)	No	TPC (optional via 802.11h)	TPC (optional)	TPC + BSS Min RSSI + SRP	TPC + Enhanced SRP	TBD
Seamless handover / latency target (ms)	< 200 ms (S1G slow mobility)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	< 100 ms (802.11r)	< 50 ms (802.11r)	< 50 ms (802.11r + 802.11k/v)	< 10 ms target (MLO link switching)	TBD
Co-channel interference (CCI) margin needed (dB)	~20 dB (sub-GHz)	~18 dB	~18 dB	~18 dB	~17 dB	~17 dB	~17 dB	~17 dB	~12 dB (BSS Color reduces effective CCI)	~12 dB (C-SR and preamble puncturing help further)	TBD
Typical max AP density (APs per 1000 m²)	1-2 (long range design)	1-2	1-2	1-2	1-4	1-4	2-6	4-10	8-20 (6 GHz cells smaller but more capacity)	10-25 (6 GHz)	TBD
Typical throughput efficiency (% of PHY rate)	40-55%	40-50%	30-45%	30-45%	45-55%	45-55%	50-60% (A-MPDU helps significantly)	55-65%	60-75% (OFDMA reduces contention overhead)	65-80% (target with MLO + OFDMA)	TBD

── Expert Operations & Test ──5 rows#

Standard	802.11ah	802.11j	802.11	802.11b	802.11a	802.11g	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax	802.11be	802.11bn
Spectrum analyser marker: occupied BW check	99% OBW ≤ 16 MHz	99% OBW ≤ 20 MHz	99% OBW ≤ 20 MHz	99% OBW ≤ 20 MHz	99% OBW ≤ 20 MHz	99% OBW ≤ 20 MHz	99% OBW ≤ 40 MHz	99% OBW ≤ 160 MHz	99% OBW ≤ 160 MHz (or 80+80)	99% OBW ≤ 320 MHz	TBD
Regulatory test modes (FCC/ETSI)	Continuous TX (CW), OFDM burst	CW + OFDM burst	DSSS burst / continuous	DSSS burst	CW + OFDM burst	CW + OFDM burst	CW + HT PPDU burst	CW + VHT PPDU	CW + HE PPDU (SU + trigger-based)	CW + EHT PPDU	TBD
Key Wi-Fi certification tests (Wi-Fi Alliance)	Wi-Fi HaLow cert (IOT + range)	N/A	N/A	N/A	Legacy cert	N/A	Wi-Fi 4 (n) cert - WPA2, WMM, PMF	Wi-Fi 5 (ac) cert - TDLS, Passpoint	Wi-Fi 6/6E cert - WPA3 mandatory, TWT, BSS Color, OFDMA	Wi-Fi 7 cert - MLO, puncturing, 4096-QAM	TBD
Common field debug commands / tools	iw / hostapd_cli (Linux)	iw	iw / iwconfig	iw / iwconfig	iw	iw	iw dev wlan0 station dump / iw dev wlan0 survey dump	iw + VHT IE parsing	iw + HE capabilities parsing; hostapd debug level 2	iw + EHT IE parsing; Wireshark 4.x for MLO frames	TBD
Wireshark / packet capture field	Radiotap header: S1G fields	Radiotap: legacy	Radiotap: legacy	Radiotap: legacy	Radiotap: OFDM	Radiotap: OFDM	Radiotap: MCS field (HT)	Radiotap: VHT field	Radiotap: HE field (he_data1-6, he_mu_data1-6)	Radiotap: EHT field (draft)	TBD