Wi-Fi 5、6、7 ，有什么区别？Wi-Fi 5, 6, and 7, what are the differences?

由于大众价位的Wi-Fi 7兼容路由器的出现、Copilot+ PC等Wi-Fi 7兼容PC的出现以及对Windows 11的官方支持，Wi-Fi 7的普及正在加速。在本文中，我们将仔细研究 Wi-Fi 5、Wi-Fi 6 和 Wi-Fi 7 之间的差异。我们不仅会解释标准上的差异，还会解释为什么会出现速度差异以及实际情况下速度变化有多大。

Wi-Fi 5/6/7 有什么区别？

一类是Wi-Fi 5兼容产品，该产品从2013年左右开始销售，目前主要用于入门级车型。另一种是Wi-Fi 6兼容产品，从2018年左右到现在，已经广泛应用于各种价格区间的产品中。这是今年（2024年）年初以来陆续出现的最新Wi-Fi 7兼容产品。

符号“Wi-Fi ”是由 Wi-Fi 联盟制定的认证名称，Wi-Fi 联盟是一个为提高 Wi-Fi 产品的兼容性和传播而成立的行业组织，官方标准名称： Wi-Fi 5为802.11ac”，Wi-Fi 6 为“IEEE 802.11ax”，Wi-Fi 7 为“IEEE 802.11be”，区别如下（顺便说一句，Wi-Fi 8 和预定的下一代标准成为 IEEE 802.11 bn）。

The adoption of Wi-Fi 7 is accelerating thanks to the availability of affordable Wi-Fi 7-compatible routers, Wi-Fi 7-compatible PCs like Copilot+ PC, and official support for Windows 11. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the differences between Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, and Wi-Fi 7. Not only will we explain the differences in standards, but also why the speed differences occur and how much they vary in real-world situations.

What's the difference between Wi-Fi 5/6/7?

Wi-Fi products are currently divided into three major categories:
One is Wi-Fi 5-compatible products, which have been on sale since around 2013 and are currently used mainly in entry-level models. The other is Wi-Fi 6-compatible products, which have been widely used in products of various price ranges since around 2018 until now. Here are the latest Wi-Fi 7-compatible products that have appeared since the beginning of this year (2024).
The symbol "Wi-Fi" is a certification name established by the Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry organization established to improve the compatibility and dissemination of Wi-Fi products. The official standard names are: Wi-Fi 5 is "802.11ac", Wi-Fi 6 is "IEEE 802.11ax", and Wi-Fi 7 is "IEEE 802.11be", with the following differences (by the way, Wi-Fi 8 and the scheduled next-generation standard become IEEE 802.11 bn).

There are three main differences in the standards: frequency band, speed, and features.
Wi-Fi 5 is a standard that can only be used in the 5GHz band. Since it is inconvenient to use only 5GHz, actual products often use a combination of the previous generation IEEE 802.11n for 2.4GHz. According to the standard, the maximum speed is 3.5Gbps, but at the product level it is generally 1,300Mbps (3 streams, 80MHz) or 1,733Mbps (4 streams, 80MHz width compatible).
Wi-Fi 6 is available in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and an enhanced Wi-Fi 6E for the 6GHz band will be added later. The maximum speed in the standard is 9.6Gbps, but at the product level it is generally 2,402Mbps (2 streams, 160MHz compatible) or 4,804Mbps (4 streams, 160MHz wide compatible). Its feature is the addition of functions that support multiple clients to communicate simultaneously, such as OFDMA and MU-MIMO.
The latest version, Wi-Fi 7, supports all 2.4/5/6GHz bands, with a maximum speed of 46Gbps. At the product level, it can exceed 10Gbps at 11,529Mbps (4 streams, compatible with 320MHz width), but since 320MHz width is currently only available in the 6GHz band, the maximum speed when using the 5GHz band is 5,764Mbps.
Wi-Fi 7 has a wealth of new features, including MLO (Multi-Link Operation) that communicates by combining individual bands in the 2.4/5/6GHz bands, and Multi-RU that can handle multiple simultaneous connections more efficiently. .
Please refer to the table below to find out which frequency to use. There are differences in available bandwidth, such as the 320MHz mentioned above, but there are also differences in whether it can be used outdoors.

Wi-Fi 速度由调制方法、使用的频率带宽以及可同时通信的流数量的组合决定。

一个常见的例子是通过卡车运输货物，如下图所示

 Wi-Fi speed is determined by a combination of the modulation method, the frequency bandwidth used, and the number of streams that can communicate simultaneously.
A common example is the transport of goods by truck, as shown in the following figure

简而言之，可以装载的货物越高（调制方式），装载平台（频段）越宽，可以承载的货物（数据）越多，卡车数量越多（流越多），货物就越多可以携带。=您将能够进行高速通信。

此外，整合货物的能力（OFDMA和Multi-RU）使其能够抵抗同时连接的环境，而且它的特点还在于在使用多条道路时能够无延迟地交付货物（MLO）”将在后面讨论）。

顺便说一句，使用 Wi-Fi 时的问题之一是可能有些地方没有信号。

因此，您可能会认为自己想要无线电波尽可能强的产品，但Wi-Fi产品的无线电波输出（功率）上限是由法律规定的，因此无论标准还是产品，无线电波的强度没有太大差异。

提供给天线的功率（天线功率）和天线实际输出的某一方向的无线电波功率（EIRP）取决于所使用的频率带宽和使用场景（室外、室内等） ，但是基础知识是很容易理解的，如下表所示。

 In short, the higher the cargo that can be loaded (modulation method), the wider the loading platform (frequency band), the more cargo that can be carried (data), the more trucks there are (the more streams), the more cargo that can be carried. = You will be able to communicate at high speed.
In addition, the ability to consolidate cargo (OFDMA and Multi-RU) makes it resistant to environments with simultaneous connections, and it is also characterized by the ability to deliver cargo without delay when using multiple roads (MLO) "will be discussed later).
By the way, one of the problems when using Wi-Fi is that there may be places where there is no signal.
Therefore, you may think that you want a product with as strong radio waves as possible, but the upper limit of radio wave output (power) of Wi-Fi products is stipulated by law, so there is not much difference in the strength of radio waves regardless of standards or products.
The power supplied to the antenna (antenna power) and the radio wave power in a certain direction (EIRP) actually output by the antenna depend on the frequency bandwidth used and the usage scenario (outdoor, indoor, etc.), but the basics are easy to understand, as shown in the table below.

使用上面的卡车图作为类比，您可以将这个输出限制视为移动卡车的燃料（我想过将其与发动机马力等进行比较，但最终它改变了行驶的距离，因此最好考虑为这个输出限制作为移动卡车的燃料。）这个想法更有意义）。

换句话说，无论货床窄还是宽，可以使用的燃料量（可以提供给天线的功率）是相同的，因此一辆具有80MHz宽度通信系统的小卡车可以运载货物超过一个距离。距离远，但具有320MHz宽度通信系统的卡车可以远距离运输货物，如果卡车装载的燃料较多，则可以到达的距离会更短。

Using the truck diagram above as an analogy, you can think of this output limit as the fuel to move the truck (I thought about comparing it to engine horsepower etc, but ultimately it changes the distance traveled so it's better to think of this output limit as the fuel to move the truck. This idea makes more sense).
In other words, the amount of fuel that can be used (the power that can be supplied to the antenna) is the same whether the cargo bed is narrow or wide, so a small truck with an 80MHz wide communication system can carry cargo over a long distance, but a truck with a 320MHz wide communication system can carry cargo over a long distance, and if the truck is loaded with more fuel, the distance it can reach will be shorter.

 Reference Links：

https://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/topic/feature/1639700.html