Here Are the Different Wi-Fi Speeds Explained

There's more than one kind of Wi-Fi. Take a look at the different Wi-Fi speeds and learn how to check your Wi-Fi for security and safety.

Privacy

May 14, 2017

by PSafe Newsroom

There are many different types of Wi-Fi, all of which function at different speeds. Some are no longer in use today; however, several have survived the changes in tech and are keeping up with the times just fine, even if they aren’t commonly used. Most of all, you want your Wi-Fi to be safe and fast. Use Wi-Fi Check to see if your Wi-Fi is safe to use and how it is functioning:

Wi-Fi Check will check your network speed, download speed, DNS security, and network security. It is a great tool to take advantage of, whether you’re using a private or public Wi-Fi network, to ensure that your network is safe and working properly. Nonetheless, not all Wi-Fi functions in the same way or at the same speed. Consider the following to be your guide on the different types of Wi-Fi speeds.

IEEE 802.11

This is the first Wi-Fi speed made way back in 1997. Back then it handled megabits of speed each second. Now, however, it is no longer used. It would never work with today’s devices (or people’s patience).

IEEE 802.11a

Two years after the original, this version of Wi-Fi arrived on the scene. This time, it worked on a 5 GHz band to help do away with interference. It was fast, with data rates maxing at 54 megabits each second. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of a range to this one, which led to the development of a better Wi-Fi.

IEEE 802.11b

The speed of this 1999 Wi-Fi created the momentum to improve and expand on the idea. It opened up a world of possibilities with its much-improved eleven megabits each second.

IEEE 802.11

This version appeared in 2003 and, believe it or not, it is still in use today due to its decent speed and budget-friendly price.

IEEE 802.11n

Talk about new and improved. Introduced in 2009, this version may have had turtle-speed adoption but it can operate at different GHz with multi-channel use, and it soon became today’s typical option. This is good to know for those with multiple devices that have different needs. The max data rate is a nice 150 megabits each second.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet

It’s hard to believe that it wasn’t so long ago when we were thrilled with dial-up Internet. Now just look how fast our Internet flies: there’s now 802.11ac, with speeds that range from 433 Mbps to several gigabits per second.