Wi-Fi 6 vs. 6E vs. 7: A Detailed Comparison

The main features of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E are similar, except that Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band, making it easier to operate in congested environments. The next generation, Wi-Fi 7, doubles the bandwidth and can deliver up to three times the throughput.

With more advanced modulation and twice as many spatial streams ¹, Wi-Fi 7 aims to make wireless networking feel closer to a wired connection. How does it do that? Let's take a closer look.

Wi-Fi 6 vs. 6E vs. 7: Technical differences

What is Wi-Fi 6?

Announced in 2019, Wi-Fi 6 introduced major improvements including OFDMA², better power efficiency, and bidirectional MU-MIMO. It operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and can provide a significant throughput increase over the previous generation.

What is Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of Wi-Fi 6; the letter "E" stands for "Extended". It adds access to new frequency spectrum, including the 6 GHz band, to provide more bandwidth and capacity for wireless networks.

Wi-Fi 6 originally operated in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. As the number of Wi-Fi devices increased, these bands became more congested. Wi-Fi 6E opens the 6 GHz band as additional spectrum, which can reduce interference and improve network performance when compatible clients are available.

What is Wi-Fi 7?

Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of Wi-Fi technology. It is based on 802.11be and introduces wider 320 MHz channels, 4096-QAM modulation, and more spatial streams ¹. Its advertised theoretical throughput can reach 30 Gbps when operating across the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands.

Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6/6E vs. Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E have a theoretical capacity of 9.6 Gbps, a significant step up from Wi-Fi 5's maximum theoretical capacity of 6.9 Gbps.

To benefit from Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, or Wi-Fi 7, your client devices—such as smartphones and tablets—must support the corresponding standard.

QAM modulation

QAM modulation determines how data is packaged and transmitted over radio frequencies. Denser modulation can carry more data in the same amount of spectrum. The growth of 4K streaming and high-quality AR/VR content is pushing the limits of Wi-Fi 5, which uses 256-QAM.

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E use 1024-QAM. Wi-Fi 7 goes further with denser 4096-QAM modulation. This improves spectral efficiency and enables higher advertised throughput, such as 30 Gbps.

Data streams

Wi-Fi 6 brought bidirectional MU-MIMO into practical use and doubled the number of spatial streams ¹ to eight, compared with Wi-Fi 5's 4x4 MU-MIMO. This allows more simultaneous connections without reducing throughput as quickly.

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E support up to 8x8 bidirectional MU-MIMO. Wi-Fi 7 increases the number of spatial streams ¹ to 16, allowing more devices to transmit data at high speed when the hardware supports it.

The next generation of IoT devices can benefit from the efficiency enabled by these newer wireless technologies.

Access points

With Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, a client typically uses one band at a time: 2.4, 5, or 6 GHz. Smart Connect can automatically move clients between bands based on signal quality and interference.

Wi-Fi 7 introduces MLO (Multi-Link Operation), allowing compatible clients to send and receive data over multiple bands and channels. This can reduce communication latency and improve reliability for applications such as AR and online gaming.

Security

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E include WPA3, along with protected management frames and a four-way authentication handshake, improving protection against attacks that are easier to perform against WPA2.

Newer Wi-Fi generations may introduce additional security improvements, but the security standard supported by a device still depends on its firmware and certification.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is Wi-Fi 6 good for gaming? A. Wi-Fi 6 is fast enough for an excellent gaming experience. For VR and AR gaming, the additional 6 GHz spectrum of Wi-Fi 6E can be valuable when compatible devices are available and the local environment is congested.

Q. Is Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E better? A. Wi-Fi 6E adds another band while retaining the main benefits of Wi-Fi 6. Its biggest advantage is having additional spectrum that may be less congested.

Q. Will Wi-Fi 7 provide better coverage? A. Not automatically. Coverage depends on frequency, transmit power, antennas, regulations, interference, and building layout. Wider channels and newer features do not guarantee a stronger signal at every location.

Q. How fast is Wi-Fi 7? A. The advertised theoretical rate can reach 30 Gbps, but real-world performance is much lower and depends on the router, client, channel width, signal quality, and network conditions. A single client may still be limited by its own radio and Ethernet connection.

Summary

A Wi-Fi 6 router is enough for most ordinary homes. Many current clients still use Wi-Fi 5, so Wi-Fi 6 remains a practical choice for the near future. If you have a smart home with many devices and a congested wireless environment, Wi-Fi 6E may be more useful because of its additional spectrum.

Wi-Fi 7 offers much higher theoretical performance than most home users need. It becomes more interesting when you have compatible clients, multi-gigabit wired networking, and a real need for MLO or wider channels.