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Commonly confused · Wireless & Mobility

MIMO vs MU-MIMO: What's the Difference?

MIMO uses multiple antennas to send several spatial streams to one client at a time, increasing that client's throughput. MU-MIMO uses beamforming to send separate spatial streams to multiple clients simultaneously, increasing total network capacity.

MIMO (SU-MIMO)

Full definition
vs
MIMOMU-MIMO
Clients served at onceOneSeveral
Introduced802.11n (Wi-Fi 4)802.11ac Wave 2 (downlink); 802.11ax adds uplink
Main benefitFaster single-client speedBetter efficiency in busy networks
RequiresMultiple antennas on AP and clientBeamforming and MU-capable clients
Notatione.g. 4x4:4 (TX x RX : streams)e.g. 4 users per transmission
Related techSpatial multiplexingBeamforming, often paired with OFDMA in Wi-Fi 6
Remember it

MIMO gives one client more lanes; MU-MIMO gives several clients their own lanes at once.

Exam tip

Know which generation introduced each: MIMO in 802.11n, downlink MU-MIMO in 802.11ac Wave 2, and uplink MU-MIMO in 802.11ax. Do not confuse MU-MIMO with OFDMA, which splits a channel into resource units.

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