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Wireless & Mobility · Foundational

IEEE 802.11ac

2013 amendment (Wi-Fi 5) for 5 GHz only, adding 80/160 MHz channels, 256-QAM, up to 8 streams, and downlink MU-MIMO.

Definition

802.11ac defined the Very High Throughput PHY with a theoretical maximum of 6.93 Gbps. Wave 1 products supported 80 MHz and up to 3 streams; Wave 2 added 160 MHz, 4 streams, and downlink MU-MIMO. It operates only in 5 GHz.

Exam tip

802.11ac does not operate in 2.4 GHz; dual-band Wi-Fi 5 APs use 802.11n on 2.4 GHz.

Related terms