Very High Throughput: 802.11ac

802.11ac is a wireless technology that represents the 5th generation of Wi-Fi technology and builds on the existing technology of 802.11n.

802.11ac provides high-throughput wireless local area networks (WLANs) on 5 GHz band. It is faster and delivers speeds ranging from 433 Mbps (megabits per second) up to several gigabits per second. Compared to 802.11n, 802.11ac offers better network performance and capability implemented through more advanced hardware and device firmware.

An essential feature of 802.11ac is the beamforming that is designed to increase the reliability of Wi-Fi connections in more crowded areas. Beamforming technology enables Wi-Fi radios to target signals in the specific direction of receiving antennas rather than spreading the signal across 180 or 360 degrees as traditional radios.

There are two versions of 802.11ac often refer to as Wave 1 and Wave 2. Wave 1 was introduced in 2013. It speeds up to 1.3 Gbps (Gigabits per second). Wave 2 was introduced in 2016 and speeds up to 2.34 Gbps with options of 160 MHz wide channel.

To enable assisted roaming, refer to Enabling 802.11ac.