Wi-Fi 5, 6, 6E, or 7: The ultimate guide to wireless standards

Looking at Wi-Fi standards can feel a bit like decoding Morse code when you’re looking at the alphabet soup of letters and numbers. But knowing how to understand them can actually help you unlock the capabilities of your internet connection.

More importantly, upgrading your nbn®™ plan to 1000 Mbps but leaving it plugged into a five-year-old modem is a bit like putting premium petrol in a car with a blocked engine. Talk about wasted potential. The truth is that top speed can only be accessed if you’ve got the right Wi-Fi modem to distribute it.

So, whether you need the internet to stream Bieber-chella for the hundredth time, play the new GTA (took its time, right?) or run a tight ship with an Apple Mini hooked up to OpenClaw, here's how to figure out the differences between each standard and the benefits they offer.

Breaking it down: What each standard actually means

What does ‘Wi-Fi Standards’ actually mean?

You can relate Wi-Fi standards to car upgrades. Each model does the same job of getting you from A to B.

But the new gen has better speed, smoother handling and many more high-tech features. The experience is much better in the next step up.

Wi-Fi standards work in the same way. Each era decides how your devices connect to your modem and how efficiently data moves around your place without getting messy.

What does the ‘technical name’ refer to?

Each standard has a technical name, like 802.11ax, and a more normal, consumer name, like Wi-Fi 6.

The 802.11 part is just like a family surname. Every standard has it.

Wi-Fi 5 — The old standard, circa 2014

We’re throwing it back. Back when Kim K was ‘Breaking the internet’ and ‘Happy’ by Pharrell blasted every single shopping centre across Australia, Wi-Fi 5 was born.

It handles everyday browsing and streaming well enough, but that was almost 12 years ago and wasn't really designed for the way we live today. These days, with everyone having a high number of devices, it is really outnumbered.

Wi-Fi 6 — The current standard

Wi-Fi 6 arrived in 2019 with one specific goal: handling many devices simultaneously while remaining stable. It introduced a technology called OFDMA, which lets the modem work more efficiently.

A 2021 study by the Wireless Broadband Alliance found Wi-Fi 6 delivers up to four times better performance in dense device environments than Wi-Fi 5. For most Australian households, this is the floor worth building from.

Wi-Fi 6E — The E stands for express

Not really. But Wi-Fi 6E takes everything Wi-Fi 6 does and adds a third, more exclusive, band: 6 GHz.

As 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands are the most common, they’ve become a lot more congested as the years have gone by.

The 6 GHz band is brand new to consumer Wi-Fi, meaning almost nothing else is on it yet. VIP stuff here, people.

For those in a high-rise apartment or who need low latency for work or play, 6E makes a real difference to the whole experience.

Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) — Where we’re at now

Wi-Fi 7 introduces Multi-Link Operation (MLO). This allows a device to connect across multiple bands simultaneously, rather than being exclusive to just one.

Wi-Fi 7 also has almost five times more throughout.

But what does that actually mean?

• Dramatically lower latency (as low as 1ms in optimal conditions)

• Better handling of a large number of devices

• When paired with right internet speeds, it can mean meaningfully better performance for 4K/8K streaming, cloud gaming and VR.

Speed and latency at a glance

Hardware compatibility: Coming at it from both ends

We’re not sure why other guides are gatekeeping this. It’s pretty important. Your devices also need to support Wi-Fi 7 to see Wi-Fi 7 speeds.

Here's how it works in practice:

• A Wi-Fi 7 modem will still work with your older Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 devices. That’s right, folks, it's fully backwards compatible.

• Just a little note that your older devices will connect at their maximum supported speed, not Wi-Fi 7 speeds.

• To unlock the full performance of any Wi-Fi generation, both the modem and the connecting device need to support it.

• You’ll also need an internet plan fast enough to take advantage of those higher speeds in the first place.

In fact, we’ve made it easy to check if your modem needs an update. Don’t say we don’t do anything for you.

Wi-Fi 7 support is now rolling out across the following gadgets

If you're buying new hardware in the next 12–24 months, Wi-Fi 7 compatibility will increasingly be the default at the premium end of the market.

Here are the current gadgets that support Wi-Fi 7:

Which one do you actually need?

It’s important to remember that Wi-Fi tiers don’t exist in isolation. It also depends on your internet speed plan, which ultimately determines how much performance you’ll actually see.

The casual user

You stream Netflix on Wednesday, book an all-expenses trip on Luxury Escapes, and maybe do the odd video call with your family in Perth while you live in Melbourne.

You've got a handful of devices in the house. Wi-Fi 6 is comfortably sufficient and it handles the everyday connected household without over-engineering it.

The gamer or content creator

Latency is important. You're uploading large videos for a multinational digital billboard campaign (sounds chill!), taking on a boss (gaming or work) or running a creative studio from the pool house. Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 is worth the investment.

The 6GHz band and MLO should make a real difference to your day-to-day. And keep your stress levels lower in an already very stressful situation.

The future-proofer

You want hardware that doesn't need replacing in two years. Unless you like spending money like that.

Especially if you’ve got your smart home connected to OpenClaw, your sharehouse is filled with multiple creatives (they really do find each other) or you're running a small business on your connection.

Wi-Fi 7 is the answer. And Superloop's Amazon eero 7 and eero PRO 7 makes it easy for the connection to be (almost) everywhere and connect to (almost) everything, all at once.

The next generation of speed is here

If your modem is holding back your nbn® plan, it's time to look at the full picture. Check out Superloop's nbn® plans bundled with the Amazon eero 7 modem — Wi-Fi 7 performance, easy setup and the speeds your connection actually deserves.

FAQ