Finally the tech industry does something to make
our life easier. Instead of the current WiFi being called
802.11ac, it will soon be called WiFi 5, because it is the
fifth version.
Wi-Fi 1: 802.11b (1999)
Wi-Fi 2: 802.11a (1999)
Wi-Fi 3: 802.11g (2003)
Wi-Fi 4: 802.11n (2009)
Wi-Fi 5: 802.11ac (2014)
Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax (2019)
Instead of wondering
whether “ac” is better than “n” you will be able to look at the
number. WiFi 5 is higher than WiFi 4, so it is newer. WiFi
networks have always worked together, so WiFi 5 devices should
be backward compatible and connect with WiFi 4 devices.
Because the WiFi Alliance represents just about every major
company that makes any kind of product with WiFi in it, its
actions usually reflect what the industry wants. So presumably,
tech companies agree with the branding change and will start to
advertise it this way.
The WiFi Alliance even
wants to see this branding go beyond hardware. So in the future
when you connect to a WiFi network on your phone or laptop,
your device will tell you what WiFi version you are connected
to, so if two networks are available, one showing “4” and the
other “5” you can choose the newer option.