11GBN appears in the network settings, referring to the wireless mode that supports the 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11n standards. The 11AGN mode includes the 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards. The 11AC/802.11ac standard, also known as Wi-Fi5, is a more advanced technology designed specifically for high-speed, high-density environments. These standards will affect network speed, coverage, and compatibility.
What does 11BGN mean?
11BGN refers to a router or network mode that supports devices using three wireless standards: 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n.
• 802.11b: This standard was released in 1999, operates in the 2.4GHz frequency band, and has a maximum speed of 11Mbps. It is the foundation for Wi-Fi 普及 among household users, but due to the crowded 2.4GHz frequency band, which is shared with household appliances such as microwaves, it is prone to interference.
• 802.11g: This standard was introduced in 2003, also uses the 2.4GHz frequency band, but significantly increased the maximum speed to 54Mbps by adopting OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) technology. It is backward compatible with 802.11b, making it universally applicable at the time.
• 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4): 802.11n was released in 2009, supporting 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, with speeds up to 300Mbps (speeds up to 600Mbps when using three antennas). It introduced MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, improving speed, range, and signal reliability.（）
What is 11AGN?
11AGN mode includes the 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.
• 802.11a: Developed alongside 802.11b, it operates specifically in the 5GHz frequency band, offering speeds up to 54Mbps. Unlike 802.11b and g, it uses the less crowded 5GHz band, which can minimize interference, but due to greater signal attenuation, its range is shorter.
• 802.11g and 802.11n: They offer similar benefits to the above, but 802.11n adds support for 2.4GHz and 5GHz, bridging the gap between old and new devices.
Case: The 11AGN mode is suitable for networks requiring a 5GHz connection to reduce interference and increase speed, while maintaining backward compatibility with older devices running on 2.4GHz.
What is 11AC?
11AC standard, also known as Wi-Fi 5, is a more advanced technology designed specifically for high-speed, high-density environments:
802.11ac: Operates specifically in the 5GHz band, offering speeds from 433Mbps to several gigabits per second, depending on the router’s configuration. It employs beamforming (guiding the signal to the connected devices) and MU-MIMO (Multi-User MIMO) technologies, allowing simultaneous communication with multiple devices. It also supports wider channel widths (up to 160MHz), significantly increasing throughput compared to previous standards. 11AC routers are well-suited for modern applications such as 4K streaming, online gaming, and large data transfers. Compared to 2.4GHz routers, their exclusive use of the 5GHz band reduces interference but limits range.
Comparison Router Modes: 11BGN, 11AGN, and 11AC
1. Speed: The speed of 11AC exceeds other standards, over 1Gbps. 11BGN and 11AGN are limited by older standards such as 802.11b and 802.11a, with lower speeds.
2. Bandwidth: 11BGN supports 2.4GHz, which is prone to interference but has a wider range. 11AGN and 11AC use 5GHz, offering faster speeds and less congestion, but with a shorter range.
3. Compatibility: 11BGN supports a wider range of older devices, making it suitable for mixed device environments. 11AGN achieves a balance between speed and compatibility. 11AC focuses on high performance, supporting only newer 5GHz devices.
Conclusion
Understanding the differences between 11BGN, 11AGN, and 11AC helps users choose the appropriate router based on their needs. 11BGN ensures compatibility with older devices, while 11AC provides faster speeds and efficiency for modern applications. Standards like 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) are becoming new benchmarks, offering higher performance and reliability. For most users today, investing in 11AC or newer standards ensures a future-proof solution and optimal performance.
