802.11ac 'Gigabit Wi-Fi': What You Need to Know

It's been almost five years since 802.11n wireless routers and devices became available--also well ahead of the specification actually getting ratified. Now, IEEE is finalizing the 802.11ac standard. 802.11ac is also referred to as "gigabit Wi-Fi" and will be capable of significantly faster data transfer speeds than the current 802.11n.

Here's what you should know about the next generation Wi-Fi:

5GHz

802.11n works in both 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequency ranges. 802.11ac will be purely 5GHz. The higher frequency has less range when dealing with walls and other obstacles, but there is also far less interference in the 5GHz range. Many household devices ranging from cordless phones, to baby monitors, to microwave ovens can degrade the wireless signal in the 2.4GHz range.

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