Securing your wireless network

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) develops official standards to enable wireless local area network (WLAN) devices to work together, regardless of which manufacturer made them.

These standards focus on:

• speed - getting data transmitted faster between PCs and access points
• security - making sure that the wireless capability is not abused

You need to be aware of both factors when choosing wireless networking equipment.

What IEEE standards to prioritise in 2026

Choose Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) as your minimum standard. Better still, go for Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be). Here's why you should prioritise a newer standard:

Faster speeds and better coverage 

Older standards (like 802.11a/b/g/n/ac) max out at 54-1300 Mbps with patchy range. Wi-Fi 6 can reach 9.6 Gbps. Wi-Fi 7 reaches a maximum of 46 Gbps - fast enough for several simultaneous high-quality video calls, 8K video streaming/VR, large file transfers, and can handle multiple users without lag.

Handles busy networks 

Modern offices have phones, laptops, cameras and IoT devices all competing for Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi 6/7 use smart technology to serve more devices at once on the same or multimple channels. This prevents slowdowns during peak demand.

Cuts interference and latency 

Neighbouring Wi-Fi, microwaves and Bluetooth cause 'noise' and new standards resist this better. Latency drops below 2 milliseconds which is vital for VoIP calls or real-time apps.

Backward compatible 

Wi-Fi 6/7 work with older devices (like Wi-Fi 5 laptops). Your current phones/tablets will be able to connect while you upgrade gradually.

Find IEEE published standards and learn more about Wi-Fi 6 standard.

When considering standards and networking equipment, choose devices that the Wi-Fi Alliance has tested and certified. This guarantees that they meet industry requirements and can work together.