The terms 5G and 5 GHz Wi-Fi are used to describe a wireless connection, but they have nothing in common. Anyone who mentions the term “5G Wi-Fi” really means Wi-Fi at 5 GHz, which is completely different from the 5G cellular standard.
5G is a new mobile standard
We'll be hearing a lot more about 5G soon. It's a cellular standard, the successor to 4G LTE and 3G. 5G stands for "fifth generation," as it's the fifth generation of this standard.
5G is designed to be much faster and have lower latency than 4G LTE. We will see the first 5G smartphones in 2019, but first mobile networks that support 5G will have to be deployed.
So 5G is a new standard, and has nothing to do with Wi-Fi. 5G will be used for cellular connections, and future smartphones will support 5G and 5 GHz Wi-Fi. However, today's smartphones support 4G LTE and Wi-Fi at 5 GHz.
5GHz is one of two frequencies for Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi has two frequency bands that you can use: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The 5 GHz frequency is newer. It was used a lot with the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard, which was originally released in 2009, but we continue to find it in modern Wi-Fi networks like 802.11ac and Wi-Fi 6.
5 GHz Wi-Fi is great. It offers more channels that don't overlap, which means there's a lot less congestion. It's great in places with a lot of Wi-Fi congestion, like apartment buildings where each apartment has its own router. 5 GHz Wi-Fi is also faster than 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
But despite the slower speeds and increased congestion, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi has its advantages. The 2.4 GHz frequency covers a larger area than 5 GHz and is better because it passes through walls thanks to its longer radio waves. 5 GHz radio waves offer a faster connection, but they can't go through obstacles.
________________
- 5G: what is it and what speeds are we talking about?
- Wi-Fi router and Wi-Fi: everything you need to know about the wireless network
- Wi-Fi 6: What's different and why should I care?
- 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 new standard, new name
- What is WiGig and how is it different from Wi-Fi 6?
