To enable wireless communication between computers and devices, the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standards were created. These standards allow devices to communicate via radio waves with routers, repeaters, extenders, and more.
IEEE and Wireless Connectivity
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) develops the 802 networking standards. Over the years, Wi-Fi has seen significant advancements, covering key updates from the first Macs to the latest Wi-Fi 7 devices.
The First Wi-Fi
The iBook clamshell (July 1999) introduced wireless networking to the public using Wi-Fi 1 (11 Mb/s). Earlier Wi-Fi speeds were only 1–2 Mb/s. Wi-Fi 0 (802.11) and Wi-Fi 1 (802.11b) both used the 2.4 GHz frequency.
- First Mac with Wi-Fi “a”: Early 2006 17-inch Core Duo iMac (AirPort Extreme)
- Introduced the 5 GHz band to avoid interference from household devices.
- Faster speeds, but weaker wall penetration due to higher frequency.
Wi-Fi 3, 802.11g
- First Mac with Wi-Fi “g”: Optional AirPort Extreme on 800 MHz eMac.
- Improved 2.4 GHz penetration but lacked beamforming technology.
Wi-Fi 4, 802.11n (Intel-only Era)
- First Mac with Wi-Fi “n”: 20-inch Mid-2007 Intel Core 2 Duo Aluminum iMac
- Introduced MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) for speeds up to 600 Mb/s.
Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac
- First Mac with Wi-Fi “ac”: Late 2013 21.5-inch Retina iMac
- Introduced MU-MIMO for simultaneous device communication and beamforming technology.
Wi-Fi 6 & 6e, 802.11ax (Apple Silicon Era)
- First Macs: M1 MacBook Pro, M1 Mac mini, M1 MacBook Air
- OFDMA improves multiple device connections, along with enhanced MU-MIMO streams.
- Wi-Fi 6e adds the 6 GHz band for higher-speed transmissions.
Wi-Fi 7, EHT, Late 2025
- First devices: M5 iPad Pro (Wi-Fi 7); M5 MacBook Pro uses Wi-Fi 6e
- Features:
- 320 MHz ultra-wide channel for higher speeds
- 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) for 20% higher transmission rates than Wi-Fi 6
- MLO (Multi-Link Operation) for simultaneous multi-band connections
- 320 MHz ultra-wide channel for higher speeds
The evolution of IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standards has transformed wireless connectivity on Macs and other devices, improving speed, reliability, and multi-device efficiency.
