Anyone dealing with WLAN and routers will sooner or later stumble across terms such as "WLAN AC", "WLAN N" or "IEEE". In the following we explain what this is all about. We will also show you how you can take advantage of the latest WLAN standards.
What is WiFi AC?
WLAN AC is a further development of WLAN N. Both are WLAN standards that were developed by the IEEE. The IEEE is the "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering", after which WLAN formats are named. WLAN AC is actually called IEEE 802.11 ac - hence the AC as an appendix. The current WLAN standard is used by all common and current routers.
The standard defines WiFi details such as capacities and range. The above-mentioned institute is constantly researching how WLAN standards can be improved and further developed. The transmission rate of WLAN AC has almost tripled compared to the previous WLAN N standard..
What are the advantages of WLAN AC?
Especially when compared to the previous standard, WLAN AC has a number of advantages. The highest possible speed of WLAN AC is up to 1,300 Mbit / s. In contrast, WLAN N can usually only deliver up to 150 Mbit / s. If the router is equipped with up to three antennas, the speed of WLAN N can be increased to up to 450 Mbit / s - that is still significantly less than with WLAN AC. Although this higher speed is rarely required in private households, such a fast connection is particularly helpful when large amounts of data are to be transferred - for example in companies.
While old WLAN systems mainly transmitted over a 2.4 GHz band, since WLAN N the 5 GHz transmission can also be used. Both systems can also be used with the help of the WLAN AC standard. This ensures that the frequency interference of two different WLAN systems is reduced. Especially in densely populated areas there are many dedicated WiFi networks in a small space. If these overlap, connection problems can arise. This problem is minimized by using both frequency bands at the same time. But the WLAN-AC system is not only less susceptible to other networks: Other sources of interference, such as microwaves or smartphones, now have a less negative effect on the connection strength..
In addition, the range has been increased with the new WLAN standard so that you can cover a larger area without a repeater. This is supported by a new function - so-called "beam forming". The router sends signals that are staggered in time, which can be used to locate devices in the WLAN network. Once the position of the device has been determined, the WiFi signal is amplified and sent specifically in the direction of this device. This is to ensure that every device in the network has a sufficiently strong connection to the Internet.
