802.11be Physical Rates ========================= .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What are physical rates in IEEE 802.11be?** Physical rates refer to the data transmission speeds at the physical layer, determined by modulation, coding, channel width, and spatial streams. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What is the maximum data rate supported by 802.11be?** 802.11be supports theoretical physical rates exceeding 40 Gbps using advanced features like 320 MHz channels and 16 spatial streams. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **How does 802.11be achieve such high data rates?** Through wider channels (up to 320 MHz), higher-order modulation (4096-QAM), more spatial streams, and multi-link operation (MLO). .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What is 4096-QAM in 802.11be?** It’s a high-efficiency modulation scheme that allows encoding 12 bits per symbol, significantly increasing data throughput over previous standards. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What channel bandwidths are supported in 802.11be?** 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 MHz channels are supported, with 320 MHz enabling the highest physical layer rates. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What are spatial streams and how many does 802.11be support?** Spatial streams allow parallel data transmission. 802.11be supports up to 16 spatial streams, doubling the limit from Wi-Fi 6. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What is Multi-Link Operation (MLO) and how does it affect physical rates?** MLO enables simultaneous use of multiple bands/links, aggregating bandwidth and increasing physical data rates. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Are physical rates fixed in 802.11be?** No, devices dynamically adjust physical rates based on channel conditions using rate adaptation algorithms. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **How do physical rates differ from throughput?** Physical rates represent raw PHY-layer speeds, while throughput reflects actual usable data after accounting for overhead and retransmissions. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Does 802.11be support OFDMA?** Yes, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access is supported and improves spectral efficiency and effective throughput. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **How does 802.11be utilize beamforming to improve physical rates?** Beamforming focuses signals toward the receiver, improving signal strength and enabling use of higher modulation rates. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Can clients with fewer antennas use high physical rates?** Only to a limited extent; devices with more antennas and MIMO support can fully leverage higher physical rate capabilities. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What are Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS) in 802.11be?** MCS index values represent combinations of modulation type, coding rate, and number of spatial streams, determining the PHY rate. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **How does 802.11be maintain reliable high-speed transmissions?** Through adaptive modulation, error correction coding, and fast channel feedback mechanisms to select optimal transmission rates. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What is the impact of channel bonding in 802.11be?** Channel bonding combines multiple adjacent channels into a wider one (e.g., 320 MHz), dramatically boosting physical rates. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Is 802.11be backward compatible with earlier PHY rates?** Yes, it supports legacy rates for compatibility with older Wi-Fi devices, though advanced features may be disabled in such scenarios. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **What determines the actual physical rate during a connection?** Factors like signal strength, interference, device capability, and current modulation/coding all influence the selected PHY rate. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **How are physical rates calculated in 802.11be?** PHY rates are derived from parameters like MCS index, channel width, guard interval, and number of spatial streams using standard equations. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Does higher physical rate always mean better performance?** Not necessarily—higher rates may lead to more errors in poor channel conditions, reducing effective throughput. Rate adaptation balances this. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow **Where are the official physical rate tables for 802.11be published?** They are found in the IEEE 802.11be (EHT) standard documentation and Wi-Fi Alliance certification guidelines. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: shadow Topics in this section, * :ref:`physical_rates in 802.11be ` * :ref:`Reference links ` .. _physical_rates_step4: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: physical_rates in 802.11be =========== ==== ==== =========== ============ =========== ================ ========= ============ =========== ========== =========== Modulation BW Tsc FSP=BW/Tsc Tdata=1/FSP GI (ns) Symbol (ns) 1/Symbol Bits/Symbol Code rate Usable sc Rate (Mbps) =========== ==== ==== =========== ============ =========== ================ ========= ============ =========== ========== =========== BPSK 20 256 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 1 1/2 234 7.8 BPSK 20 256 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 1 3/4 234 11.7 QPSK 20 256 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 2 1/2 234 15.6 QPSK 20 256 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 2 3/4 234 23.4 16-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 4 1/2 234 31.2 16-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 4 3/4 234 46.8 64-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 6 2/3 234 41.6 64-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 6 3/4 234 46.8 256-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 8 3/4 234 62.4 256-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 8 5/6 234 78.0 1024-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 10 3/4 234 78.0 1024-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 10 5/6 234 97.5 4096-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 12 3/4 234 93.6 4096-QAM 20 256 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 12 5/6 234 117.0 BPSK 40 512 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 1 1/2 468 15.6 BPSK 40 512 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 1 3/4 468 23.4 QPSK 40 512 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 2 1/2 468 31.2 QPSK 40 512 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 2 3/4 468 46.8 16-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 4 1/2 468 62.4 16-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 4 3/4 468 93.6 64-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 6 2/3 468 83.2 64-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 6 3/4 468 93.6 256-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 8 3/4 468 124.8 256-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 8 5/6 468 156.0 1024-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 10 3/4 468 156.0 1024-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 10 5/6 468 195.0 4096-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 12 3/4 468 187.2 4096-QAM 40 512 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 12 5/6 468 234.0 BPSK 80 1024 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 1 1/2 980 32.7 BPSK 80 1024 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 1 3/4 980 49.1 QPSK 80 1024 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 2 1/2 980 65.4 QPSK 80 1024 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 2 3/4 980 98.1 16-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 4 1/2 980 130.8 16-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 4 3/4 980 196.2 64-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 6 2/3 980 174.5 64-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 6 3/4 980 196.2 256-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 8 3/4 980 261.6 256-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 8 5/6 980 326.9 1024-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 10 3/4 980 326.9 1024-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 10 5/6 980 408.6 4096-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 12 3/4 980 374.4 4096-QAM 80 1024 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 12 5/6 980 468.0 BPSK 160 2048 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 1 1/2 1960 65.4 BPSK 160 2048 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 1 3/4 1960 98.1 QPSK 160 2048 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 2 1/2 1960 130.8 QPSK 160 2048 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 2 3/4 1960 196.2 16-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 4 1/2 1960 261.6 16-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 4 3/4 1960 392.4 64-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 6 2/3 1960 349.0 64-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 6 3/4 1960 392.4 256-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 8 3/4 1960 523.2 256-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 8 5/6 1960 653.8 1024-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 10 3/4 1960 653.8 1024-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 10 5/6 1960 817.2 4096-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 12 3/4 1960 748.8 4096-QAM 160 2048 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 12 5/6 1960 937.5 BPSK 320 4096 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 1 1/2 3920 130.8 BPSK 320 4096 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 1 3/4 3920 196.2 QPSK 320 4096 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 2 1/2 3920 261.6 QPSK 320 4096 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 2 3/4 3920 392.4 16-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 4 1/2 3920 523.2 16-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 4 3/4 3920 784.8 64-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 6 2/3 3920 698.0 64-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 6 3/4 3920 784.8 256-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 8 3/4 3920 1046.4 256-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 8 5/6 3920 1307.6 1024-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 10 3/4 3920 1307.6 1024-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 10 5/6 3920 1634.4 4096-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 800 13.6 0.0735 12 3/4 3920 1497.6 4096-QAM 320 4096 78.125 12.8 400 13.2 0.0758 12 5/6 3920 1875.0 =========== ==== ==== =========== ============ =========== ================ ========= ============ =========== ========== =========== .. _physical_rates_step17: .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: Reference links * Reference links