802.11ay - WiGig (Wi-Fi 60 GHz)

IEEE 802.11ay is a high-throughput Wi-Fi standard that operates in the 60 GHz mmWave band, enabling multi-gigabit wireless communication with support for MIMO and channel bonding.

Category

Description

Use Case

MAC Functions

Enhanced MAC functionalities for directional communication, beamforming coordination, and channel access in the 60 GHz band.

Managing high-throughput directional links and coordination among multiple stations

MAC Timings

Precise timing for beamforming training, TRN (Training) sequences, and scheduled access periods.

Ensuring synchronization and efficient medium access in mmWave networks

Packet Formats

Frame structures tailored for high-speed 60 GHz transmission, including sector-level sweep (SLS) and beam refinement protocol (BRP) frames.

Supporting beam training, alignment, and fast data exchange

Power Save

Power-saving techniques adapted for directional and scheduled transmissions, reducing active radio time.

Improving battery life in devices using directional mmWave communication

Interoperability

Ensures backward compatibility with 802.11ad and coexistence with other 60 GHz wireless systems.

Seamless transition between legacy 802.11ad and newer 802.11ay devices

Physical Rates

Multi-gigabit rates using wider channels (2.16 GHz) and MIMO over mmWave; supports channel bonding.

Enabling ultra-high-speed wireless backhaul and VR/AR applications

PPDU

802.11ay PPDU structure includes extended headers, MIMO fields, and advanced training sequences.

Facilitates reliable and efficient transmission in dense, high-speed wireless environments

Channels

Use of 60 GHz band with channel bonding and aggregation up to 8.64 GHz total bandwidth.

Maximizing throughput with wide bandwidth and interference management

PHY Overview

Physical Layer overview including OFDM/OFDMA, MIMO, and beamforming for 802.11ay.

Ultra-high-speed mmWave wireless delivery with robustness and spatial multiplexing

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (Expected 2021+)

Main Features:

  • Operates in the 60 GHz frequency band like 802.11ad

  • Supports higher throughput (up to 20-40 Gbps)

  • Extended range compared to 802.11ad using MIMO and channel bonding

  • Utilizes enhanced beamforming and aggregation techniques

  • Backward compatible with 802.11ad devices

Use Cases:

  • Ultra-high-speed wireless backhaul links

  • VR/AR with extremely low latency

  • Wireless docking and rapid data sync

  • High-density indoor networks and enterprise deployments

Related Concepts:

  • Multi-User MIMO in the 60 GHz band

  • Channel bonding for increased bandwidth

  • Beamforming improvements

  • Backward compatibility with 802.11ad

  • Low latency, high throughput wireless links

Explore the details of 802.11ay advancements and applications:

Jump to “802.11ay Basics”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Extends 802.11ad MAC to support MIMO, channel bonding, and higher throughput

  • Introduces support for multi-station beamforming and coordinated transmission

  • Enhances directional communication via advanced beam tracking and refinement

  • Implements scheduled access periods and polling mechanisms for QoS

  • Supports relay operations and mesh networking in mmWave environments

  • Optimized for ultra-high-speed and low-latency applications in 60 GHz band

Use Cases:

  • Managing high-throughput mmWave links in wireless backhaul and VR/AR scenarios

  • Coordinating transmissions in dense directional networks

  • Supporting low-latency streaming and edge device communication

Related Functions:

  • Beamforming training and tracking

  • Channel access using Service Periods and polling

  • Relay coordination and directional forwarding

  • Enhanced QoS management and link adaptation

Explore the details of 802.11ay MAC Functions:

Jump to “802.11ay MAC Functions”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Enhances timing mechanisms introduced in 802.11ad for directional mmWave communication

  • Uses scheduled Service Periods (SP) to minimize contention and improve efficiency

  • Reduces reliance on contention-based access through polling and scheduled access

  • Maintains strict timing synchronization for beamforming and directional transmissions

  • Enables dynamic adjustments of timing parameters to optimize link performance

  • Coordinates precise TX/RX alignment for low-latency, high-throughput applications

Use Cases:

  • Supporting real-time VR/AR and 8K video streaming in the 60 GHz band

  • Enabling low-latency communication for wireless backhaul and mesh networks

  • Improving spectral efficiency in dense wireless deployments

Related Timing Parameters:

  • Scheduled Service Period (SP) timing

  • Beamforming training intervals and tracking periods

  • Contention-based and contention-free access window management

  • Timer synchronization for relay and MIMO operations

Explore the details of 802.11ay MAC Timings:

Jump to “802.11ay MAC Timings”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Builds on 802.11ad frame structure with extensions for MIMO and channel bonding

  • Introduces new Control and Data frame formats optimized for 60 GHz operation

  • Frame Control fields include mmWave-specific capabilities and directionality indicators

  • Supports multi-user frames and extended addressing for relay and mesh scenarios

  • Enables channel aggregation across 2.16 GHz and 4.32 GHz bandwidths

  • Backward compatible with 802.11ad for coexistence and smooth transition

Use Cases:

  • High-throughput short-range wireless links for VR/AR, 8K video streaming

  • Structured frame exchange in relay-based and mesh mmWave topologies

  • Efficient data transport in dense environments using MU-MIMO and scheduling

Related Frame Types:

  • Extended control frames for beamforming and sector-level sweep

  • Management frames supporting relay and channel bonding

  • Data frames with high-efficiency aggregation and QoS support

Explore the details of 802.11ay Packet Formats:

Jump to “802.11ay Packet Formats”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Introduces advanced power-saving techniques for mmWave (60 GHz) environments

  • Supports Wakeup Scheduling for scheduled service periods and low duty cycles

  • Enhances PSM with directional communication support using beamforming

  • Enables device sleep during unused slots in scheduled access (TDMA)

  • Integrates with relay and mesh topologies to optimize power usage in multihop paths

  • Minimizes power consumption during idle listening and scanning phases

Use Cases:

  • Battery-efficient operation for high-throughput wearable and AR/VR devices

  • Smart power management in relay-based mmWave mesh networks

  • Energy conservation in dense urban or industrial environments using 802.11ay

Related Mechanisms:

  • Scheduled Service Periods (SSPs)

  • Beamformed TIM and DTIM support

  • Sleep scheduling in relay nodes

  • Directional NAV (Network Allocation Vector) and TWT-like mechanisms

Explore the details of 802.11ay Power Saving mechanisms:

Jump to “802.11ay Power Saving”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Ensures interoperability among 60 GHz mmWave devices from different vendors

  • Backward compatible with 802.11ad through dual-mode (ay/ad) device support

  • Maintains common MAC and PHY frame structures for seamless communication

  • Introduces standardized beamforming and channel access coordination

  • Supports interoperation in dense environments with directional and spatial reuse

  • Uses standardized control, management, and discovery mechanisms for multiband operation

Use Cases:

  • Multi-vendor 60 GHz wireless deployments for AR/VR and high-speed streaming

  • Seamless device communication across 802.11ad and 802.11ay devices

  • Mesh networking and relay operation in mmWave environments with heterogeneous devices

Related Mechanisms:

  • Beamformed training and feedback standardization

  • Common PHY frame formats across 802.11ad and 802.11ay

  • Control signaling for relay and multi-hop coordination

  • Enhanced management frames for discovery and association

Explore the details of 802.11ay Interoperability mechanisms:

Jump to “802.11ay Interoperability”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Supports ultra-high physical data rates up to 176 Gbps with channel bonding

  • Uses Single Carrier (SC) and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) PHY modes

  • Supports MIMO configurations (up to 8 streams) for spatial multiplexing

  • Enables channel bonding of 2, 3, or 4 channels of 2.16 GHz each

  • Employs advanced Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS), including up to 64-QAM

  • Operates in the 60 GHz mmWave band for short-range, high-bandwidth communication

Use Cases:

  • Wireless backhaul and fronthaul in 5G and enterprise networks

  • High-throughput applications like 8K video streaming, VR/AR, and data centers

  • Fixed wireless access and short-range high-speed device connectivity

Related Concepts:

  • Channel bonding and aggregation

  • MIMO spatial streams and beamforming

  • High-order MCS and adaptive modulation

  • SC and OFDM transmission modes

Explore the details of 802.11ay Physical Rates:

Jump to “802.11ay Physical Rates”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Defines advanced Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) structures for mmWave transmissions

  • Supports multiple PHY modes: Control, SC (Single Carrier), and OFDM

  • Includes preamble components for beamforming training and synchronization

  • Supports channel bonding and aggregation (up to 4 × 2.16 GHz)

  • Contains extended header fields for MIMO signaling and beam tracking

  • Enables high-throughput and directional transmissions in the 60 GHz band

Use Cases:

  • Enabling ultra-high-speed wireless data transfer using mmWave technology

  • Supporting short-range, high-bandwidth applications like VR/AR and 8K streaming

  • Synchronizing beamformed links between multiple antennas in MIMO setups

Related Concepts:

  • SC and OFDM PHY structures

  • TRN (Training) fields for beam refinement

  • Extended headers for MIMO and multi-user support

  • Channel bonding and interleaving techniques

Explore the details of 802.11ay PPDU:

Jump to “802.11ay PPDU”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Operates in the 60 GHz mmWave band with channel bandwidths of 2.16 GHz per channel

  • Supports channel bonding and aggregation up to 8.64 GHz total bandwidth (4 bonded channels)

  • Utilizes directional antennas and beamforming to overcome high path loss

  • Enables multi-Gbps data rates with low latency for short-range, high-capacity links

  • Includes mechanisms for dynamic frequency selection and interference mitigation in dense environments

  • Designed for use cases like wireless docking, VR/AR, and high-speed data transfers

Use Cases:

  • High-throughput wireless personal area networks (WPAN)

  • Short-range ultra-high-speed data links (e.g., VR streaming, wireless backhaul)

  • Indoor ultra-dense deployments requiring spatial reuse with directional links

Related Concepts:

  • 60 GHz mmWave band regulations and spectrum allocation

  • Channel bonding and aggregation techniques

  • Beamforming and MIMO in directional mmWave systems

  • Link training and beam refinement protocols

Explore the details of 802.11ay Channels:

Jump to “802.11ay Channels”

Standard: IEEE 802.11ay (2021)

Main Features:

  • Uses single-carrier (SC) and OFDM physical layer modes in the 60 GHz mmWave band

  • Supports channel bonding and aggregation up to 8.64 GHz total bandwidth

  • Employs advanced beamforming and MIMO techniques for directional high-throughput links

  • Provides data rates ranging from multiple Gbps up to 20 Gbps

  • Implements robust error correction with LDPC coding and advanced modulation schemes (BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM)

  • Designed for short-range, ultra-high-speed wireless communication with low latency

Use Cases:

  • Wireless docking stations and VR/AR high-bandwidth applications

  • High-speed data transfer and wireless backhaul

  • Dense indoor environments requiring spatial reuse and directional communication

Related Concepts:

  • Beamforming training and link adaptation protocols

  • Channel bonding and aggregation in mmWave frequencies

  • LDPC error correction and adaptive modulation

  • Single carrier and OFDM PHY coexistence

Explore the details of 802.11ay PHY:

Jump to “802.11ay PHY”