WiFi now has generational numbers; Might be good to include in nm-applet

Development Discussion
#1

This is fairly big news for people who want at-a-glance connection information. I've recently discovered that the Wi-Fi Alliance is using simple, basic naming conventions for the average person to know what they're getting into.

Here's a table of what the new naming convention means for you and the average person:

Technical name Consumer name
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
802.11ac Wi-Fi 5
802.11n Wi-Fi 4
802.11g Wi-Fi 3*
802.11b Wi-Fi 2*
802.11a Wi-Fi 1*

*: Speculative name; not formally ratified by WFA.

Because of this, nm-applet could (in theory) make use of this new naming standard to tell users what kind of performance is expected from an access point, like certain Android devices can do right now.

1 Like
#2

Hi @tiox, do you have an RFC or some sort of spec for this? Could be useful to submit a feature request to the nm-applet team.

#3

Not to date the information, as I kinda want it to remain "Timeless" to a degree but the Samsung Galaxy S10 can connect to Wi-Fi 6 APs and they display a Wi-Fi symbol with the number 6 on it. I presume it'll also display other numbers for 5 and 4, 3, 2 and 1 remain speculative.

The reason I included it, is because you'll probably see way older routers touted as lesser, non-standard names similar to how molex connectors are "LP4" and berg is "SP4", or how multi-pole audio connectors are usually TRS, with multiple R's per pole between tip and sleeve.

As for a non-video source, what better than the horse's mouth?
https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-certified-6

ABout why I haven't submitted anything to nm-applet developers yet, it's because I want someone more... respectable up the chain of command to see and relay this information after studying it for a better conveyance than some random user on the Internet can conjure.