Which wireless standard operates at 5 GHz and provides faster speeds?

The wireless standard that operates at 5 GHz and provides faster speeds is 802.11ac. This standard, introduced in 2013, is specifically designed to take advantage of the 5 GHz frequency band, allowing for higher data transfer rates and reduced interference compared to those operating at the 2.4 GHz frequency.

802.11ac can support multi-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) technology, which improves performance by allowing multiple devices to communicate with the access point simultaneously. This capability significantly enhances network performance in environments with multiple wireless clients. 802.11ac is designed to achieve data rates of up to several gigabits per second, depending on the configuration and channel width used, making it much faster than earlier standards.

In contrast, 802.11a also operates at 5 GHz but has lower maximum speeds compared to 802.11ac. 802.11n can operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, but its performance is generally lower than that of 802.11ac, especially in high-density environments. Meanwhile, 802.11b operates solely on the 2.4 GHz band and has much lower transmission speeds than any of the other standards mentioned.