802.11ad WiFi is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standard that allows WiFi devices to communicate at multi-gigabit speeds using a 60 GHz wireless band.
The 60 GHz wireless band is very fast and can theoretically provide speeds faster than any other currently approved wireless band, including the 6 GHz band introduced with WiFi 6E. However, its range is extremely short; you might need a line-of-sight view of your router to maintain a 60 GHz WiFi connection.
NETGEAR routers with 802.11ad WiFi like the Nighthawk X10 and Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 can provide combined wireless speeds of up to 7.2Gbps for supported devices. Check with your device manufacturer to see if your device supports 802.11ad WiFi.
If you don’t have a device that specifically supports 802.11ad WiFi, you might want to consider a WiFi 6 (AX WiFi) router or mesh system instead. WiFi 6 is a newer WiFi standard that is more broadly supported by device manufacturers; its theoretical speeds are not as high as 802.11ad, but it has significantly longer range and includes other technologies to improve device performance.
For more information:
- What is WiFi 6 (AX WiFi) technology?
- What is the difference between 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz wireless frequencies?