802.11ad – when Wi‑Fi said "to hell with walls"

First, we played with 2.4 GHz – the neighborhood walkie-talkie band. Then came 5 GHz – finally some speed and less microwave oven drama. Then 6 GHz showed up like a slick younger cousin with fresh spectrum and clean air.

But now? Now we’re talking 60 GHz. Holy cow. That’s not Wi‑Fi – that’s laser tag with bits.

Welcome to DMG – Directional Multi-Gigabit Wi‑Fi

This is 802.11ad, aka DMG. It lives in the 60 GHz band and does one thing really well: short-range, high-speed, line-of-sight data blaster action. We’re talking up to 7 Gbps. But blink too hard or move behind a couch? Boom – connection gone.

PHY Layer: Directional or Die

The PHY in 802.11ad is obsessed with directionality. This ain’t omnidirectional party Wi‑Fi. It’s laser-focused, beamformed, antenna-steering wizardry. It needs:

• A clean line of sight (good luck in your grandma’s concrete house)
• Beamforming just to stay connected when you breathe wrong
• Custom PPDUs designed for DMG operation – no regular Wi‑Fi handshake here

MAC Layer: Grown-Up Framing and Beam Chit-Chat

MAC gets a glow-up too. DMG adds new elements to management frames – because this stuff ain’t plug and play. Devices need to negotiate capabilities, angles, and sometimes their life choices:

• DMG Capabilities Element – says what the device can do at 60 GHz
• DMG Operation Element – tells others what it’s currently doing
• Beacon Interval Control – because even high-speed Wi‑Fi needs to say "hi" sometimes

We also got Action frames like:

• Channel Switch Announcements – radar incoming? switch now
• Measurement Requests – is this channel even alive?
• Power Constraint Frames – you're in Europe now, tone it down

IBSS Mode – who’s the DFS boss?

In peer-to-peer (IBSS) setups, one device becomes the DFS Owner. That’s right – Wi‑Fi Lord of the Rings. If radar shows up, this dude picks a new channel. Except... if two think they’re the owner? Then it's Thunderdome.

EDMG – the sequel with more GHz

Like any good sequel, 802.11ad got an upgrade: EDMG. Now we can do crazy stuff like:

• 4.32 GHz and 8.64 GHz PPDUs – because 2.16 GHz just wasn't enough
• Duplicate transmission across multiple bands – copy-paste your signal like a champ
• Still beamformed, still fragile as glass, but hey – fast AF

So should you care?

If you want to shoot 8K video wirelessly across the room (and only across the room), yes. If you live in a castle with 50 cm stone walls – forget it. DMG is Wi‑Fi for short-range laser missions. No prisoners. No mercy. No multipath. No walls.

802.11ad is Wi‑Fi’s midlife crisis: faster car, higher frequency, and zero tolerance for obstacles. But damn, when it works – it flies.