Which Wi-Fi generation is marketed as Wi-Fi 5?

The Wi-Fi generation marketed as Wi-Fi 5 is 802.11ac. The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced generation-style names to make technical IEEE standards easier for consumers to recognize.

IEEE 802.11ac was developed for the 5 GHz band and became widely used in home routers and smartphones during the 2010s. It improved throughput over 802.11n through wider channels, higher-order modulation, and multi-user technologies.

Wi-Fi 5 is not the same as 5G cellular service, despite the similar number. Wi-Fi 5 refers to a local wireless networking generation, while 5G refers to a generation of mobile telecommunications. The later 802.11ax standard is marketed as Wi-Fi 6.