Short answer: the letters tell you the Wi-Fi generation (AX is Wi-Fi 6 or 6E, BE is Wi-Fi 7), and the number is the total of every band’s maximum signal rate, in Mbps. A BE3600 router, for example, is about 688 Mbps on 2.4 GHz plus 2,882 Mbps on 5 GHz. Manufacturers describe these as maximum signal rates from the Wi-Fi specifications, and say real throughput will be lower. No single device gets the whole number.
Decoding the label
The letters come from the Wi-Fi standard’s technical name: 802.11ax for Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, 802.11be for Wi-Fi 7. NETGEAR’s AX1600 RAX5 is a Wi-Fi 6 router; its BE9300 RS300 is Wi-Fi 7.
The number is the top rate of each band added together. Manufacturers’ spec sheets often show the breakdown:
| Rating | Router | 2.4 GHz | 5 GHz | 6 GHz | Total (about) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BE3600 | ASUS RT-BE55 | 688 Mbps | 2,882 Mbps | none | 3,600 Mbps |
| BE5000 | NETGEAR RS150 | 0.7 Gbps | 4.3 Gbps | none | 5,000 Mbps |
| BE9700 | ASUS RT-BE92U | 1,032 Mbps | 2,882 Mbps | 5,764 Mbps | 9,700 Mbps |
The labels are rounded, so the bands rarely add up exactly.
Systems with four bands count every one. ASUS’s BE30000 ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro reaches its number with two 6 GHz bands of 11,529 Mbps each, plus 5,764 Mbps on 5 GHz and 1,376 Mbps on 2.4 GHz. On a mesh system, one of those bands is often reserved for the units talking to each other; dual-band vs tri-band vs quad-band explains that choice.
Why you never see that speed
It’s a signal rate, not a download speed. NETGEAR’s footnote is typical: the figure is a “maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE 802.11 specifications”, and actual throughput will vary and be lower because of network traffic, regulation, device limitations and building construction.
Your device uses one band, not all of them. The total is spread across bands, so a phone on 5 GHz only ever sees that band’s share, at best.
Your device’s radio sets its own ceiling. A laptop with Intel’s popular two-stream AX210 Wi-Fi card, for example, tops out at 2.4 Gbps however fast the router is.
Your internet plan is usually the real limit. A BE9300 router can’t make a 500 Mbps plan any faster; what internet speed do you need? covers plan sizing.
A bigger number isn’t always the better router for you
The total doesn’t tell you which bands you’re getting. ASUS’s BE6800 RT-BE86U, for instance, is dual-band with no 6 GHz at all, while a lower-numbered tri-band router includes 6 GHz. If you own Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 devices, that matters more than the headline figure; see Wi-Fi 6E vs Wi-Fi 7.
How to compare two routers
- Look at the per-band breakdown, not the total. Is there a 6 GHz band, and how fast is the 5 GHz band that most of your devices will use?
- Match it to your devices. A device with a two-stream radio can’t use a four-stream band’s full rate.
- Check the ports. A 2.5 Gbps or 10 Gbps internet port matters more for a fast plan than another few thousand Mbps on the box.
- Then pick the generation and band count that fit your home: how to choose a router walks through it, and the best Wi-Fi routers list compares its picks on these points.