OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) is one of the core features introduced in IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) . It divides a channel into smaller subcarriers called Resource Units (RUs) , allowing an AP to communicate with multiple clients simultaneously, both on uplink and downlink.

According to the RUCKUS One Online Help – Wi-Fi 6 Features Overview , OFDMA improves spectrum efficiency, reduces latency, and increases throughput in high-density environments. RUCKUS APs such as the R750 and R850 use OFDMA in coordination with RUCKUS AI’s client traffic analysis to allocate resources dynamically.

In contrast, MU-MIMO also supports multi-user communication but only in one direction (downlink for 802.11ac Wave 2, both for 11ax). QAM256 enhances modulation efficiency but doesn’t enable concurrent multi-client service.