Wi-Fi 7: Everything You Need To Know

What is Wi-Fi 7?

Wi-Fi 7 is the latest version of the Wi-Fi standard, which defines the rules and protocols for wireless communication between devices and routers. Wi-Fi 7 is designed to improve the performance and efficiency of Wi-Fi networks, especially in scenarios that require high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability, such as online gaming, video streaming, cloud computing, and virtual reality.

Wi-Fi 7 works across all three frequency bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, which are the ranges of radio waves that Wi-Fi devices can use to transmit and receive data. The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands have been used by Wi-Fi devices for a long time, but they are also crowded and prone to interference from other Wi-Fi networks and devices, such as routers, smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, and IoT devices. The 6 GHz band, on the other hand, was opened up by the FCC in 2020 for unlicensed use by Wi-Fi devices, and it offers a huge amount of bandwidth, up to 1,200 MHz, compared to 400 MHz in the 2.4 GHz band and 500 MHz in the 5 GHz band. This means that Wi-Fi 7 devices can access up to 14 additional 80 MHz channels and seven additional 160 MHz channels in the 6 GHz band, which are ideal for high-speed and high-capacity applications.

The 6 GHz band is also exclusive to Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 devices, meaning that there is no interference from legacy Wi-Fi devices that operate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, such as Wi-Fi 4, 5, and 6 devices. This results in a cleaner and more reliable wireless environment, as Wi-Fi 7 devices can avoid the congestion and interference that plague the lower bands, especially in dense urban areas and crowded public spaces.

How does Wi-Fi 7 differ from Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 7 is not a new standard, but rather an extension of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E devices that support the 6 GHz band. Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, is the previous generation of the Wi-Fi standard that was launched in 2019. Wi-Fi 6 introduced several improvements over Wi-Fi 5, such as:

OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), which allows multiple devices to share the same channel and increase the network efficiency and capacity.
MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output), which allows multiple devices to communicate with the router simultaneously and increase the network throughput and speed.
1024-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), which increases the amount of data that can be transmitted in each signal and increase the network speed.
TWT (Target Wake Time), which allows devices to schedule their wake and sleep times and reduce the power consumption and battery drain.

Wi-Fi 6E devices inherit all these features from Wi-Fi 6, but also add the support for the 6 GHz band, which gives them access to more bandwidth, less interference, and faster speeds. However, Wi-Fi 6E devices are backward compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and older Wi-Fi standards, and can connect to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands when needed.

Wi-Fi 7 devices, on the other hand, not only support the 6 GHz band, but also introduce some new and innovative features that enhance the performance and efficiency of Wi-Fi networks, such as:

4096-QAM (4K-QAM), which increases the amount of data that can be transmitted in each signal from 10 bits to 12 bits, resulting in 20% higher theoretical transmission rates than Wi-Fi 6’s 1024-QAM.
Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which allows devices to simultaneously send and receive data across different frequency bands and channels, such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, increasing the network capacity and reliability.
Flexible Channel Utilization, which allows devices to dynamically adjust the channel size and shape according to the network conditions and interference, improving the network efficiency and quality.
Multi-Resource Units (MRU), which allows devices to divide a channel into smaller units and allocate them to different devices according to their needs, improving the network fairness and latency.
Puncturing, which allows devices to skip the transmission of some symbols in a channel that are affected by interference, while continuing to use the rest of the channel, improving the network robustness and resilience.

What are the benefits of Wi-Fi 7?

Wi-Fi 7 offers several benefits for both home and business users, such as:

Faster speeds: Wi-Fi 7 devices can achieve speeds of greater than 1 Gbps, thanks to the additional high-speed channels and the 4K-QAM modulation in the 6 GHz band. This means that Wi-Fi 7 devices can deliver smooth and seamless experiences for online gaming, video streaming, cloud computing, and virtual reality, as well as faster file transfers, backups, and updates.
Lower latency: Wi-Fi 7 devices can achieve latencies of less than one millisecond, thanks to the reduced congestion and interference in the 6 GHz band and the MLO and MRU features. This means that Wi-Fi 7 devices can provide more responsive and real-time interactions for applications that require instantaneous feedback, such as gaming, video conferencing, and remote control.
Higher reliability: Wi-Fi 7 devices can achieve higher reliability and efficiency, thanks to the exclusive and clean spectrum in the 6 GHz band and the Flexible Channel Utilization and Puncturing features. This means that Wi-Fi 7 devices can avoid the performance degradation and signal drops that occur in the lower bands due to the presence of other Wi-Fi networks and devices, such as routers, smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, and IoT devices.
Higher capacity: Wi-Fi 7 devices can support more devices and applications on the same network, thanks to the increased bandwidth and spectrum resources in the 6 GHz band and the OFDMA and MU-MIMO features. This means that Wi-Fi 7 devices can handle the growing demand for wireless connectivity from the proliferation of smart devices and IoT applications, such as smart home, smart city, smart factory, and smart healthcare.

Conclusion

Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of wireless technology that promises to deliver faster, more reliable, and more efficient Wi-Fi networks for home and business users. Wi-Fi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is expected to launch in 2024, building on the previous Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E standards. Wi-Fi 7 works across all three frequency bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, which provide more bandwidth, less interference, and more efficiency for Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi 7 also introduces some new and innovative features, such as 4K-QAM, MLO, Flexible Channel Utilization, MRU, and Puncturing, which enhance the performance and efficiency of Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi 7 is an exciting and innovative technology that will bring more competition and innovation to the Wi-Fi industry, and we can’t wait to see what it can do.