It’s official: The Wi-Fi 7 era has arrived.
The Wi-Fi Alliance, a network of more than 900 companies that develop and certify Wi-Fi technology, has officially launched its Wi-Fi 7 Certified program. This means devices like phones, laptops, routers, etc. can get the latest stamp of approval.
New generations of wireless technology promise even faster speeds, lower latency, and greater ability to handle more connected devices at once. Wi-Fi 7 certification has been expected since 2019, when Wi-Fi 6 was still new. To take advantage of these benefits, you need both a Wi-Fi 7 router and a Wi-Fi 7 device, but some Wi-Fi 7 routers are already available. Like previous standards, Wi-Fi 7 is backward compatible, so Wi-Fi 7 routers will continue to work with Wi-Fi 6 devices and vice versa.
Maureen Gallagher, Wi-Fi Alliance vice president of marketing, told CNET that she expects Wi-Fi 7 to have a big impact on AR/VR/XR, autonomous driving, network congestion, and more. “Wi-Fi 7 will help users overcome congestion and interference in large or crowded venues such as conferences and stadiums, and in areas where devices are dense or where adjacent networks overlap. “to improve the user experience for her,” she said.
Routers from Asus, Eero, Neatgear, and TP-Link have been using the Wi-Fi 7 label for the last few months, but only earn the official Wi-Fi logo if they pass the Wi-Fi Alliance’s certification tests. This is my first time.
What is Wi-Fi7?
Wi-Fi 7 refers to the seventh generation of wireless technology, following Wi-Fi 6 (launched in 2019) and Wi-Fi 6E (2020). This is a collection of technical standards created by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The official IEEE standard for Wi-Fi 7 is 802.11be, and the Wi-Fi Alliance has already begun giving new routers, phones, and laptops the Wi-Fi 7 seal of approval.
Wi-Fi 7 features require Wi-Fi 7 hardware on both your router and the device you connect to. (You can check if your device has his Wi-Fi 7 certification in the Alliance product search.)
How does Wi-Fi 7 work?
Wi-Fi 7 continues to use the same three bands as Wi-Fi 6E: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. So why is Wi-Fi 7 so much better? It all boils down to wider channels. Wi-Fi 7 doubles the channel size in the 6 GHz band from 160 MHz to 320 MHz. Think of a highway changing from two lanes to four lanes. The amount of data that can be sent at once increases significantly. According to Intel, one of the companies making Wi-Fi 7 certified chipsets, a typical Wi-Fi 7 laptop can reach a “maximum potential” of 5.8 Gbps, which is That’s 2.4 times faster than the 2.4 Gbps possible with Wi-Fi 6/6E. .
Another important advancement in Wi-Fi 7 is Multilink Operation (MLO). Wi-Fi 6 and 6E provided access to multiple bands, but devices could only connect to one band at a time. MLO allows Wi-Fi 7 devices to connect on two bands simultaneously. This increases speed, but also means increased reliability and ultra-low latency. Let’s go back to the highway analogy. In older versions of his Wi-Fi, the car could only travel in one lane at a time, and if there was a traffic jam, it would move to another lane. MLO allows the car to travel on two highways at the same time, avoiding speed reductions associated with traffic jams.
Do I need new equipment to use Wi-Fi 7?
To take advantage of these benefits, you need two devices: a Wi-Fi 7 router and a Wi-Fi 7 device to connect to it. There aren’t that many Wi-Fi 7 devices available right now, as the certification process has just begun. Fortunately, Wi-Fi 7 is fully backwards compatible, so you can use your older devices with your Wi-Fi 7 router or your Wi-Fi 7 smartphone with your Wi-Fi 6 router. . You won’t be able to enjoy the benefits of Wi-Fi 7.
When will Wi-Fi 7 be available?
There are dozens of Wi-Fi 7 routers already available, but they’re still relatively rare, especially in devices like phones, laptops, and smart home gadgets. The Wi-Fi Alliance predicts that in 2024 there will be 233 million Wi-Fi 7 devices on the market, rising to 2.1 billion by 2028.
But that doesn’t mean you should wear out your router and replace it right away. Devices like phones, laptops, and gaming systems equipped with Wi-Fi 7 are still relatively rare. But that will likely start to change for him by the end of 2024. Companies such as Broadcom, Intel, MediaTek, and Qualcomm have begun producing Wi-Fi 7 certified chipsets, which the Wi-Fi Alliance is using as a testbed for certification. There is typically a one- to two-year gap between certification announcements and widespread availability of devices, so we could expect to see a wave of Wi-Fi 7 phones, laptops, and other devices by next year. There is a possibility.
