Can you imagine life without the internet? At this point, it’s difficult if not impossible to participate in society personally or professionally without access to the World Wide Web. We must go online to stay connected to colleagues and current and prospective customers via email, web chat, cloud phone systems, social media, and other channels.
As the proliferation of cloud solutions, mobile devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices has increased the demand for bandwidth, Wi-Fi technology has evolved to provide enhanced connectivity. In 2024, we’ll see the introduction of the latest standard, Wi-Fi 7.
If you’re considering upgrading your devices to increase connectivity soon, here’s everything you should know about Wi-Fi 7.
What is Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 will be established by 802.11be, the next amendment to the 802.11 standard for wireless network transmissions, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be Task Group.
“The new amendment will define Extreme High Throughput (EHT) physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers capable of supporting a maximum throughput of at least 30 Gbps,” the task group’s website states.
Additionally, the latest amendment intends to minimize jitter and worst-case latency while enhancing the performance of time-sensitive applications (e.g., virtual and augmented reality programs and video games).
Notable features of Wi-Fi 7 include the following, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes Wi-Fi evolution and adoption worldwide.
- 320 MHz superwide channels, available exclusively in 6GHz and delivering twice the throughput of Wi-Fi 6
- 4K quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), which offers 20 percent higher transmission rates compared to the 1024 QAM delivered by Wi-Fi 6
- Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which enables improved traffic load balancing among links
When will Wi-Fi 7 be available?
The IEE 802.11be Task Group – which includes representatives from Qualcomm, Broadcom, Intel, Huawei, MaxLinear, NXP, Ofinno, and Apple – is still finalizing the next amendment of the IEEE 802.11 standard, which will define Wi-Fi 7.
As of December 13, 2023, the task group timeline indicates that the initial IEEE Standards Association (SA) ballot is scheduled for January 2024, final 802.11 working group (WG) approval is expected in September 2024, and 802 Executive Committee (EC) approval is expected in October 2024. The IEEE Standards Review Committee (RevCom) and SA Standards Board (SASB) are expected to approve 802.11be in December 2024.
However, manufacturers are already introducing Wi-Fi 7 devices based on drafts of the amendment, according to the Wi-fi Alliance. The Wi-Fi Alliance has announced that Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7™ will be available before the end of Q1 2024. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ is the official seal of approval indicating that a device meets the industry standards for security and interoperability as well as application-specific protocols.
It’s important to note that many commercial manufacturers typically release products compatible with a new Wi-Fi standard approximately one year after the initial release, meaning you likely won’t see a wide range of Wi-Fi 7 devices available for day-to-day business operations until 2025.
What are the benefits of upgrading to Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 will offer enhanced performance to support high-bandwidth applications, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance. The Alliance lists the following as notable advantages of the new technology:
- Less power consumption
- Greater efficiency, even in dense networks
- Increased reliability
- More robust than previous Wi-Fi tech
- Better support for deterministic latency
- Increased throughput
How does Wi-Fi 7 differ from Wi-Fi 6E?
Wi-Fi 7 builds on Wi-Fi 6E, which extended the functionality of Wi-Fi 6 to the 6GHz band in nations that have approved the frequency for unlicensed use, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance. Devices compatible with Wi-Fi 6E have been on the market for a while. For instance, Cisco Meraki released their first Wi-Fi 6E access points in early 2022 and recently released three more CW models.
Wi-Fi 7 differs from Wi-Fi 6E in the following key ways, according to TechTarget and Intel.
- Spatial streams maximum of 16 for Wi-Fi 7 versus 8 for Wi-Fi 6E
- Theoretical maximum data rate of 30+ Gbps for Wi-Fi 7 versus 9.6 Gbps for Wi-Fi 6E
- MLO introduced with Wi-Fi 7
- 320 MHz channel bandwidth available with Wi-Fi 7
Our technology advisors can help if you want to explore your Wi-Fi options. With 20+ years of IT industry experience and access to the latest market data, we can efficiently identify the best options for your business. Additionally, we can ensure smooth implementation with our white-glove project management services.
Start now by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing sales@stratospherenetworks.com.
