Wi-Fi 7 is knocking at your back door...

Due to the rise in popularity of working from home, there is a greater demand for wireless networks. Previously, certain businesses, including hotels, would charge extra for a wireless network connection. Nowadays, this is practically unimaginable because Wi-Fi has become a necessity in places like the office, the home, and even public spaces. There are some difficulties that come with the rising use of Wi-Fi. However, computer networks are always evolving, and while Wi-Fi 6E is gaining popularity, Wi-Fi 7 is already beginning to emerge.

Despite its growing popularity, Wi-Fi 6E will soon be superseded by the new Wi-Fi 7 standard. However, the technology industry is evolving rapidly, so this is not a new phenomenon. New standards are regularly developed, tested, and finally introduced to the market. This process can take years. Qualcomm is one of the leaders in this industry and may soon ship the first products to support Wi-Fi 7. 

What are the benefits of Wi-Fi 7?

First and foremost: speed. Theoretically, a Wi-Fi 7 modem can achieve internet speeds of up to 32 Gbps. That's more than three times the speed a Wi-Fi 6E modem can handle. The second big improvement in Wi-Fi 7 is its range. This is especially important in areas such as large office spaces. But how does Wi-Fi 7 make this happen?

Even faster than Wi-Fi 6

One of the biggest improvements in Wi-Fi 7 is that it allows for faster internet speeds. Both Wi-Fi 6 and 7 are built on the Multi User Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output or MU-MIMO technology. It is also commonly used in cellular networks. The use of multiple antennas enables spectrum reuse. As a result, more bandwidth is available and more users can be supported. 

However, the big change with Wi-Fi 7 is that it uses double the amount of MU-MIMO streams compared to Wi-Fi 6. This results in vastly greater network speeds and capacity.

Improved coverage and stability

Another change that comes with Wi-Fi 7 is improved stability with an extension called Multi-Link Operation (MLO). With Wi-Fi 6, each device connects to one of three radio bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. MLO allows devices to transmit and receive data simultaneously on multiple radio bands. This ensures a more stable and fast connection with lower latency.

Wi-Fi 7 also introduces a wider spectrum with an allocated channel bandwidth of 320 MHz, which is twice as much as Wi-Fi 6. This improves coverage and reduces interference between Wi-Fi transmitters.