What Is Wi-Fi 7 And How Is It Different From Wi-Fi 6?

The Wi-Fi Alliance, a big group of companies that make Wi-Fi stuff, has just launched “Wi-Fi 7 Certified,” but what is Wi-Fi 7?

Wi-Fi 7 is coming right after Wi-Fi 6 and it’s got some cool new stuff. It’s faster, can handle more devices, and has less waiting time. Since 2019, people have been talking about Wi-Fi 7, and now it’s finally here. To use it, you need a Wi-Fi 7 router and device. But don’t worry, your old Wi-Fi 6 devices will still work with it but what is Wi-Fi 7?

What is Wi-Fi 7?

So, what is Wi-Fi 7? Wi-Fi 7, also known by the less catchy name IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is the latest and greatest in the Wi-Fi world. Unlike its predecessors, it operates across three bands – 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and the new 6 GHz – making full use of the available spectrum. While Wi-Fi 6 was all about coping with a growing number of devices, Wi-Fi 7 is focused on delivering jaw-dropping speeds and efficiency for every device connected.

So, what’s new with Wi-Fi 7? For starters, it introduces a 320 MHz ultra-wide bandwidth, 4096-QAM, Multi-RU, and Multi-Link Operation, all working together to deliver speeds up to 4.8 times faster than Wi-Fi 6 and a whopping 13 times faster than Wi-Fi 5. If you’ve been frustrated with buffering, lag, or network congestion, Wi-Fi 7 could be your knight in digital armor.

But it’s not just about speed. Wi-Fi 7 brings a host of other benefits, including higher throughput, better support for latency-sensitive applications, enhanced efficiency in crowded networks, and reduced power consumption.

How does Wi-Fi 7 work?

Now that we’ve answered the question “What is Wi-Fi 7?”, let’s look at how this new technology works. Wi-Fi 7 expands on the foundations laid by Wi-Fi 6E, using the same three frequency bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz. The secret sauce of Wi-Fi 7 is its larger channels.

It increases the channel size in the 6-GHz band from 160MHz to 320MHz, which is equivalent to enlarging a highway from two lanes to four, allowing more data to move at once. For example, a standard Wi-Fi 7 laptop may theoretically reach rates of 5.8Gbps, which is a huge increase above the 2.4Gbps available with Wi-Fi 6/6E.

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Multi-Link Operation (MLO) is another significant improvement in Wi-Fi 7. While Wi-Fi 6 and 6E provided access to several bands, devices were confined to one band at a time. MLO alters the game by allowing up to seven Wi-Fi devices to connect simultaneously over two bands. This not only increases throughput but also improves dependability and lowers latency. Imagine cars on a roadway that could previously only move in one lane, having to switch lanes during traffic congestion. MLO allows cars to travel across two highways at once, avoiding traffic congestion.

Currently, Wi-Fi 7 routers are still a rare find, especially among commonly used devices like smartphones and laptops. However, the Wi-Fi Alliance forecasts a surge in Wi-Fi 7 devices, predicting around 233 million entering the market in 2024, and a massive jump to 2.1 billion by 2028.

Wi-Fi 7 vs. Wi-Fi 6

Now, let’s break down some of the technical differences between Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6:

Data Transfer Speed: Wi-Fi 7 boasts a staggering theoretical maximum data transfer speed of 46Gbps, dwarfing Wi-Fi 6’s 9.6Gbps. While the actual speed might hover around 40Gbps, it’s still incredibly fast. Think about it – you could download a 25GB Blu-Ray movie in less than a minute!

Channel Bandwidth: Wi-Fi 7 doubles the channel bandwidth to 320MHz compared to Wi-Fi 6’s 160MHz. It’s like widening a road to allow more traffic to flow freely, which means faster data transfer.
Number of Full-Bandwidth Channels: Wi-Fi 7 edges out Wi-Fi 6 here too, with 7 full-bandwidth channels versus Wi-Fi 6’s 6.
Spatial Streams for Multi-user MIMO: Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology allows multiple devices to communicate with a Wi-Fi network simultaneously. Wi-Fi 7 supports up to 16 spatial streams, while Wi-Fi 6 supports 8. This means Wi-Fi 7 can handle more devices at once, each with robust connectivity.
Data Transmission: The leap from 1024-QAM in Wi-Fi 6 to 4096-QAM in Wi-Fi 7 means more data is transmitted in each signal. In simpler terms, Wi-Fi 7 can pack more data into the same signal space, increasing efficiency, especially in crowded areas like stadiums.
Antennas for Data Transmission: The next-gen Wi-Fi will also feature 16 antennas for transmitting and receiving data. Most current smartphones and laptops use a 2×2 MIMO setup – two antennas each for input and output. A 16×16 router in Wi-Fi 7 will significantly enhance the number of devices that can access the network simultaneously with high data transfer rates and minimal interruption.

In conclusion, Wi-Fi 7 is not just a step but a leap forward in wireless technology. It’s designed to cater to our growing demand for faster, more reliable, and efficient Wi-Fi, especially as the number of devices and the need for high-speed connectivity continue to rise. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a gamer, or just someone who loves streaming movies without interruption, Wi-Fi 7 is something to look forward to. While it’s still in its early stages, the future of Wi-Fi 7 looks promising, and it’s set to transform our wireless experiences in ways we’ve only imagined. We hope you now know the answer to the question “what is Wi-Fi 7?”

Featured image credit: Dreamlike Street/Unsplash

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