What is Wi-Fi 7？

IEEE 802.11be, more correctly known as Wi-Fi 7, is the newest generation of Wi-Fi. It is intended for very high throughput in order to offer much higher speed, capacity, and efficiency compared to its predecessors. Indeed, given these new features, Wi-Fi 7 will support scenarios such as high-definition video conferencing, large-scale IoT deployments and beyond.

Key Capabilities of Wi-Fi 7

1. Higher Data Rates

Improvement in Data Rates: Wi-Fi 7 significantly improves data rates. Wi-Fi 7 will be able to support nominal peak data rates of more than 30 Gbps, over four times faster than Wi-Fi 6. Following are some key technological enhancements to make this increase in speed possible:

• 4096-QAM (4K-QAM): In this modulation scheme, each symbol can carry 12 bits, increasing the theoretical transmission rate by 20% over Wi-Fi 6.

• Wider Channel Bandwidth: Wi-Fi 7 supports up to 320 MHz channel bandwidth, which is double compared to Wi-Fi 6.

2. Multi-Link Operation (MLO)

Wi-Fi 7 introduces Multi-Link Operation, allowing the creation of a single device able to send and receive data simultaneously across different frequency bands and channels: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz. This will further improve the network capacity and lower latency, making Wi-Fi 7 ideal for enterprise applications that require real-time data transmission.

3. Improved Efficiency and Capacity

Wi-Fi 7 introduces Multiple Resource Unit (MRU) technology, which greatly improves channel resource efficiency and reduces the waiting latency on the air interface. The Resource Unit (RU) is a unit of channel allocation that appeared with OFDMA introduced into 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6). In Wi-Fi 6, a user can be assigned only to one RU. In Wi-Fi 7, this will be extended to allow allocation of multiple RUs to one user. This is expected to enable more flexible use of frequencies, prevent interference, and increase throughput.

Wi-Fi 7 Benefits

1. Higher Speeds

The most obvious benefit of Wi-Fi 7 is its extremely high speed. At a data rate more than 30 Gbps, Wi-Fi 7 will easily handle multiple high-bandwidth applications simultaneously, such as high-definition video conferencing, large file transfers, and cloud-based services.

2. Lower Latency

Multi-Link Operation by Wi-Fi 7 makes its latency much lower than expected. It will be very ideal for real-time applications such as virtual reality training, remote surgeries, and other mission-critical enterprise applications. The lesser the latency, the smoother and more responsive the user experience will be.

3. Improved Network Throughput

Supporting MRU and wider channel bandwidths, Wi-Fi 7 enables more devices to share the same network with less performance degradation. Indeed, this enhanced capacity is critical in environments where high-density, connected device ecosystems will be routine-for example, smart homes and offices.

Comparison with Previous Wi-Fi Standards

Wi-Fi 6 vs. Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi 6 brought some serious improvements over Wi-Fi 5, but Wi-Fi 7 takes these improvements to a whole new level. Key differences include:

Data Rates: Wi-Fi 6 only supports up to 9.6 Gbps maximum data rates, while Wi-Fi 7 can surpass 30 Gbps.

Channel Bandwidth: Wi-Fi 6 supports channels of only up to 160 MHz; Wi-Fi 7 supports channels of up to 320 MHz.

MRU: Wi-Fi 6 supports RU(one RU to one user) , while Wi-Fi 7 supports MRU(multiple RUs to one user).

Conclusion

Actually, Wi-Fi 7 is one huge leap in wireless technologies in terms of increased speeds, reducing latency, and expanding network capacity. And with more devices able to connect on Wi-Fi 7, the more we'll be expecting from wireless connectivity. Be it a case of managing a smart factory, conducting high-definition video conferences, or deploying large-scale IoT solutions, Wi-Fi 7 is poised to deliver the kind of performance and dependability that will be needed in the near future.