The Wi-Fi Alliance, a consortium of technology companies working together to promote and certify WiFi standards, has announced when the next iteration of wireless technology will be ready. We had already spoken extensively about WiFi 7 in the past, also explaining why, unlike what happened in the recent past, it will truly represent a revolution.
Based on the IEEE 802.11be specifications, WiFi CERTIFIED 7 was created to improve the interoperability and performance of WiFi devices.
Already today you can find devices on the market that claim to be compatible with WiFi 7: in the vast majority of cases, these are products that comply with the most updated specifications of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which however cannot be considered definitive. Hence the organization’s need to dot the “i”s: the CERTIFIED indication means that the corresponding device scrupulously complies with the approved specifications.
Aside from the greater financial outlay that distinguishes WiFi 7 products already on the market, these devices usually do not represent the classic “bin” for those who purchase them. The producers are in fact already organized to distribute firmware updates and adapt to WiFi CERTIFIED 7.
It should be kept in mind that even Windows 10 systems, provided they have a WiFi 7 compatible network card, will be able to use the new standard. The standard is not at all the prerogative of Windows 11 and other recent operating systems.
WiFi CERTIFIED 7: when will it be released and what will be the advantages
As we have already explained in the article on WiFi 7 mentioned at the beginning, WiFi CERTIFIED 7 will improve performance on the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz frequencies, all equally supported. The idea is to support applications that require high throughput, low latency and high reliability in home, business and industrial environments. Think, for example, of solutions for augmented, virtual and mixed reality, for immersive 3D training and for very high definition video streaming activities.
I 320 MHz wide spectrum channelsavailable only on 6 GHz, provide double the throughput compared to WiFi 6, paving the way for multigigabit wireless scenarios.
The mode Multi-Link Operation (MLO) supports the load balancing allowing connections to be used more efficiently than in the past. There 4K QAM modulation Achieves data rates 20% faster than 1024 QAM (WiFi 6), making it easier to maximize high-definition video streaming activities and operations cloud-based.
Just think about that in terms of theoretical speedsWiFi 7 promises on paper up to 46 Gbps, a much higher value than the 9.6 Gbps of WiFi 6. Provided, of course, that you use compatible client devices: in fact, it is not enough that the router is updated to WiFi CERTIFIED 7.
CERTIFIED 7 WiFi devices also offer greater efficiency, even in dense networks, robustness and reliability and reduced energy consumption.
Wi-Fi Alliance has confirmed that WiFi CERTIFIED 7 (IEEE 802.11be) will be available by the end of March 2024.
Opening image credit: iStock.com/FG Trade