The Wi-Fi Alliance has revealed that the Wi-Fi 7 specification is set to be finalized by the close of the first quarter, marking a significant milestone for the adoption of standardized hardware by businesses and enterprises.
The Upcoming Wi-Fi 7 Technology
According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, “Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7, based on IEEE 802.11be technology, will be available before the end of Q1 2024.” The announcement notes the current availability of Wi-Fi 7 devices in the market, with Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 aiming to enable global interoperability and introduce advanced Wi-Fi performance for the next generation of connected devices.
It is emerging as a transformative advancement in wireless connectivity, boasting speeds of up to 40 Gbit/s. This positions it as a robust alternative to traditional wired Ethernet for a broad range of users. The technology achieves these impressive speeds through the utilization of three frequency bands: 2.40 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, employing a channel width of 320 MHz and 4096-QAM. Additionally, Wi-Fi 7 builds upon the foundations laid by Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, incorporating features such as MU-MIMO and OFDMA to enhance connection speeds, resulting in a remarkable 4.8X improvement over Wi-Fi 6.
While a multitude of Wi-Fi 7-branded adapters for PCs and routers are currently available, they adhere to the ‘draft’ Wi-Fi 7 specification. While this doesn’t compromise their consumer-level performance, fully ratified devices become imperative for enterprises situated in densely populated office environments where specific frequencies must be adhered to.
Notably, Wi-Fi 7 is strategically positioned by the Wi-Fi Alliance for applications in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), emphasizing direct wireless connections—a challenging feat in contemporary environments.
“Wi-Fi 7 supports superior connectivity for emerging use cases with high levels of interactivity and immersion,” states the Wi-Fi Alliance. “As user demand for high capacity, low latency technologies like AR/VR/XR, cloud computing, and Industrial IoT grows across market segments, Wi-Fi 7 devices will deliver optimized performance, even in dense environments in the 2.4 and 5 GHz band. Countries with access to 6 GHz will experience the full scope of Wi-Fi 7’s unparalleled performance.”
