WiFi 7, not only speed

Although WiFi 6 is barely three years old, manufacturers are already working on the next step in wireless networks: WiFi 7, which will be considerably faster than the current version and even seems to reach the capacity of data transmission of the cable (with freedom of movement throughout the space covered by the WiFi network).

As such, its technical name is IEEE 802.11be , although the entity that standardizes the systems (Wifi Alliance) has popularized the name by means of its name followed by the number corresponding to the generation and the band spectrum used.

In those, what is known about it is that this new network will be up to three times faster than the current ones, all taking into account that they now work at a maximum speed close to 10 gigabits per second (Gbs). But there is more; What do we have compared to the current WiFi 6?

Will replace Ethernet cables

Anyway, one paragraph; Why, if number 6 is a recent addition, is WiFi 7 already being sought? Surely what anyone upgrading to new WiFi wants: more speed, more reliability, and better range . And, in theory, the new generation will fulfill these three wishes.

It’s more; There are already companies that have started to manufacture chips for it that already promise that the new standard will replace Ethernet cables . But you have to take it with a grain of salt because, as fast as it is, it works fundamentally differently than wired networks.

The main objective is to set up a local wireless network with enough features to replace these wired networks. Indeed, MediaTek executives say the launch of WiFi 7 “will mark the first time the network can be a true replacement for cable/Ethernet for high-bandwidth applications, ” citing the Metaverse, the work remote, streaming games, cloud services or virtual and augmented reality, some types of application that until now have not worked properly on wireless networks.

what will we have with him

Something to note about its predecessor is that the 6 was not compatible with previous standards. This means that any device that we buy for our home is either WiFi 6 enabled or not. It’s also more energy efficient than its predecessors and allows for longer battery life in laptops and smartphones because it doesn’t draw as much power when in use.

In this way, what is done is that this is a new specification for WiFi that is designed to improve certain limitations that we had with 6. They are the following:

• Arrival of the 6 GHz band . This is one of the most significant changes with respect to WiFi 6 that WiFi 7 will implement. Currently, the radio frequency bands used are 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. But the idea is that with the seventh version the band of 6 GHz. Theoretically, this will quadruple the speed of connections, reaching 40 Gbps.
• Backwards compatibility . Another relevant detail that you should know about WiFi 7 is that it can be used by devices that are already compatible with previous versions.
• Reduced latency . This improves the real-time streaming of content.
• Bandwidth of 320 Mhz . The latest standard launched, WiFi 6, has a bandwidth of 160 Mhz.
• multilink connections . This gives it the ability to use all available bands and channels to substantially improve your connection and reduce interference from objects and walls.

Everything points to the fact that by the year 2023 we will already be able to enjoy this new protocol and its great speed, while this same 2022 could see some demonstrations of this technology in an experimental way, as confirmed by chip manufacturers such as MediaTek or Broadcom.