What Is Wi-Fi 7? Everything to Know About the Next Standard

Multi-Link Operation

Perhaps the astir breathtaking beforehand successful Wi-Fi 7 is Multi-Link Operation (MLO). Every erstwhile Wi-Fi modular establishes a transportation betwixt 2 devices connected a azygous band. Even a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router connects 2 devices connected a azygous set connected a fixed transmission (the router decides whether to link connected the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, oregon 6-GHz band).

MLO tin harvester respective frequencies crossed bands into a azygous connection. A Wi-Fi 7 router tin link to a Wi-Fi 7 instrumentality crossed 2 oregon much channels successful antithetic bands simultaneously. MLO perchance enables wider channels susceptible of transmitting much data—going backmost to our road analogy, you tin nonstop postulation connected the road and the superhighway astatine once.

Speed isn’t ever the priority, but MLO besides allows for much businesslike performance. A Wi-Fi 7 router tin instrumentality congestion and different interference into relationship and transmit connected the champion transmission to bypass it, switching to support a unchangeable transportation and debased latency. MLO tin besides assistance mitigate the comparatively abbreviated scope of the 6-GHz band, ensuring you get seamless connectivity from your mesh strategy arsenic you determination astir the home.

Higher QAM

Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is simply a method to transmit and person information successful radio-frequency waves. The higher it is, the much accusation you tin battalion in. Wi-Fi 7 supports 4K-QAM, portion Wi-Fi 6 supported 1,024-QAM, and Wi-Fi 5 was constricted to 256-QAM.

The imaginable benefits are analyzable by awesome strength, inheritance noise, and interference. Consequently, arsenic QAM goes up, the scope drops, and you request a stronger signal. So, the leap to 1,024-QAM successful Wi-Fi 6 offered astir a 25 percent information complaint summation implicit Wi-Fi 5. The leap to 4K-QAM successful Wi-Fi 7 translates to a 20 percent summation successful highest performance.

Wi-Fi 7 besides enhances existing technologies similar OFDMA, MU-MIMO, and TWT, which we sermon successful our Wi-Fi 6E explainer.

When Should I Upgrade to Wi-Fi 7?

This is simply a tricky question. Wi-Fi 7 devices and routers began rolling retired successful aboriginal 2023. While you won’t consciousness the payment of a Wi-Fi 7 router until you person Wi-Fi 7 devices, the caller Wi-Fi 7 routers are backward compatible. Buying a Wi-Fi 7 strategy whitethorn marque consciousness for radical considering an upgrade now, particularly folks considering an costly Wi-Fi 6E system, arsenic they volition grip 6E connections but besides spend immoderate future-proofing.

We person tested a fig of Wi-Fi 7 routers and mesh systems, including the TP-Link BE800 (8/10, WIRED Review), the Amazon Eero Max 7 (7/10, WIRED Review), the Netgear Orbi 970 Series (7/10, WIRED Review), and the TP-Link Deco BE85 (7/10, WIRED Review). All of these systems are precise expensive. Thankfully, immoderate manufacturers person started dropping prices connected their flagship Wi-Fi 7 routers and introducing midrange and entry-level options (you tin find immoderate successful our best router and best mesh guides).

On the instrumentality side, we are seeing much and much smartphones and laptops with Wi-Fi 7 connected board. The latest flagship telephone ranges from Apple, Google, and Samsung each enactment Wi-Fi 7. All of the large chipmakers, including Qualcomm, Intel, Broadcom, and MediaTek present connection chipsets that person been Wi-Fi 7 certified, and the Wi-Fi Alliance is utilizing them arsenic the trial furniture for certification. It suggests that much than 233 cardinal Wi-Fi 7 devices volition participate the marketplace this year.