Wi-Fi 7 and What it means to me?
There is a new “Wi-Fi 7” standard, officially known as 802.11be, which promises significant improvements in wireless networking, with potential speeds of nearly 5.8 Gigabits per second (Gbps).
While the real-world speeds might be lower, they are still expected to be substantially faster than previous standards.
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Key Features of Wi-Fi 7:
Increased Channel Bandwidth: Wi-Fi 7 doubles the maximum channel bandwidth from 160MHz to 320MHz, allowing for faster data transmission.
4K Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM): This enables each signal to carry up to 120% more data than Wi-Fi 6E.
Multi-Link Operation (MLO): Devices can spread connections across multiple bands (2.4 GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz), enhancing speed and stability. This feature allows seamless switching between bands without needing to reconnect.
Improved Latency: Integration of all three bands reduces airtime restriction, increasing the likelihood of immediate data packet transmission, beneficial for low-latency applications.
Enhanced MU-MIMO: Wi-Fi 7 supports more MU-MIMO spatial streams, allowing routers to communicate with more devices simultaneously.
Multi Resource Units (RU): Wi-Fi 7 can share channels more efficiently, even when part of a high-speed channel is being used by another device.
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Compatibility with Existing Devices:
Wi-Fi 7 operates on the same 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands as previous standards, ensuring backward compatibility. However, older devices won’t benefit from the higher performance or most of the new features of Wi-Fi 7.
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What does it mean to me, as a common man:
Right now, the Wi-Fi 6 routers in the market are available in the range of 2000–4000 Rupees but Wi-Fi 7 routers are well above 25,000 Rupees.
Till it becomes cheaper, it may not be in the range of use for common people, but businesses and bigger organizations can already start taking advantage of the new devices in the market for better coverage at workplaces.
Wi-Fi 7 is an exciting development but the full benefits of Wi-Fi 7 will be realized only when all devices in a given network support the new standard. And for it to reach all households, it could take a year or two at least.
