Wi-Fi 7 is here: 5 things you should know about the new wireless technology

Posted On: January 16, 2024

Wi-Fi 7 is officially here and offers a faster connection in home and business environments. In addition to improving performance, the updated standard will introduce several new features.

There Wi-Fi Alliance has published several articles detailing all the changes, but we will look at the five main new features, starting with the 320 MHz channels. These new channels, which are twice the size of the 160 MHz channels, provide the greatest bandwidth available on 5GHz routers. This wider bandwidth will result in higher speeds. However, there is a catch: 320 MHz channels will only be available in countries that allow access to the 6 GHz band. list of countries that support the 6 GHz band It is available on the Wi-Fi Alliance website. Includes, among others, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and Mexico.

Benefits of virtual reality [VR] and for you

Next comes MLO (Multi-Link Operation), which allows devices on a network to transmit and receive data on multiple bands (i.e. 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) at the same time. This will result in high performance, improved reliability and significantly reduced latency. This last point is particularly important at a time when virtual reality (VR) headsets are becoming widespread. As pointed out Path to virtual reality information sitea headset equipped with Wi-Fi 7 could very well receive a video stream over the 6 GHz band while transmitting tracking information on the 5 GHz band. This workload distribution allows for optimized performance.

While we're on the topic, the Wi-Fi Alliance claims that Wi-Fi 7 enables better deterministic latency.

HE deterministic latency concept It is quite complex. Basically, it lets devices know when to expect connection interruptions. Having this information could allow virtual reality headsets to “better handle latency situations” to maintain consistent connections. This doesn't completely eliminate latency (nothing can), but it should at least improve the overall experience.

Wi-Fi 7 introduces quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM 4K). To oversimplify, 4K QAM compatible signals can send 20% more data than the current 1024 QAM standard.

Finally, Wi-Fi 7 is, of course, backwards compatible with Wi-Fi, so you won't have to worry about whether your old laptop will connect or not.

Future hardware

We recommend you consult the other Wi-Fi Alliance articlesas they address other advances we haven't mentioned, such as the 512 Compressed Block Ack.

Some companies have already launched Wi-Fi 7 routers. Last year, Netgear launched the Nighthawk RS700. But soon other companies will join the dance. At CES 2024, Acer revealed that its two Predator Connect gaming routers are ready to take full advantage of the fast speeds of Wi-Fi 7. The Predator Connect T7, in particular, supports tri-band Wi-Fi 7 for more home coverage. wide.

If you're not ready to take the plunge, TechRadar has a list of the best Wi-Fi gaming routers for 2024 that still work with Wi-Fi 6.