Wi-Fi 7 Wireless Connection: Wi-Fi 7 is the newest wireless standard, succeeding Wi-Fi 6/6E as the heir to your home and office networks. While many only recently adopted Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 7 looms as the next big leap in speed, capacity and efficiency.
Informal names aside, Wi-Fi 7 is officially known as IEEE 802.11be, following the numerical naming convention of past versions. It remains backward compatible, but you’ll need new Wi-Fi 7 routers and devices to enjoy the upgrades.
Most notably, Wi-Fi 7 supports lightning quick maximum speeds – potentially up to four times faster than Wi-Fi 6. It also reduces latency for gaming and live-streaming, increases bandwidth for more simultaneous connections, and mitigates congestion and interference for reliable HD video and VR.
But how exactly does Wi-Fi 7 improve things under the hood? A few key advances make the difference:
Wider Channels – Wi-Fi bands are divided into channels. While Wi-Fi 6E channels can be 160MHz wide, Wi-Fi 7 supports chunky 320MHz channels to transmit way more data.
Multi-Link Operation (MLO) – Where old Wi-Fi standards use a single channel for one connection, MLO aggregates multiple channels and bands for a single boosted connection. This unlocks faster potential speeds and more adaptive performance.
4K QAM – Quadrature amplitude modulation packs more data into radio signals. Wi-Fi 7 takes it up a notch to 4K QAM for a 20% speed boost over Wi-Fi 6.
Wi-Fi 7 Wireless Connection routers and devices first dropped in 2023, though widespread adoption may take time. The new standard brings tangible near-future proofing, with 802.11be certification now underway.
The wait for faster, more reliable wireless may soon connect us to the next generation of internet. Wi-Fi 7 makes it a reality.