WiFi 7 is finally here, only not in the way that you think it is.
While you may have seen several WiFi 7 routers while surfing through the web, it is technically still in the draft spec phase, with the available routers being premium entries for the first adopters.
By this, we mean they’re expensive. Want to buy a router for $599? Or $1,699? Or $2,299? Yeah, we didn’t think so. You better wait until 2024!
The Debut Of WiFi 7
That’s when the IEEE standardisation body – scheduled somewhere between September and December 2024 – will release ifi 7. They have been working on this model since 2019, creating a next-generation standard that not only supersedes WiFi 6E, but really supersedes it.
What do we mean by this? Well, the maximum speed of WiFi 6E is around 9.6 Gbps. And if you don’t know your Gbps, all you need to know is that it’s fast. Really fast. Compare that, however, with the maximum speed of WiFi 7. According to the specs, the maximum speed of the next-generation WiFi will be 46 Gbps. 46! For a single client!
What Can Consumers Expect?
So what exactly does this mean for consumers? Well, most importantly, it will give you speed. But that means more than clicking on a web page and being immediately redirected. Increased speed means reduced latency, and this is a fundamental factor of a smooth online experience. Take the world of gaming. In 2023, the global online gaming market generated around $26.14 billion, with a CAGR of 9.8% every year. But if there’s anything holding the online gaming back, it’s WiFi.
One of the biggest issues players have with online gaming is high latency, which creates more lag, rocky gameplay, and bad visuals. With a Gbps of 46, however, that problem will go away. Latency will be low, the online game visuals – which are so important to immersion – will be unhampered, and the gameplay itself will be smooth.
Even outside of the gaming experience, however, WiFI 7 promises so much more than the previous gen. With better speed, there will be faster internet access, quicker cloud access, enhanced security, instant communication, and overall better productivity – especially where businesses are concerned. Oh, and yes, your TikTok will be faster, but that doesn’t mean you’ll grow your TikTok followers any quicker. You’re gonna have to keep dancing to do that.
Crucial Information On WiFi 7
You wanna hear more information on WiFi 7? Fine, you asked for it. WiFi 7 routers are going to be operating on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6Hz radio bands, with enhanced OFDMA operations and MRUs – “multiple resource units”, which help to reduce that pesky latency and interference that WiFi 6E has been dealing with.
WiFi 7 is also set to introduce MLO – multi-link operation – technology. For those unaware, MLO allows devices to both send and receive data over numerous radio bands, but through just one connection. Again, this is designed to minimize latency and interference, while also allowing the data to flow with a faster throughput performance than ever before.
With this in mind, WiFi 7 is also going to include an RTWT – restricted target wake time – feature. This means that it will reserve bandwidth depending on the size of data transmissions. What does this lead to? Well, it means that your WiFi will essentially individualize your data, conserve battery life, and optimize network resources all at the same time. Clever WiFi!
The Future Of WiFI
While this all sounds very exciting, it’s worth reiterating that WiFi 7 is not here yet, nor will it be for another year at least. While some sources are citing May 2024 as a possible WiFi 7 release date, it is technically still in development, so we’d say it’s unlikely to be available before the end of next year.
Until then, keep using the WiFI you’ve got now. It’s still good, remember?! But content yourself with the fact that there’s something even better coming on the horizon.
