It may seem like just yesterday internet equipment companies were advertising Wi-Fi 6 and 6E — you may have even just upgraded your equipment to support one of these Wi-Fi generations.But Wi-Fi 7 has already arrived, and it’s even faster than the previous generations.Wi-Fi 7 is, you guessed it, the seventh generation of Wi-Fi, which offers faster speeds, lower latency and higher network capacity than its most recent predecessors, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E.
Wi-Fi 7 has only been considered fully developed and available for about one year.The Wi-Fi Alliance officially introduced Wi-Fi 7 in January 2024, which allowed manufacturers to certify devices as Wi-Fi 7 compatible, and companies that already developed Wi-Fi 7 products could finally make them available to the public.Wi-Fi 7 has been anticipated since the early days of Wi-Fi 6, and Wi-Fi 8 is already in the works, illustrating the fast-paced world of Wi-Fi and internet technology advancements.
Many routers and devices still operate with Wi-Fi 6 and 6E standards — which is more than suitable for most households.But now that Wi-Fi 7 is up and running, more devices are launching with the latest standard.While Wi-Fi 7 promises the latest and greatest Wi-Fi tech, you can only reap the benefits if you have a router and device that both support it.
Who is Wi-Fi 7 for? Wi-Fi 7 targets those who require extremely fast internet speeds, low latency and those who need many devices simultaneously connected without any issues.The average residential internet user likely doesn’t need to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 immediately, but certain users, such as heavy gamers, streamers and those with smart homes, would benefit from its advancements.Aside from residential users, business and public spaces would also find Wi-Fi 7 beneficial due to its ability to handle many connected devices under one network due to increased bandwidth technology.
Do you need Wi-Fi 7? Whether you need to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 compatible devices depends on your internet needs.Not everyone needs this new standard and the speeds it promises, especially if you already have Wi-Fi 6 or 6E devices, which are more than capable of delivering fast speeds to support heavy internet users.Wi-Fi 7 is backward compatible, meaning it can work with older devices using older Wi-Fi standards, like Wi-Fi 5, 6 and 6E.
While this sounds convenient, you wouldn’t be getting all of Wi-Fi 7’s benefits since these devices don’t support it.Only devices that support Wi-Fi 7 can take advantage of the fast speeds and other benefits we’ve mentioned.So, unless you want to fully upgrade your equipment and devices, which could be expensive, then Wi-Fi 7 may not be worth it.
If you want to upgrade your internet connection, however, investing in the latest Wi-Fi standard could be a solution.Wi-Fi 7 capabilities have already been introduced into devices and equipment, like routers and smartphones, so if you want to prioritize connection speed and efficiency, this is the best way to do it.While you may not need Wi-Fi 7 now, more new devices that hit the market will be compatible with Wi-Fi 7.
So, if you know you’ll be in the market for a new device or two down the line, start thinking about overall network upgrades to ensure you’re getting the most out of your equipment and connection.Key features of Wi-Fi 7 The main improvements we see in Wi-Fi 7 result in faster speeds, lower latency and higher network capacity.The Wi-Fi Alliance lists several key benefits of Wi-Fi 7.
We explain them below: “Higher throughput” – This means that Wi-Fi 7 has a faster data transfer rate (faster speeds) “Improved support for deterministic latency” – New tech to lower latency and keep it consistent (lower latency = less delay in response) “Enhanced efficiency, even in dense networks” – Even in crowded networks with many connected devices taking up bandwidth, Wi-Fi 7 maintains a high-performing, reliable connection “Increase robustness and reliability” – Wi-Fi 7 is designed to be more reliable than its predecessors. “Reduced power consumption” – Wi-Fi 7 is more energy efficient and can extend the battery life of Wi-Fi 7 devices The technology behind Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 is based on the IEEE 802.11be Wi-Fi technology.It operates across the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz frequency bands, delivering wider channel bandwidth and reduced device interference.The tech behind this newest Wi-Fi standard can sound complicated, but it essentially delivers all of the mentioned benefits because of the implementation of new channels, Multi-Link Operation (MLO), 4K QAM, 512 Compressed Block Ack and Multiple RUs to a single STA.
Don’t worry, all of this is explained below:
320 MHz superwide channels – Only available on the 6 GHz frequency band, these channels provide twice the throughput of Wi-Fi 6 and enable multigigabit speeds
Multi-Link Operation (MLO) – Allows for network traffic to travel across different frequency bands and channels, leading to faster data speeds
4K QAM – Increases the amount of data that can be transmitted across a Wi-Fi connection, resulting in faster speeds
512 Compressed Block Ack – Improves efficiency
Multiple RUs to a single STA – Again, this increases efficiency, allows for faster speeds and reduces latency
Get more of your broadband questions answered at our Resource Center.Written by:
Camryn Smith
Camryn Smith started writing for Allconnect in July 2022 and has developed broadband expertise across the landscape, including home internet providers, plans, pricing and equipment, as well as internet technolog…
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Edited by:
Anine Sus
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