The World’s Fastest WiFi Ever — WiFi 7 (An introduction to the cutting-edge WiFi innovations)

What exactly is WiFi 7? How is it different from the previous WiFi standards? How will this next-gen WiFi benefit you? What role will TP-Link play in the development of WiFi 7 technology? Here is everything you need to know.

Evolution of WiFi standards

Ever since the first IEEE 802.11 project was launched 32 years ago, the connection between humans has changed. 802.11n WiFi 4 (64 QAM) first introduced the 5 GHz band and MIMO technology. We have since moved to WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E. The latest 6 GHz band has taken a giant leap forward for WiFi.

Today, with the higher networking performance demands and a more responsive connectivity environment, WiFi 7 represents the next step into the future. Some vendors like Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Media Tek, have begun to promote WiFi 7 solutions.

Introducing WiFi 7

WiFi 7 is the latest WiFi standard, also known as IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT).

Like WiFi 6E, WiFi 7 will operate on the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. For the first time, this cutting-edge technology introduces the 320 MHz channel bandwidth, 4096 QAM, 16 spatial streams, Multi-RU, and Multi-link operation. WiFi 7 dramatically hits the peak data rates of 40 Gbps, more than four times faster than WiFi 6/6E and about six times faster than WiFi 5. These features offer 50% lower latency than WiFi 6, increasing transmission efficiency. WiFi 7 will allow larger network capacity for more devices and deliver more reliable performance in crowded networks.

PHY layer enhancements

Wider 320 MHz channels and more channelization: The 320 MHz channel with 6 GHz spectrum doubles throughput comparing the 160 MHz channel. It will reduce competition over bandwidth and drops in speeds.
Newly 4096 QAM Modulation: WiFi 7 supports higher modulation orders from 1024 to 4096 QAM. Using 4096 QAM, the data rate is 20% faster than WiFi 6 1024 QAM.
Preamble Puncturing: To avoid interference, this new enhancement allows selective puncturing of overlapping portions of the spectrum to let the data flow only on the clear frequencies. It makes a huge difference, especially in a crowded network environment.

MAC layer enhancements — MLO

Multi-Link Operation (MLO) enables link aggregation, allowing more than seven times the aggregate data rate than WiFi 6. Other benefits such as higher reliability and lower latency are perfect for smooth video streaming, extreme online gaming, and immersive AR/VR.

How is it different from the previous WiFi standards?

	Wi-Fi 4	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi-Fi 7
Launch date	2007	2013	2019	2021	2024E
IEEE standard	802.11n	802.11ac	802.11ax		802.11be
Maximum data rate	1.2 Gbps	3.5 Gbps	9.6 Gbps		40 Gbps
Bands	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz	5 GHz	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz
Security	WPA 2	WPA 2	WPA 3		WPA 3
Channel size	20 MHz, 40 MHz	20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, (2×) 160 MHz	20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, (7×) 160 MHz*		Up to 320 MHz
Modulation	64-QAM	256-QAM	1024-QAM		4096-QAM
MIMO	4x4 MIMO	4x4 MIMO, DL MU-MIMO	8x8 MU-MIMO		16x16 MIMO
Highlights	•Introducing MIMO	•Introducing 160 MHz Channel •Faster Speed with 5 GHz band	•4x More Capacity •1.25x Speed Improvement •4x Longer OFDM Symbol •160 MHz Channel Width •OFDMA, 8x8 MU-MIMO	•Extended to the Latest 6 GHz Band •Congestion-Free, Less Interference, and Lower Latency •7x 160 MHz Channels for More Spectrum*	•Newly Introduced 4096-QAM •Wider 320 MHz Channel Bandwidth •16 Spatial Streams •Multi-Link Operation

*The FCC opened up 1200 MHz (7× 160 MHz) of spectrum in the 6GHz band, paving the way for WiFi 6E in the US. The European Union has opened up 480 MHz (3× 160 MHz) spectrum in the 6GHz band to implement wireless access systems.

What does this next-gen WiFi mean to you?

Are you troubled by an increasing number of wireless devices? Are your devices always getting stuck in heavy traffic? Are you concerned about overcrowding on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands or interference from your neighbors? WiFi 7 will fix all these problems, taking your everyday network performance to a new level. It is ideal for various use cases such as 8K media streaming, large file transfer, AR/VR, cloud computing, remote work, and video meetings.

TP-Link will become one of the pioneers leading the way of WiFi 7 and will remain one of the strongest providers of wireless networking technology in the future.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Learn more info about TP-Link WiFi 7>>

Contact: pr@tp-link.com

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