NetworkTigers examines Wi-Fi 7 vs Wi-Fi 6 to reveal what’s new and faster and why it matters for your next upgrade.
It might have seemed like you upgraded to Wi-Fi 6 or 6E just yesterday, but its successor has already arrived. Wi-Fi 7 promises faster speeds and lower latency, and it has a few other features that networking pros should know about.
What is Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of internet connection. Also known as IEEE 802.11be, but termed Wi-Fi 7 for ease, this new standard is backward compatible, but you will need to invest in specific hardware to take full advantage of it.
If you just invested in Wi-Fi 6, don’t fret. Wi-Fi 7 will continue to support the 802.11ax 6GHz band while extending the channel width up to 320 MHz. It will also use 4096QAM symbols, with 16 spatial streams.
What are the benefits of Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 is expected to have the capacity to handle high data input beyond 30 Gbps with extremely low latency. This will be a key technology for higher definition video streaming (think over 4k), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Cloud gamers can rejoin with lower lag time, but they’re not the only ones. Businesses can also benefit from Wi-Fi 7’s streamlined capacity, especially those that might share larger or crowded networks. Because of these benefits, highly congested areas like cities or shared office buildings might like to consider investing in Wi-Fi 7. Overlapping network troubles and too many devices hogging bandwidth might become a thing of the past with a switch to Wi-Fi 7.
Wi-Fi 7 vs Wi-Fi 6
It’s understandable to be skeptical about this latest advancement, since Wi-Fi 7 comes so close to its predecessor, Wi-Fi 6E, which utilizes much of the same technology. Wi-Fi 7 uses the same bands, 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz. However, it also does much more, like:
- Widening channels. Wi-Fi 6E supports channels as wide as 160 MHz, but Wi-Fi 7 takes that advancement and expands upon it. Wi-Fi 7 supports channels that are up to 320 MHz wide. Like a highway expansion project, the more lanes of traffic, the faster congestion can clear up. You might not see a noticeable difference for a network without many data packets. On crowded connections, the advantages of wider channels become immediately apparent through faster data transfer and reduced latency.
- Heightened QAM. Wi-Fi 6 supports 1,024-QAM, a significant leap past Wi-Fi 5’s limitations at 256-QAM. Wi-Fi 7 now supports 4K-QAM, which represents a 20% increase in peak performance. Now, networking pros know that higher QAM can be a mixed bag. As QAM goes up, its range drops, and complications can arise with signal strength and background noise over radio frequencies. However, this increase is balanced by advancements in OFDMA, MU-MIMO, and TWT carried over from Wi-Fi 6, allowing 4096-QAM to deliver real performance gains.
- Employing Multi-Link Operation (MLO). MLO is perhaps the most exciting development of Wi-Fi 7. MLO combines several frequencies across bands into one single connection. MLO is the secret behind Wi-Fi 7’s more efficient performance. Every other Wi-Fi standard still needs to establish connections on a single band. Even Wi-Fi 6E routers connect two devices on one band, over a fixed channel, selecting between their 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz capabilities. This means that the other bands are consistently underutilized or that some devices are pushed onto the slower option when the network gets crowded. Wi-Fi 7 solves this problem, allowing different devices to simultaneously send and receive data across different frequency bands and channels.
Who should upgrade to Wi-Fi 7?
Anyone who works from home should consider the benefits of Wi-Fi 7. If you have multiple laptops, smart devices, security cameras, phone lines, and more installed, jumping to Wi-Fi 7 can solve many of the headaches you likely face. Most devices, like phones and laptops, can only handle one or two concurrent streams. Wi-Fi 7 offers the potential to handle six or eight streams, which can serve multiple tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, and more, across a wider array of locations.
Additionally, anyone who works with high-quality video, like video editors or content creators, may want to consider Wi-Fi 7, cloud gamers, and anyone interested in AR or VR.
Finally, businesses that handle crowded traffic should consider Wi-Fi 7 in their upgrades to future-proof their investment. Network equipment purchasing managers should seriously consider a Wi-Fi 7 router over any equivalent. The availability of Wi-Fi 7 devices may still be limited, but they are on the way. It makes no sense to buy a router that can only handle Wi-Fi 6 or 6E connections, and then a year or two down the line upgrade phones or laptops with more advanced capabilities than your “new” system can offer.
What are the downsides of Wi-Fi 7?
The major downside of Wi-Fi 7 at the moment is the expense. Unless all your devices are compatible with Wi-Fi 7, you won’t see the difference it can make. For instance, you will not see the benefits if you’ve invested in a new router that works with Wi-Fi 7, but you’re still using your old laptop that does not. For most users, there is no urgent need to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7. However, anyone serious about staying on top of technological advancements should consider Wi-Fi 7 over Wi-Fi 6 in their upgrades.
A practical upgrade path is to start with a Wi-Fi 7-compatible router, then gradually replace devices to match its capabilities. With over 233 million Wi-Fi 7 devices expected by year’s end, investing in the latest standard can help future-proof your network.
About NetworkTigers
NetworkTigers is the leader in the secondary market for Grade A, seller-refurbished networking equipment. Founded in January 1996 as Andover Consulting Group, which built and re-architected data centers for Fortune 500 firms, NetworkTigers provides consulting and network equipment to global governmental agencies, Fortune 2000, and healthcare companies. www.networktigers.com.
