Wi-Fi 7 heralds the next generation of wireless networks

Wi-Fi 6E products only started arriving in the US last year, but the tech world is always looking to the future. Wi-Fi 7 represents the next generation of wireless networking protocol, and today is the first time anyone has claimed that the technology works.

Wi-Fi 7 is not yet available as the Wi-Fi Alliance is still creating the standard. Wi-Fi 7, also known as the IEEE 802.11be standard, is expected to deliver a maximum throughput of “at least 30Gbps”, according to the Wi-FI Alliance , which is a big blow from Wi-Fi 6’s claim of 9. 6 Gbps. an even bigger jump from WiFi 5’s 3.5Gbps. Keep in mind, though, that all three speeds are theoretical. Don’t expect to reach these numbers by browsing the web at home.

The next Wi-Fi standard aims to meet the growing networking needs of emerging technologies such as 4K and 8K streaming, virtual and augmented reality, and cloud gaming and computing by reducing latency and jitter through physical (PHY) layer and media improvements. access control (MAC).

Wi-Fi 7 should also be backwards compatible with products using the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz frequency bands, but there is still much to be learned about the future technology. However, the news of the Wi-Fi 7 demo means that more people are starting to see the protocol in action.

Today, MediaTek said it is hosting the first live demos of Wi-Fi 7. Its customers and “industry employees”are checking out a couple of demos through MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 Filogic portfolio, which includes Wi-Fi chips.

Alan Hsu, corporate vice president and general manager of Intelligent Connectivity at MediaTek, gave some insight into how the company sees the future of its Wi-Fi 7 chips, pointing to “home, office and industrial networking”and multi-user AR/VR applications. cloud gaming and 4K and 8K streaming.

In addition, a MediaTek spokesperson told Ars Technica that the company “will have Wi-Fi 7 technology and chips as part of our full portfolio of connectivity across the entire product portfolio (similar to how we do it now with Wi-Fi 6, which product lines, such as Chromebooks, smartphones, etc.).” MediaTek’s current Wi-Fi 6 and 6E based chips are used in applications ranging from consumer routers to laptops, TVs, cameras, business-grade routers, and the broader Internet of Things.

The semiconductor company would also like to demonstrate how well network traffic gets through in the presence of interference or congestion using Wi-Fi 7’s multi-channel operation (MLO) capabilities, which use multiple frequency bands simultaneously.

“Wi-Fi 7’s improvements in channel width, QAM [Quadrature Amplitude Modulation] and new features such as multi-channel operation (MLO) will make Wi-Fi 7 very attractive to devices including flagship smartphones, PCs, consumer devices, and vertical industries. such as retail and industry; as service providers begin to roll out a wider range of access points in these market segments,” said Mario Morales, vice president of the semiconductor group at IDC, in a statement accompanying MediaTek’s announcement.

MediaTek pointed to Wi-Fi 7 using the same number of antennas as Wi-Fi 6 and 320 MHz channels, compared to 160 MHz with Wi-Fi 6.

Wi-Fi 7 release date

Until the protocol is finalized, it’s hard to say when we’ll see Wi-Fi 7 branded routers and other products. However, MediaTek, which helped develop the standard, said the devices should be available in 2023. We have reached out to the Wi-Fi Alliance for more information and will update this article if we get a response.

Until the protocol is finalized, it’s hard to say when we’ll see Wi-Fi 7 branded routers and other products. However, MediaTek, which helped develop the standard, said the devices should be available in 2023.

When asked, the Wi-Fi Alliance did not provide a specific timeline, but said that the Wi-Fi Certified stamp is a “required component”and that the Wi-Fi Alliance “will communicate expectations regarding the Wi-Fi implementation timeline.”Fi Certified 7 on the go.”