TechPhonesNetwork ProvidersWhat is Wi-Fi 7 and when can I get it? Everything you need to know about Wi-Fi 7The new Wi-Fi standard is coming, but what does it mean for connectivity speeds and when will Wi-Fi 7 be available?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechPhonesNetwork ProvidersWhat is Wi-Fi 7 and when can I get it? Everything you need to know about Wi-Fi 7The new Wi-Fi standard is coming, but what does it mean for connectivity speeds and when will Wi-Fi 7 be available?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The new Wi-Fi standard is coming, but what does it mean for connectivity speeds and when will Wi-Fi 7 be available?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Wi-Fi 7 is coming – and the next-gen wireless internet speeds could be here even sooner than you think, thanks to MediaTek having already announced Wi-Fi 7 compliant modems for forthcoming devices.
But what exactly is Wi-Fi 7, why would you want it, when can we expect it to be a standard, and how can you get it? In this Wi-Fi 7 explainer feature we’ll dig into each of those questions in explaining what’s coming down the road for the step-up wireless standard.
What is Wi-Fi 7?
So why does Wi-Fi 7 matter? Well, it’s so much faster than the current Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax standard) that, for when that’s not ample enough, the new standard could spell the end of the need for Ethernet cables being plugged into devices.
Wi-Fi 7 is a bit like how 5G was to 4G in mobile roaming connectivity. That’s to say it’ll permit much faster speed potential, whether you’ve known you needed that or not, but even more importantly it’ll bring lower latency too, which will be key to cutting those cable connections for some tasks.
How fast is Wi-Fi 7?
Just how fast are we talking about Wi-Fi 7 being? It’s a theoretical maximum at present, but it could reach speeds of 30Gbps. That’s thirty gigabits per second. Put that in perspective: the current maximum of Wi-Fi 6 and 6E (known as IEEE 802.11ax standard) is 9.6Gbps. So we’re talking more than a tripling of speed potential.
How can Wi-Fi 7 be so fast? It’s down to a multitude of things. Firstly it utilises the 6GHz band, which is said to offer much less interference than the current 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequency bands.
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In addition, Wi-Fi 7 can utilise something called MLO (multi-link operation) which is a bit like carrier aggregation for mobile phones, in that multiple frequency bands can be used in tandem for optimum performance and consistency.
When can I get Wi-Fi 7?
How will I get Wi-Fi 7 speeds?
To get Wi-Fi 7 speeds you will, of course, need Wi-Fi 7 kit. That’s why it’s important for the Wi-Fi Alliance to approve the protocols of the standard, so then kit can be certified and sold. Because you’ll need kit to achieve such speeds.
That’s across the board, too, so if you want Wi-Fi 7 speeds on, say, your tablet then said device will need to be fitted with the relevant hardware and connected to a compatible router. The whole chain will need to be in on the action. However! Wi-Fi 7 is backwards compatible, too, so there’s no issues in hand-shaking with Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5 standards too.
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