The latest generation WiFi standard, WiFi 7, promises unprecedented speed, reliability, and low latency wireless connectivity. As the cutting-edge successor to WiFi 6, the technology is poised to transform connectivity for businesses of all kinds over the next few years. Here are some of the key ways WiFi 7 will impact organisations.
Unfathomable Speeds
The most headlining capability of WiFi 7 is the raw network bandwidth possible. With theoretical top speeds over 30 Gbps, WiFi 7 achieves four times better average latency versus WiFi 6 networks. For businesses dealing with large media files, IoT sensors or remote access, these speeds open immense new possibilities for wireless traffic over local networks. It truly paves the path for bandwidth-hungry uses cases like 8K streaming at scale.
Advanced Multi-Link Operations
Unlike standard routers, WiFi 7 is engineered to allow multi-link connectivity, aggregating multiple channels simultaneously between transmitting devices for previously impossible bandwidth. For companies that manage remote applications with intensive multimedia needs or extensive digitised workflows, the parallel-streams approach to layered channels creates a powerful alternative to wired Ethernet-level speeds.
Lowest Ever Latency
In addition to headline speeds, WiFi 7 delivers significant latency improvements up to 2ms versus WiFi 6’s 25ms – all thanks to new QoS techniques, operation mode changes and antennas that sense congestion issues proactively. For everything from responsive AR/VR solutions to real-time industrial automation systems, WiFi 7 can finally provide the reliability and precise timing that high-spec enterprise applications require.
Robust Connectivity in Dense Areas
QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) combines and adjusts two amplitude modulation (AM) signals into a single channel. This approach effectively doubles bandwidth and is also used with pulse AM (PAM) in digital systems such as wireless applications. Boasting 4096 QAM, WiFi 7 better provisions bandwidth for devices – even in crowded environments such as enterprise office floors, lecture halls or exhibition spaces. Both download and upload performance see significant jumps, meaning lower dropouts possible for mission-critical applications in high congestion areas.
Overall, WiFi 7 levels-up wireless networking into a new tier over the next few years – powering new digitised workflows and richer customer experiences that depend on robust, ubiquitous, and highly performant connectivity. Businesses positioned to take advantage stand to reap the rewards in productivity, CX and value realisation from what has traditionally been a bottleneck for innovation.