Is Wi-Fi 7 Technology Already Mature? A Current Status Analysis

As information networks continue to expand and upgrade, the new generation Wi-Fi standard Wi-Fi 7 has already been deployed in some regions globally. Based on IEEE 802.11be technology core, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to gradually achieve market coverage in the next two years, with an estimated 2.1 billion Wi-Fi 7 devices entering the market by 2028. Is the increasingly expanding Wi-Fi 7 technology mature? What real-world conditions mainly affect its deployment? When can it achieve widespread commercial use?

 

 

Is Wi-Fi 7 Technology Mature at the Current Stage?

 

Regarding current development characteristics, Wi-Fi 7 technology can be considered to be in a rapid development phase, but it's not yet fully mature or widely commercialized. Its deployment status and technological development have the following characteristics:

Technical Progress: Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) standard development has reached the D3.0 stage. The Wi-Fi Alliance plans to advance Wi-Fi 7 certification testing, and widespread commercialization is expected to begin after the Wi-Fi Alliance certification is launched.

Market Acceptance: Despite Wi-Fi 7's significant technical advantages, market acceptance shows some lag. IDC predicts that Wi-Fi 7 AP shipments in the Chinese market will exceed 20% in 2024, with a compound growth rate of 50% over the next three years.

Product Launch Status: Currently, there aren't many Wi-Fi 7 products on the market, and they're mainly sold overseas, such as Ruijie Reyee's RG-RAP72Pro, RG-RAP73HD, and RG-EW7200BE PRO, which are widely used in regions where 6G bands are open, including the United States, Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. As the first manufacturer in the SMB industry to introduce Wi-Fi 7 technology to the market, Ruijie Reyee's products feature independent research and development characteristics and several industry-unique functions, such as one-click optimization, RE Mesh, AP stand-alone PORTAL, and three-layer roaming functions. Their product development and upgrades are highly anticipated.

 

 

RG-EW7200BE PRO，Cloud-Managed 7200 Mbps Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router

 

Industry Chain Development: Overall, the Wi-Fi 7 industry is still in its early stages, with relevant standards expected to be implemented soon. In the Wi-Fi field, China's main industry chain consists of chips, products, and service applications, with chips and their solutions being the core and key to the industry.

Price and Consumer Acceptance: Currently, Wi-Fi 7 products are limited in the market and prices are relatively high. As Wi-Fi 7 technology matures and alliance certification progresses, more Wi-Fi 7 products will become available to consumers, and product prices will decrease.

Upgrade Cycle: Considering that Wi-Fi 6 was officially released in 2019, which is relatively recent, and most homes and offices replaced their equipment with Wi-Fi 6 devices around 2020, it remains to be seen whether consumers will be willing to upgrade their Wi-Fi networks to Wi-Fi 7 immediately.

Application Scenarios: Wi-Fi 7 is suitable for emerging application scenarios such as virtual reality, ultra-high-definition video, and industrial internet, but Wi-Fi 6 remains the mainstream choice for office and home environments.

 

So in simple terms, although Wi-Fi 7 technology shows enormous potential and advantages, it is still in its early stages, and it is expected to take some time before gradually achieving widespread commercial use.

 

In Which Scenarios Will Wi-Fi 7 Technology Mainly Be Applied?

 

Currently, smartphones, personal computers, tablets, and access points (AP) will be the earliest adopters of Wi-Fi 7 technology, while customer premises equipment (CPE) and augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) devices will also continue to receive early market attention. Specifically, the application scenarios of Wi-Fi 7 technology can be summarized in the following five core areas:

Extended Reality (XR): Wi-Fi 7's low latency and high bandwidth characteristics make it an ideal technology for supporting extended reality experiences such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

Ultra-High-Definition Video Streaming: Wi-Fi 7 can support 8K video streams and other high-resolution content transmission, providing high-quality streaming services for homes and public areas.

Smart Home and Internet of Things (IoT): Wi-Fi 7 will enhance the connectivity of smart home devices, improving the performance and efficiency of the entire home network.

Enterprise Networks: In enterprise environments, Wi-Fi 7 provides more efficient wireless connections, meeting the needs of office automation and remote collaboration.

Industrial Automation: Wi-Fi 7's high reliability and low latency characteristics make it suitable for industrial IoT applications such as Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing.

 

As the technology matures, products launch, prices decrease, and market demand increases, Wi-Fi 7 will gradually replace Wi-Fi 6 as the mainstream wireless network technology. With its key role in improving data transmission rates, reducing latency, and increasing frequency band efficiency, Wi-Fi 7 technology will effectively meet the future high-speed, low-latency network requirements in various usage scenarios, and its applications will further expand and gradually become commonplace in ordinary households.