Home > Tech Gallery > The Era of WiFi 7 for All Begins, with Comprehensive Upgrades in Efficiency and Technology
Time: October 24th, 2024
The urgent demand for high-speed network transmission due to the development of next-generation AI technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) has propelled the acceleration of wireless network technology upgrades. At the beginning of the year, the Wi-Fi Alliance officially unveiled the WiFi 7 standard at the CES exhibition, signaling that a new generation of WiFi 7 terminal products have been officially launched.
I. What is WiFi 7?
WiFi 7, also known as 802.11be or Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is the latest generation of wireless network technology. It evolves from WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and aims to provide higher data transmission rates, lower latency, and enhanced network performance to meet the growing demands of future wireless communications.
II. What are the differences between WiFi 7, WiFi 6, and WiFi 5?
WiFi 7, WiFi 6, and WiFi 5 represent a continuous evolution of wireless network communication standards. They differ significantly in terms of speed, efficiency, frequency band support, and technical characteristics.
1. Speed
WiFi 5: Also known as 802.11ac, it can achieve data transmission rates of over 1Gbps, which was a significant improvement over previous WiFi standards. However, as network demands have grown, this speed has gradually become less sufficient.
WiFi 6: Also known as 802.11ax, it achieved an even greater leap in speed. By adopting Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology and supporting wider channel bandwidths (up to 160MHz), WiFi 6 can achieve data transmission rates of several thousand Mbps or even higher. This enables WiFi 6 to more effectively handle situations where a large number of devices are connected simultaneously.
WiFi 7: Also known as 802.11be, it is the latest generation of WiFi technology. It offers unprecedented data transmission speeds of up to 30Gbps, which is three times faster than that of WiFi 6. This speed increase means users can download and upload large files in a shorter amount of time and enjoy a smoother internet experience.
2. Efficiency and Frequency Band Support
WiFi 5: Primarily uses the 5GHz frequency band, improving data transmission rates through wider channel bandwidths and higher modulation schemes. It also introduced Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) technology, allowing the network to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously.
WiFi 6: Not only inherited all the advantages of WiFi 5 but also further optimized MU-MIMO technology and introduced OFDMA technology. OFDMA divides the spectrum into smaller subcarriers, enabling more flexible spectrum utilization and reducing the risk of network congestion. Additionally, WiFi 6 supports more efficient modulation and coding techniques, such as 1024-QAM, further improving data transmission efficiency.
WiFi 7: Builds upon WiFi 6 with comprehensive upgrades. It introduces Coordinated Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (CMU-MIMO) technology, supporting up to 16 data streams, compared to WiFi 6's 8 streams, further increasing network capacity. WiFi 7 also supports the 6GHz frequency band, operating alongside the traditional 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, which opens up possibilities for even more efficient wireless communication.
3. Technical Characteristics
WiFi 5: As an earlier WiFi standard, its technical characteristics were relatively basic. However, for the application scenarios at the time, it was sufficient to meet user needs.
WiFi 6: Adopted several new technologies to optimize network performance. For example, the Target Wake Time (TWT) feature allows end devices to enter a sleep state when not transmitting data, thus saving battery consumption. Additionally, WiFi 6 supports longer data transmission times and narrower bandwidth transmissions, which help reduce packet loss rates and improve coverage range.
WiFi 7: Achieves even greater technological breakthroughs. In addition to supporting CMU-MIMO and the 6GHz frequency band, WiFi 7 introduces 4K QAM technology, increasing theoretical transmission rates by 20%. Furthermore, it adopts Multi-Link Operation (MLO) multi-band aggregation technology, allowing mobile devices to simultaneously connect to multiple wireless frequency bands, enabling frequency band aggregation. Moreover, WiFi 7 optimizes OFDMA technology, further enhancing network efficiency and stability.
III. What are the specific advantages of WiFi 7?
Compared to WiFi 6 and WiFi 5, WiFi 7 networks present significant advantages, with key metrics such as transmission speed and stability showing notable improvements.
1. Faster Speed
WiFi 7 introduces new technologies and standards, such as a 320MHz channel bandwidth and 4K QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), enabling a maximum transmission speed of 30Gbps to 46Gbps, far exceeding WiFi 6's maximum of 9.6Gbps. This means users can enjoy faster download and upload speeds, meeting growing demands like instant transfer of large files and seamless high-definition video streaming.
2. Lower Latency
WiFi 7 achieves lower latency through the use of more advanced modulation and demodulation techniques and optimized data scheduling algorithms, better ensuring real-time and accurate data transmission, thus enhancing user experience. This is particularly important for applications that require instant response, such as online gaming, remote surgery, and real-time high-definition video conferencing.
3. Larger Capacity
WiFi 7 has a larger capacity, allowing it to accommodate more devices while maintaining high efficiency. This means that even in crowded environments, such as large conferences, public spaces, or smart home settings, users can still obtain a stable network connection without their experience being affected by network factors.
4. Higher Efficiency
WiFi 7 utilizes more efficient signal encoding and decoding technology, improving spectrum utilization. This not only increases network capacity but also allows more devices to connect to the same network simultaneously without significantly impacting performance. Additionally, WiFi 7 supports Target Wake Time (TWT) functionality, which enables devices to negotiate with access points on when to wake up to receive data, thus saving power and extending battery life.
5. Stronger Reliability
WiFi 7 has greatly improved in terms of interference resistance. It uses wider channel bandwidth and new BSS coloring technology, enabling data transmission and reception over a larger range, thereby improving signal quality and reducing network interference. Features like Multi-Link Operation and Enhanced MU-MIMO also help to increase the reliability of WiFi 7, providing stable connections even in congested environments.
6. Higher Level of Intelligence
WiFi 7 introduces more intelligent features, such as adaptive frequency allocation and channel management functions. These help devices automatically select the best channels and frequencies for more efficient data transmission. Furthermore, WiFi 7 supports collaboration with next-generation mobile communication technologies like 5G, offering seamless network switching and unified, high-quality service.
IV. Current Development Status of WiFi 7
International research firm Gartner believes that the market penetration rate of WiFi 7 could reach 10% by 2024, and is estimated to exceed 50%, reaching 54% by 2027. For the Chinese market, IDC forecasts that WiFi 7 AP shipments will exceed 20% in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 50% over the next three years. Additionally, the Wi-Fi Alliance forecasts that by the end of 2024, WiFi 7-based devices will reach 233 million units, expected to grow to 2.1 billion by 2028. These figures indicate that WiFi 7 is rapidly entering the market and is likely to achieve widespread adoption in the coming years.
As the technology continues to mature and market acceptance grows, an increasing number of manufacturers are beginning to roll out WiFi 7 products. Reyee is the first manufacturer in the SMB industry to introduce WiFi 7 technology to the market. Currently, Reyee have launched three WiFi 7 products, which are widely used in regions where the 6G frequency band is available, such as the United States, Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. Reyee's WiFi 7 products feature independently developed one-click optimization, RE Mesh, AP stand-alone PORTAL, and three-layer roaming capabilities, all of which are unique in the industry.
V. Future Prospects of WiFi 7
In the future, WiFi 7 products are expected to be widely applied across various scenarios, especially in high-traffic areas such as stadiums, shopping malls, and popular tourist spots. WiFi 7 will be capable of supporting simultaneous internet access for tens of thousands of people while ensuring the security of related data. Based on industry characteristics, sectors such as education, manufacturing, healthcare, and office environments are likely to prioritize the upgrade to WiFi 7 networks. For example, in the education sector, WiFi 7 can support the stable operation of multimedia/multifunctional classrooms, driving innovation in smart education. In the healthcare sector, WiFi 7 can facilitate applications such as high-definition medical imaging and remote consultations, improving medical efficiency.
