Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) is the next-generation standard from the Wi-Fi Alliance that defines new features. Wi-Fi 7 builds on Wi-Fi 6E (uses the 6 GHz band) and increases data rates through the use of 320 MHz channels.
6G + 320MHz (Double Width)
When running immersive applications (such as VR/AR), previous Wi-Fi network standards inevitably encounter congestion and low quality of service. To achieve a higher throughput, Wi-Fi 7 will support the 6 GHz frequency band and extend new bandwidth modes, 320 MHz, or non-contiguous 160+160 MHz.
4K-QAM (Lower Latency)
The highest-order modulation supported by Wi-Fi 6 is 1024-QAM, which allows each modulation symbol to carry 10 bits. However, Wi-Fi 7 adopts 4096-QAM so that each modulation symbol can carry 12 bits to further enhance peak rates. With the same transmission, 4096-QAM in Wi-Fi 7 can achieve a 20% rate increase compared with 1024-QAM in Wi-Fi 6, to achieve higher efficiency while watching Ultra HD 8K video.
16×16 MU-MIMO (Higher Capacity)
Wi-Fi 7 increases the number of spatial streams from 8 to 16, increasing the twice number of theoretical physical transmission rates compared with Wi-Fi 6. With more data streams of APs, Wi-Fi 7 meets the growing traffic demands, and increases the capabilities of coordination between APs. Let’s say, 16 data streams can be provided by multiple access points at the same time.
MLO (Higher Transmission Efficiency)
Wi-Fi 7 introduces new spectrum management and transmission mechanisms on the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency radios, MLO (Multiple Link Operation), to efficiently utilize all available network resources. In traditional transmission, devices use a single link to deliver data. MLO realizes varieties of frequency bands send and receive simultaneously to increase throughput and reduce latency in high-streaming scenarios.