Wi-Fi 7 is the trade name of the IEEE 802.11be standard. The Wi-Fi Alliance launched its Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 program in early 2024, and access points and client devices that support it are becoming common.
What is new
- Channels up to 320 MHz wide in the 6 GHz band, twice the maximum channel width of Wi-Fi 6E
- 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) modulation, about 20% faster than 1024-QAM when the signal is strong
- Multi-Link Operation (MLO): devices connect over several bands at once, cutting latency and improving reliability
- Multi-RU and preamble puncturing: the clean part of a channel can still be used when part of it has interference
Benefits for businesses
The clearest gains are in high-density areas such as meeting rooms, auditoriums and production floors with many mobile devices, and for latency-sensitive applications such as video meetings, augmented reality or autonomous vehicles in plants. Peak theoretical speeds are very high, but real-world throughput depends on client devices, the number of users and the installation environment.
Before you upgrade
- Check the rules for the 6 GHz band in the country of deployment, since 320 MHz channels exist only in that band
- Make sure switches have multi-gigabit ports (2.5/5/10 GbE) and enough PoE budget for the access points
- Review client devices: only Wi-Fi 7 devices can use the new features
- Use WPA3, which is mandatory for 6 GHz operation
- Run a new site survey rather than putting new access points in the old positions
For many offices, Wi-Fi 6/6E still meets today’s needs; Wi-Fi 7 makes most sense for new builds, expansions or networks that are already overloaded. Contact Realtek for a site survey and advice on the right design.
