Wi-Fi Like Never Before
What is WiFi 7?
What is WiFi 7?
WiFi 7 is the upcoming WiFi standard, also known as IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT). It works across all three bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) to fully utilize spectrum resources. While WiFi 6 was built in response to the growing number of devices in the world, WiFi 7's goal is to deliver astounding speeds for every device with greater efficiency. If you're struggling with constant buffering, lag, or congestion, a WiFi 7 router may be your best solution.
WiFi 7 introduces 320 MHz ultra-wide bandwidth, 4096-QAM, Multi-RU, and Multi-Link Operation to provide speeds 4.8× faster than WiFi 6 and 13× faster than WiFi 5. Unlock more scenarios than ever before.
| PHY | Number of data subcarriers | Coding rate | Bits/symbol | Time per OFDM symbol (0.8μs GI) |
1SS | 4SS | 8SS | 16SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 802.11ax | 1960 (160 MHz) | ×5/6 | × log2(1024) | ÷ 13.6 μs | 1.2 Gbps | 4.8 Gbps | 9.6 Gbps | N/A |
| 802.11be | 3920 (320 MHz) | ×5/6 | × log2(4096) | ÷ 13.6 μs | 2.88 Gbps | 11.52 Gbps | 23.04 Gbps | 46.08 Gbps |
What WiFi 7 Offers?
With the upcoming 7th generation of WiFi, the ultimate online experience will be unleashed.
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4.8× Faster
WiFi 7 accelerates throughput up to 46 Gbps.
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4× Lower Latency*
Ultra smooth Wi-Fi with 4× lower latency than Wi-Fi 6/6E routers enables emerging applications to always run at top performance.
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5× Network Capacity*
With 320 MHz and MLO (Multi-Link Operation), WiFi 7 provides up to 5× greater capacity than WiFi 6.
*Data is from laboratory tests. Maximum wireless signal rates are the physical rates derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications. Actual wireless data throughput and wireless coverage are not guaranteed and will vary as a result of network conditions, client limitations, and environmental factors, including building materials, obstacles, volume and density of traffic, and client location.
What’s Different from the Previous Generations?
Although WiFi 6 provided 37% faster speeds, it was not as impactful as the 10-fold rate increase that WiFi 5 brought. The difference stemmed from the original intention of the WiFi 6 project, which aimed to improve efficiency rather than data rates. WiFi 7, on the other hand, is designed for a generation of higher throughput.
WiFi 7 makes giant strides in throughput — 480% more than previous generations. Thanks to backward compatibility a WiFi 7 router opens up your entire home to the latest online experiences.
| WiFi 5 | WiFi 6 | WiFi 6E | WiFi 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch date | 2013 | 2019 | 2021 | 2024 (expected) |
| IEEE standard | 802.11ac | 802.11ax | 802.11ax | 802.11be |
| Max data rate | 3.5 Gbps | 9.6 Gbps | 9.6 Gbps | 46 Gbps |
| Bands | 5 GHz | 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz | 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz | 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz |
| Channel size | 20, 40, 80, 80+80, 160 MHz | 20, 40, 80, 80+80, 160 MHz | 20, 40, 80, 80+80, 160 MHz | Up to 320 MHz |
| Modulation | 256-QAM OFDM | 1024-QAM OFDMA | 1024-QAM sOFDMA | 4096-QAM OFDMA (with extensions) |
| MIMO | 4×4 MIMO DL MIMO | 8×8 UL/DL MU-MIMO | 8×8 UL/DL MU-MIMO | 16×16 UL/DL MU-MIMO |
| RU | / | RU | RU | Multi-RUs |
| MAC | / | / | / | MLO |
How Does WiFi 7 Work?
These exciting enhancements and major lifestyle changes are made possible by WiFi 7's innovative technologies. All these breakthroughs will help the digital age to enjoy even more eye-opening experiences.
Double the Width, Double the Speed
Up to 320 MHz on 6 GHz
WiFi 7 unleashes the full potential of the 6 GHz band to double the bandwidth of the last generation. Extending channel width to 320 MHz also enables many more simultaneous transmissions at the fastest possible speeds.
Double the Streams, Double the Capacity
16 × 16 MU-MIMO
To meet the growing traffic demands generated by the increasing number of WiFi devices, APs have continued to increase the number of antennas and improve spatial multiplexing capabilities. WiFi 7 increases the number of spatial streams from 8 to 16. The theoretical physical transmission rate is thus doubled compared with WiFi 6. With WiFi 7's 16 streams, every device has enough bandwidth to run smoothly.
Packs 120% Data for Higher Speeds
4K-QAM
To further enhance peak rates, WiFi 7 adopts a higher-order modulation scheme: 4096-QAM. This enables each symbol to carry 12 bits rather than 10 bits, which means 20% higher theoretical transmission rates than WiFi 6’s 1024-QAM. A higher transmission rate allows users to obtain higher transmission efficiency. Now you can watch flawless 4K/8K videos, play massive online games without lag, or live stream from your home computer. With 4096-QAM, streaming just got that much better.
10 bits/symbol
12 bits/symbol
User 1
User 2
Not Used
User 1
User 2
Multi-RUs
Makes Full Use of Every Resource
Multi-RU
With WiFi 6, each user can only send or receive frames on an assigned resource unit (RU), which significantly limits the flexibility of the spectrum resource scheduling. To solve this problem and further enhance spectral efficiency, WiFi 7 allows multiple RUs to be assigned to a single user and can combine RUs for increased transmission efficiency.
No Waste, No Congestion
Preamble Puncturing
Before, busy channels meant bands could not be fully used. Data would only be sent through the primary channel. Now, with Preamble Puncturing, the interference can be blocked, opening up more channels to use.
Without Preamble Puncturing
Unavailable
These channels are wasted
With Preamble Puncturing
Puncturing
These channels are available
Single Link
Multi-Link
or
Higher Speed, Lower Latency, More Reliable
Multi-Link Operation
Traditional WiFi devices use a single link to transmit data. With Multi-Link Operation (MLO), WiFi 7 enables devices to simultaneously send and receive data across different frequency bands and channels to increase throughput, reduce latency, and improve reliability for emerging applications like VR/AR, online gaming, remote offices, and cloud computing.
WiFi 7 Applications
Who Needs WiFi 7?
TP-Link Wi-Fi 7 Products
*Maximum wireless signal rates are the physical rates derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications. Actual wireless data throughput and wireless coverage are not guaranteed and will vary as a result of network conditions, client limitations, and environmental factors, including building materials, obstacles, volume and density of traffic, and client location. Data is from semiconductor companies.