At the beginning of this year, specifically on January 9, 2024, the launch of the new WiFi 7 connectivity standard was announced by WiFi Alliance. This news was received with great enthusiasm, since it represents a much higher performance than previous standards. In this article we are going to explain What is WiFi 7 and what are the Windows versions where it can be used.
The technical name of WiFi 7 is actually 802.11be, it will be a standard that offers us better performance and greater bandwidth than Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. On paper, it will be capable of reaching 48 Gbps, which means almost quadrupling the capacity and speed currently obtained using a WiFi 6 router.
WiFi 7 comes to respond to a real need that we all know well, because we live with it every day. Everyone has more and more simultaneously connected devices in their homes and offices. In addition, these devices consume more and more bandwidth. It is needed a faster, but also smarter connection.
Improvements that come with WiFi 7
This is a brief summary of all the new improvements and advantages that come to us with the new WiFi 7 standard, explained very succinctly:
- faster internet: The maximum speed of WiFi-7 is 46 Gbps, which far exceeds the maximum of the previous standard. Between four and five times more. It also has 320 MHz of channel width, double the previous standards, which was 160 MHz.
- More capacity of transmitters and receivers: MIMO technology (multiple input, multiple output) provides higher transfer rates, broader coverage and greater user capacity.
- MLO Multi-Operation: A great novelty that consists of the ability to transmit data through different frequency bands at the same time. These are the two options available:
- Multi-radio and also to send and receive data simultaneously using the higher bandwidth.
- Single-radio and also to send or receive data for the less saturated frequency, thus reducing latency.
- Multi RU (Multiple resource units): The user can use resource units that are available in order to increase the efficiency of the network.
- 4096 QAM Modulation: Taking into account that in the previous standards we had a maximum of 1024QAM, we find a notable increase, which also ensures a more optimized connection.
- Preamble Puncturing: Flexible use of channels, a very convenient advantage in interference situations. Thus, instead of canceling the entire channel, the unaffected part can continue to be used.
Comparison between WiFi 6 and WiFi 7
Let's see in a more summary way what the main differences are between WiFi 6 and WiFi 7, which will help us understand the progress involved in the implementation of this new standard:
By carefully observing the data in this table, we can see that this new standard stands out above all for a dramatic increase in available transmission capacity, if we compare it with the previous standard, WiFi 6.
On the other hand, the improvements incorporated are capable of reduce latency up to 100 times. An advance that will promote the use of data transmission services in real time. The leap forward is unquestionable.
WiFi 7 apps
What are the real applications of this new connection technology? Experts predict that its implementation will mean the generalization of visual content in 4K and 8K, plus significantly reduce latency when enjoying games on streaming. On the other hand, for the same reasons, it will mean a great boost for the emerging technologies, especially those based on virtual reality and augmented reality.
But as we are still on the verge of the definitive arrival of WiFi 7, there are still few latest generation compatible devices. It is expected that smartphones, smart watches, routers and other gadgets adapted to this connectivity will appear. In fact, it is already rumored that the next Samsung Galaxy S24 will be fully compatible with this new technology.
Supported Windows versions
This may not be good news for many users of Microsoft's operating system: WiFi 7 will only be compatible from a specific version of Windows 11. And that version is the 24:2 pm, which is only available on PCs equipped with Copilot+.
Since, at the moment, conventional devices (whether laptops or desktops) cannot access this version, they will not be able to enjoy the benefits of WiFi 7 either.
Beyond this, any PC that wants to connect to WiFi 7 must also meet other requirements such as Have a suitable router and network adapter. If you don't have this version installed on your PC, perhaps the time has come to do so, because The new era in wireless connectivity is here.