Jan 07, 2024 23:00:00

What are the key features of the next generation Wi-Fi standard “Wi-Fi 7”? What is better than the old standard?

Wi-Fi , which uses wireless communication, has become essential to our modern lives. However, traditional Wi-Fi sometimes suffers from various problems, such as slow communication speeds and frequent network disconnections. Wi-Fi 7 , the next generation Wi-Fi standard that is expected to be available by the end of March 2024 , includes various updates to improve reliability.

Wi-Fi 7 Signals the Industry's New Priority: Stability - IEEE Spectrum
https://spectrum.ieee.org/wi-fi-7

Until now, the goal of Wi-Fi development has been to improve the amount of data that can be processed within a certain amount of time, which is called '

throughput .' But Carlos Cordeiro, Intel's chief technology officer for wireless connectivity, said, 'What Wi-Fi really needs is better reliability. I think it's time to start looking more at latency .' ” states.

According to Cordeiro, developing with an eye toward latency will not only lead to the further development of automation and robotics in the industrial field, but also augmented reality (AR) technology, virtual reality (VR) technology, gaming technology, etc. It is possible to benefit from highly reliable and high-speed wireless communication.

One of the key features of Wi-Fi 7 is something called ' Multi-Link Operation (MLO).' MLO allows data streams to be distributed by having multiple channels in one frequency band. Therefore, it is said to be more resistant to any factors that interfere with the radio.

Additionally, older Wi-Fi standards such as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5 only allowed devices to connect to one frequency band, such as 2.4GHz or 5GHz. However, devices that support Wi-Fi 7 will be able to connect to multiple frequency bands at the same time, which is expected to further improve reliability and reduce latency. MLO allows Wi-Fi 7-enabled devices to split the data stream and process data concurrently on each channel. As a result, not only does overall data transmission take less time, but even if a problem occurs, such as a failure in one channel, a copy of the data can be sent to another channel, eliminating the need for network disconnections. It is possible to reduce the possibility of this problem occurring.

Wi-Fi 7 increases channel size from 160MHz to up to 320MHz, increasing throughput capacity and processing more data in the same amount of time. Andy Davidson, Qualcomm's senior director of technology planning, said, ``In previous Wi-Fi standards, the channel size was fixed at 160MHz even if there were any factors that interfered with wireless communication. Wi-Fi 7 protects against network disconnections due to interference by shutting out specific interfering frequencies and treating the channel size as a maximum of 300MHz.'

Wi-Fi 7 is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2024, and network equipment manufacturers are already developing Wi-Fi 7 compatible routers and chips. Also, according to Wi-Fi Alliance CEO Kevin Robinson, development of a standard that will be called Wi-Fi 8 is already underway. Robinson said, ``While the Wi-Fi Alliance is putting the finishing touches on the commercialization of Wi-Fi 7, we are also developing features that will be incorporated into next-generation Wi-Fi standards such as Wi-Fi 8.'' 'I will,' he reported.