How Fast are WiFi 7 Routers?
8K video streaming requires internet speeds up to 20 Gbps to enjoy without any buffering. VR also requires fast networks to limit latency to below 10 ms to avoid vertigo. Low-latency extended reality (XR), cloud-based gaming, 8K video streaming, and simultaneous video conferencing... All of these emerging application scenarios require extremely high wireless throughput and low latency.
The need to keep up with users’ demands is the true driver of wireless technology innovation. And the next iteration is already on the horizon: WiFi 7.
What is a WiFi 7?
WiFi 7 is the user-friendly name of the 802.11be standard, just like WiFi 6 (802.11ax), and WiFi 5 (802.11ac). The latest generation of WiFi will be released to address growing demands for internet access.
WiFi 7 introduces many advanced features to WiFi such as 320 MHz channels, 4K-QAM, and Multi-Link Operation, providing eye-watering data rates as high as 46 Gbps and delivering lower latency and higher network capacity.
The release of the new standard will lead to the innovation of related devices. As the central hub of the home network, a WiFi 7 router will take things to the next level with stronger performance.
What's the difference between a WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 router?
Instead of increasing the nominal data rates, WiFi 6 router mainly focused on improving the efficiency network, especially in dense 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz deployments. WiFi 7, on the other hand, has ambitious goals for higher nominal data rates, along with higher spectrum efficiency, better interference mitigation, and providing support for real-time applications.
While WiFi 6 and WiFi 6e routers are relatively new, next-gen routers with the new WiFi standard are already being developed. At first sight, the new WiFi 7 is nothing but a scaled-up WiFi 6 with doubled bandwidth and an increased number of spatial streams, which together provide theoretical data rates as high as 46 Gbps (when applied to a specific product, the actual throughput depends on the specific chipset solution).
In reality, WiFi 7 introduces many more revolutionary changes to WiFi, which will form a foundation for further WiFi evolution.
Let's take a look at the differences between each generation of WiFi:
What to expect from a TP-Link WiFi 7 router
Due to improved technologies including 4K-QAM, 320 MHz, 16×16 MU-MIMO, and Multi-Link Operation, WiFi 7 (802.11be WiFi) boosts the overall performance compared with WiFi 6 (802.11ax WiFi) for improved throughput, faster transmission, higher efficiency, and lower latency.
• Higher data transmission rates
WiFi 6 expanded WiFi bands from 80 MHz to 160 MHz, doubling channel widths. WiFi 7 further doubles the bandwidth based on WiFi 6, extending the WiFi band to 320 MHz. Combining all-new technologies such as 4K-QAM, 320 MHz, and 16×16 MU-MIMO, WiFi 7 dramatically increases the total throughput to 46 Gbps, 4.8 times greater than WiFi 6.
When applied to specific router products, compared with tri-band WiFi 6E routers with the same specification (4+4+4) whose transmission rates can reach up to 10,756 Mbps, WiFi 7 routers can reach up to an astonishing 21,536 Mbps. More importantly, these specs aren’t anywhere near the upper limits of WiFi 7.
• Stronger Anti-Jamming Performance
Preamble Puncturing brings flexible channel utilization in WiFi 7 to avoid channels with interference, resulting in the ability to use wider channels no matter if parts of a channel are already occupied.
• Increased transmission efficiency and reliability
Multi-Link Operation (MLO) enables devices to simultaneously send and receive data across different frequency bands and channels, designed to increase throughput, reduce latency, and improve reliability for emerging applications like VR/AR, cloud gaming, remote offices, and cloud computing.
Traditional WiFi devices use a single link to transmit data between an STA and AP. With MLO, WiFi 7 supports establishing multiple links between an STA and AP so you can make full use of your router’s aggregate speed rating.
WiFi 7 brings extreme data speeds, lower latencies, and increased network capacity thanks to new features introduced to support large numbers of users and devices in bandwidth-intensive environments. At present, WiFi 7 is still in development. The first launch of compatible end devices is expected to begin in the near future.
Learn More about WiFi 7
What is Wi-Fi 7? An in-depth overview of the future Wi-Fi
How is WiFi 7 different from WiFi 6?
Wi-Fi 7 Fundamentals: What is 4K-QAM?
