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what it is and how to take advantage of its possibilities

Wi-Fi 7

Wifi 7 is the name of the new wireless technology version of the IEEE 802.11 standard. Based on the previous version, Wi-Fi 6, the technical name will be called IEEE 802.11be.

Users spend more and more hours connected to the Internet. Whether for professional, leisure or entertainment purposes, or in your day-to-day life, the time connected to the Internet grows day by day. A recent study carried out by the OCU points out that each Spaniard is connected to the Internet, on average, 21 hours a week, not counting those dedicated to work or studies.

The proliferation of devices with better features, together with more attractive content, as well as the advancement of remote workhabits are changing towards a growing Internet consumption.

The drive for digitization also contributes to users being practically permanently connected and from anywhere. Consequently, the use of Wi-Fi networks is also growing day by day, whether outside or inside the home or work environments. the rise of IoT (Internet of Things) It is also promoting the consumption of Wi-Fi networks.

Although in recent years, the development of technologies, such as 4G and 5G, have contributed to improving communications, as well as the availability of devices and optimized wireless networks, there is still a long way to go to optimize the quality of these communications, especially wireless ones.

In this scenario, a new wireless standard breaks out with the promise of making a significant leap in speed and improving bandwidth. But what do we know so far? Wi-Fi 7? We take a look below.

Advantages of the new wireless standard

Greater speed and a greater frequency range will make Wifi 7 a standard that will bring great advantages beyond the speed of data transfer for wireless networks.

Although it will not reach the speed of a wired network either, the truth is that it does increase the speed compared to Wifi 6E. In fact, it quadruples to 40 Gbps thanks to the 6 GHz band. The theoretical speed is around 48Gbps.

Likewise, by doubling the banking width from the 160 MHz that Wifi 6 has to 320 MHz, the amount of data that is transmitted in a given amount of time is significantly improved.

Reduced latency will improve real-time broadcasts

Another of the great advantages that it will allow is reducing latency noticeably in such a way that real-time broadcasts will experience a noticeable improvement.

Added to this, Wifi 7 will arrive accompanied by the new Multi-Link Operation (MLO) technology, which will act to further reduce the latency generated compared to Wifi 6E. Likewise, MIMO (Multiple-input Multiple-output) technology will have a much greater coverage that will go from 8 to 16 spatial streams.

Regulated by the WiFi Alliance, WiFi 7 will be increasingly compatible with a wide variety of devices. In this sense, it substantially expands compatibility previous. In addition, it is also backwards compatible: if it works with the current Wi-Fi standard, it will also work with Wi-Fi 7.

And another plus point: the new standard will not only offer a better experience in terms of coverage and speed, but also in energy efficiency for connected devices.

From here, the possibilities that open up are enormous. From the possibility of games in streaming with hardly any latency, to be able to use wireless virtual reality glasses with low latency. Examples like these we will see many in the next demos.

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Wi-Fi 7 Apps

With all these improvements, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to be a significant leap forward in the use of wireless networks. Although there are many advantages that it will bring, the most important is the one related to the lower latency, which will allow you to carry out actions with a great improvement.

For example, in 3D immersion with virtual reality since, as there is lower latency, the sensation of dizziness will be less. The use of virtual reality glasses will allow progress towards the metaverse enjoying a better experience in cyberspace.

Streaming in real time and high quality will be one of the great attractions of Wifi 7

Likewise, counting will also allow great improvements when it comes to transmitting wirelessly. high-quality content at 8K or 16K. This will have enormous applications in many sectors, especially in the entertainment sector, as well as, for example, for the broadcasting of sporting events.

The streaming in real time and with high quality will be one of the great attractions of Wifi 7, especially for youtubers Y tiktokersand anyone who broadcasts live as they will be able to interact with their followers without noticing the signal delay.

The sector of gaming will also make significant progress as lower latency allows play online more smoothly and with better quality. Immersive video games will benefit the most as it will allow users a better experience by reducing delay and having better quality.

And, without a doubt, IoT will experience a great boost as Wifi 7 will improve communication between devices connected to the wireless network.

The possibilities that this enormous reduction in latency allows are endless and, as the implementation of Wi-Fi 7 progresses, the homes, and the lives of the users, will experience a true revolution.

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When will Wi-Fi 7 arrive?

The forecast that is handled is that Wifi 7 is ready for its final launch in May 2024. However, manufacturers are already beginning to launch their compatible products with this standard and making the first demonstrations of the improvements that they will bring.

A few days ago, Intel and Broadcom made a demonstration in which they showed the improvements in data transfer speed that will allow Wifi 7. It has been revealed that this new standard will reach speeds of 5 Gbps, which already confirms a significant leap forward compared to the previous generation.

The first products compatible with Wifi 7 could arrive in the second half of 2023

Bearing in mind that the goal is for this standard to be ready for launch within just 20 months, the forecasts are that the certification will be available in 2023.

Consequently, the first compatible products could be prepared throughout the second half of next year. However, from Intel they have stated that, given the production problems experienced, they hope to start installing Wifi 7 in laptops from 2024.

The enormous progress that Wi-Fi 7 will allow is already generating great expectations and everything indicates that, by the time it is available and the products on the market, its adoption will be quick to start enjoying its benefits.

Initial image | Dreamlike Street

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