Wi-Fi 7, the latest iteration of the popular wireless networking standard, is set to offer incredibly fast speeds and is coming sooner than originally planned. Qualcomm, the leading manufacturer of Wi-Fi chips, is set to announce the new standard in the second half of next year, with the first products expected to hit the market shortly thereafter.

Qualcomm unveils Wi-Fi 7, bringing super-fast speeds and advanced mesh networking capabilities

Qualcomm has announced that it will unveil its latest iteration of the popular wireless networking standard, Wi-Fi 7, in the second half of next year. Wi-Fi 7, also known as 802.11be, is expected to offer lightning-fast speeds of up to 46,000 Mbit/s, a significant increase over the 9,600 Mbit/s offered by Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax).

The first Wi-Fi 7 compatible products are expected to come from TP-Link, Netgear, and Google, all of which have received Qualcomm’s new Immersive Home Platform chips. These chips include built-in mesh network creation and optimization tools, allowing multiple routers to work together to provide seamless coverage throughout a home or office.

One of the key benefits of Wi-Fi 7 is its ability to reduce connection latencies by up to 75%, making it ideal for online gaming and emerging applications like virtual reality. It also improves the stability of wireless connections by reducing congestion in home settings and reducing interference from nearby Wi-Fi networks.

Wi-Fi 7 is compatible with three frequency bands (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz), and the inclusion of additional bands allows for the more intelligent distribution of connected devices. This means that devices that don’t require high speeds can be assigned to the less efficient 2.4 GHz band, freeing up the faster bands for devices with higher needs.

Qualcomm expects the first Wi-Fi 7 products to be available in the second half of 2023, a year before the IEEE issues its final validation of the standard. The chipmaker also claims that the Immersive Home Platform will increase the performance of both new and existing products, with improvements in speed and power consumption, and at a lower cost than current options.

The adoption of Wi-Fi 7 is expected to take several years, but early adopters will be able to take advantage of its incredibly fast speeds and advanced mesh networking capabilities. Wi-Fi 7 promises to be a game-changer for the wireless networking industry.

(via)