We are still waiting for final approval of the standard, but that is not stopping manufacturers from already releasing plenty of products. Wi-Fi 7 is in the starting blocks: the official starting signal may be given any day now.
It has been 25 years this year since the very first Wi-Fi standard saw the light of day. Wi-Fi has come a long way since then, and the next generation is now knocking on the door. The Wi-Fi Alliance is expected to officially ratify the 802.11be standard before the end of the year: more popularly known as Wi-Fi 7.
So the official starting signal has not yet been given, but unofficially the Wi-Fi 7 era has already started a while ago. Since 2022 already, devices for the latest Wi-Fi standard have been widely announced. When will the Wifi 7 madness really burst forth? We ask Michael Müller, VP Wired & Wireless LAN at networking specialist Lancom Systems.
Foot between the door
“The market is still holding back a bit at the moment. Manufacturers are still sitting on stocks from the corona period,” Müller tempers. “However, the announcement of the iPhone 16, which supports Wi-Fi 7, may be another important step in making the standard widely available and boosting interest among consumers. The ramp up phase will start quietly and I think in two years demand will peak. It’s often that way with new trends.”
Lancom has already done its homework, launching its first Wi-Fi 7 access points at this year’s MWC trade show . So shouldn’t manufacturers wait until the standard is officialized? “At some point the standard is not going to change. We are in a competitive industry, so it is crucial to be on time with the offering. Not only to consumers, but also to partners. If you’re late, partners are selling someone else’s products. You have to put your foot in the door on time.”
Müller: “We have started to bring a high-end portfolio to the market. Interest is growing, our customers are asking about Wi-Fi 7 and the products are available. This makes us one of the first suppliers of professional Wi-Fi 7 access points.”
Networking is a competitive industry. You have to put your foot in the door in time.
Michaël Muller, VP Wired & Wireless LAN Lancom Systems
Imperturbable spectrum
Wifi 7 promises faster Internet speeds of up to 40 Gbps, at least in theory, but that’s far from the only reason you should be awake to it, Müller stresses. “The best feature of Wifi 7 is actually not even ‘new.’ 6 GHz is already being used by Wifi 6E as well. The difference is that 6 GHz-compatible devices will become available to everyone, which Wifi 6E failed to do. Many laptop and smartphone manufacturers skipped that intermediate step because Wifi 6E was too close to Wifi 7.”
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An additional trick that Wi-Fi 7 enables is multi link operation (MLO): the ability to connect over multiple frequency bands simultaneously from the same access point. This has advantages for latency and connection stability. Müller: “Your connection has a lesser impact on the network. This is useful for large data volumes or when low latency is required.”
“It becomes easier to set up networks with multiple APs,” Muller continued. “Unlike the 6 GHz spectrum, the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands are not exclusively reserved for WLAN use. Multi-link operation, which also utilizes the 6 GHz band, ensures interference-free data transmission even when there is interference from other technologies on the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands.”
“We have always been limited in previous Wi-Fi generations by the available radio bands,” he continues. “With the rapidly increasing number of devices, this increasingly led to network overloads, resulting in interruptions in communication. You will have much less of those with Wi-Fi 7. With the introduction of the 6 GHz band, the available spectrum has doubled, resulting in more bandwidth and less interference for wireless networks. You get access to an almost undisturbed spectrum. Everyone is eager to get started with it”.
More than technology
However, Wi-Fi 7 access points must be able to offer more than fast and stable Internet, says Müller. “Lancom is an engineering company that makes all its products in-house. Because of this, we tend to think technology-centric. Our customers want the latest network technology, but also have other concerns. Wi-Fi 7 is more than turning a standard into a product: we have to add additional value that our customers care about.”
Müller clarifies what he means by that. “Security is a concern that is increasing across Europe. It has always been important in Germany, but now we are noticing it more in other markets as well. Attacks on networks are increasing. Companies are realizing that not everyone is their friend.”
Sustainability is another important aspect for Lancom. “Access points that support the 6 GHz band, in addition to the traditional 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, consume more energy. As a manufacturer, it is our responsibility to try to limit this. It doesn’t make sense to always offer full capacity if the customer doesn’t need it. We look at the amount of data streams and automatically adjust the capacity of the network to reduce energy consumption.”
“It’s not desirable to turn everything off because you need to be able to keep working at all times, even when data volumes increase again. But by taking APs off the network when you don’t need them, such as outside working hours, you can save a lot,” Müller said.
Lancom’s WLAN 7 access points are peppered with automation features so customers can always count on an optimal and secure connection. Lancom’s Management Cloud monitors anomalies on the network, Active Radio Control constantly monitors the radio field to improve WLAN connections. Active Power Control monitors power consumption on the network without disrupting operational reliability.
Wi-Fi or 5G?
In addition to wifi, mobile wireless connectivity is evolving all the time. Wifi 7 will coexist with 5G and the new generation will not escape the eternal equation either. When do you use Wifi 7 and when 5G? Müller keeps the ball neatly in the middle.
“I don’t think the relationships between wifi and 5G will suddenly change dramatically with Wifi 7. The advantage of wifi is that the spectrum is free and therefore much cheaper to use. If you connect thousands of users to one AP, it affects performance. Wifi then offers a much cheaper solution to connect additional APs. Then again, in other situations, you’re better off with 5G.”
Wifi 7 will reduce the gap between wifi and 5G, Müller is convinced. “Mobile networks used to have a big advantage over wifi because of the lower latency. That has now been solved with Wifi 7. For ‘moving’ objects, mobile technology remains the better option, but in almost all other use cases you have an equally valid and, above all, cheaper alternative with wifi.”
Wifi 7’s best feature is actually not even new.
Michaël Muller, VP Wired & Wireless LAN Lancom Systems
This is an editorial in collaboration with Lancom Systems. See here more for more information on their offerings.