Wi-Fi 7 is one step closer to reality. The IEEE has released a draft of the 802.11ac standard, which would allow for the deployment of 5G networks using Wi-Fi technology. This would make Wi-Fi an essential part of any 5G network, and could help to speed up the development of 5G technology. The 802.11ac standard is still in its early stages, and there are still some concerns about its potential impact on privacy and security. However, if it proves to be successful, it could lead to the widespread deployment of 5G networks across the world.
Intel and Broadcom announced this week that the two companies completed the first cross-vendor Wi-Fi 7 demonstration — in other words, the first time Wi-Fi 7 hardware from two different manufacturers could communicate. That’s an important milestone for a wireless standard that needs to work across hardware from many different companies.
The test reportedly reached speeds “greater than 5 gigabits per second,” using a laptop with an Intel Core processor and an unspecified wireless card, connected to a Wi-Fi 7 access point developed by Broadcom. The demonstration comes after MediaTek completed the first live demo of Wi-Fi 7 back in January.
Just like the Wi-Fi 6E standard, Wi-Fi 7 uses a combination of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz spectrum to offer faster speeds. Earlier drafts aimed for a theoretical maximum of 30 Gbps per access point, three times as fast as the maximum 9.6 Gbps for Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 7 uses wider channels and Multi-Link Operation (MLO) to improve speeds and latency.
Unfortunately, despite the announcement’s claim that “Wi-Fi 7 has arrived,” you still can’t buy anything that supports Wi-Fi 7 — the best Wi-Fi routers are limited to Wi-Fi 6 and 6E. Devices with Wi-Fi 7 should start showing up on store shelves sometime in 2023.
Source: Intel
