In this article, we will explore the technical advances of Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, unfolding their characteristics and impacts on the world of wireless connectivity.
Wi-Fi 6E: A Step Further in the Wi-Fi 6 Standard
Wi-Fi 6E represents a significant expansion of the Wi-Fi 6 standard, operating in the new 6 GHz band in addition to the traditional 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
This addition offers additional 160 MHz channels, resulting in greater bandwidth and an increase in data transfer rate, reaching up to 9.6 Gbps.
All this in a new frequency band, which has much less interference and can offer access with greater stability and performance.
This standard adopts the same QAM-1024 modulation, a significant improvement over Wi-Fi 5’s QAM-256, allowing more data to be transmitted with each symbol. Combined with technologies such as MU-MIMO (Multiple User, Multiple Input, Multiple Output) and OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), Wi-Fi 6E can serve a greater number of devices simultaneously while maintaining network efficiency.
All of these technologies are inherited from its older brother, Wi-Fi 6, but applied at a frequency of 6 GHz the perception of improved performance becomes more evident.
HN8546X6 WIFI6
Huawei OLT compatible HN8546X6 XG-PON and Wi-Fi 6 routing-type ONT with 4*GE+1*POTS+2*USB+2.4G/5G 802.11ax WIFI, 5dBiWi-Fi 7: Advancing into the Future
Wi-Fi 7, or IEEE 802.11be, is the next big thing, expected to deliver maximum theoretical speeds of up to 30 Gbps – a significant leap forward from its predecessor. It introduces the use of 320 MHz channels, double that offered by Wi-Fi 6E, and continues to operate in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands.
A notable feature of Wi-Fi 7 is CMU-MIMO (Channel Multiplexing User-MIMO) technology, which allows the combination of channels in different frequency bands, maximizing throughput.
Additionally, Wi-Fi 7 advances modulation with the introduction of QAM-4096, quadrupling data transmission capacity compared to Wi-Fi 6E.
Differences and Impacts
While Wi-Fi 6E is a significant advancement, offering more bandwidth and less interference, Wi-Fi 7 is a more radical evolution.
In addition to increased speeds, Wi-Fi 7 promises to improve latency, crucial for applications such as online gaming and virtual/augmented reality.
Implementing Wi-Fi 7 will also bring challenges, including the need for compatible devices and infrastructure to fully take advantage of its capabilities.
One more fact that we can observe is that Wi-Fi 6E brings an improvement in the perception of quality just because it uses the 6 GHz band, which has greater width and less interference, but Wi-Fi 7 also incorporates new protocols and encodings.
For this reason, due to compatibility with all previous standards and the development of the two standards being practically parallel, just over a year apart, some manufacturers took the decision to jump directly from Wi-Fi 6 to 7, without creating of Wi-Fi 6E products.
Conclusion
In summary, both Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 represent significant leaps forward in wireless networking technology.
Wi-Fi 6E is already making a positive impact, while Wi-Fi 7, already in the final stages of development and with some products already being launched, promises to further revolutionize our connectivity experience.
These technologies not only increase the speed and efficiency of data transmission, but also pave the way for new applications and experiences in an increasingly interconnected world.
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