What does it mean to be ‘Wi-Fi 7 Certified’? A look at the evolution of Wi-Fi technology

Wi-Fi 7 can combine 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands to offer much higher data transfer rates.

Wi-Fi 7 offers bolstering wireless network performance (Image credit: Wi-Fi Alliance)

3 min readBengaluruJan 10, 2024 08:34 AM IST First published on: Jan 9, 2024 at 04:49 PM IST

Today, Wi-Fi connectivity is often taken for granted, yet its absence can swiftly make our lives significantly more challenging. From coffee shops to airports, Wi-Fi is the first thing that we look for. Wi-Fi Alliance (a non-profit consortium that promotes Wi-Fi) at the ongoing CES 2024 introduced ‘Wi-Fi Certified 7’, the next-generation Wireless Fidelity standard, which offers improved connectivity and enhanced wireless networking.

Just two decades ago, Wi-Fi wasn’t this popular. Although there were a few personal computers (laptops) like the iBook G3 with Wi-Fi (AirPort) capability, not many places offered a Wi-Fi Hotspot. Post the launch of laptops featuring Intel’s Centrino mobile technology which included a low-powered Wi-Fi modem based on IEEE’s 802.11b technical specifications, Wi-Fi technology became popular among the masses. IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a professional association based out of New York.

Also read | 7 things to keep in mind before connecting to a public Wi-Fi

802.11b, also known as 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, is still prevalent, even in 2024. Even the high-end cutting-edge Wi-Fi routers with Wi-Fi 7 will also be compatible with 802.11b standard, thanks to excellent backward compatibility support.

The rise of wireless data transfers

As the wireless data transfer needs grew over the years, IEEE kept on introducing new technical standards with lower latency and higher data transfer rates, which include major releases like Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), and now the latest Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), the pinnacle of wireless fidelity-technology.

Despite being named Wi-Fi 7, it is still based on up to 6GHz bands, which theoretically allows a max data transfer speed of 2.4 Gb/s. In markets that allow 320 MHz band, Wi-Fi 7 can offer up to 4.6 Mb/s data transfer speeds – again, a theoretical figure. If a device carries the “Wi-Fi 7 Certified” label, then it has been officially certified by Wi-Fi Alliance and is confirmed to deliver all the features of Wi-Fi 7.

Compared to the earlier generation of IEEE standards, Wi-Fi 7 marks a significant milestone in almost every aspect. It offers twice the throughput compared to Wi-Fi 6 with lower latency and greater reliability. Wi-Fi 7 also has 20 per cent higher transmission rates, which can help in tasks like multiple streams of 4K video playback, 3D gaming, and wireless AR/VR use cases.

Wi-Fi 7 also solves some real-world challenges faced by the previous standards, such as solid networking experience even in dense places like campuses, airports, and stadiums. In addition, Wi-Fi 7 allows devices to connect with the router over different bands such as 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz at the same time to deliver a higher data transfer rate using the technology called Multi-Link Operation (MLO).

Although the Wi-Fi 7 standard is relatively new, there are already plenty of smartphones and laptops, compatible with the 802.11b technology, and one way to identify these machines is by identifying the ‘Wi-Fi 7 Certified’ branding. Hence, if you are planning to buy a new smartphone or laptop, and plan on using it for years to come, maybe, get one with Wi-Fi 7 support, which could include a Wi-Fi 7 modem by Broadcom, CommScope, Intel, MaxLinear, MediaTek, or Qualcomm.