Your company is finally ready to make the investment into upgrading their WLAN infrastructure.  The advances in Wi-Fi 6 and 6e, such as OFDMA, wider channels, and greater bandwidth have management convinced that now is the time to move forward.  As you eagerly move toward to the forefront of wireless technology, however, you find yourself grappling with a critical realization – this investment might be on the verge of obsolescence even before the first client authentication. Wi-Fi 7 is already making strides into the market, prompting questions about its promised technologies, advantages, and the strategic decision to either proceed with the Wi-Fi 6 upgrade or wait for the latest innovation.  Additionally, you’re left pondering how these impending changes will impact the meticulous planning and design of your wireless infrastructure.

As of the present moment, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be to be technical) is yet to be formally certified by the IEEE, with the anticipated certification expected around mid-2024.  That has not stopped some consumer brands from swiftly launching their Wi-Fi 7 branded products to market.  So, what can we expect from this new standard?  Here’s a few highlights:

• Continued use of 6GHz. This was the biggest advantage of Wi-Fi 6e and this new standard relies on this frequency even more to do such things as:
• Wider channels- With Wi-Fi 6e we were able to use 160 MHz channels. Wi-Fi 7 takes it to the next level with 320 MHz channels.  That means more potential over the air throughput.  It also means a reduction in the number of total non-overlapping channels available.  For an enterprise it would be going back to 2.4GHz channels 1, 6, and 11 in a way.  Not practical in a lot of environments, but really great if you can get away with it and have the clients to support it (there’s already a few out there).
• Modulation up to 4k QAM. This increases the amount of data that can be transmitted on a single wave.  While this is great in theory and in lab environments, expect real world results to be less, as this level of advanced modulation requires a nearly perfect RF environment, with line of site and only a few feet separating the client from the Access Point.
• This is an interesting feature, where one channel can plucked out of the bonded channels, whether 40, 80, 160, or 320 MHz if interference is detected.  This allows communication to continue even in the presence of a competing source of interference, such as a neighboring WLAN, bringing your system to a halt.
• Multi-Link Operation (MLO)- This is probably the biggest advantage that Wi-Fi 7 offers, the ability to use multiple bands for a single client. Think of it kind of like doing port-channels on a switch.  It will potentially allow for greater throughput, resiliency, and lower latency.  How this will work in the real world, however, is still to be determined as there are still a lot of questions surrounding this technology, which is beyond the scope of this article.
• Speed- Many of these advances mean one thing, and that is more speed. Up to theoretical max transmission rate of 46 Gbps.  No wonder it’s referred to as “Extremely High Throughput” or EHT for short.  The next standard will likely need to be “Ludicrous Throughput”.  Yes, I know I’m not the first to make that same joke and I won’t be the last.  But it’s too good a movie not to reference again.
• WPA3- The new security and encryption standard will not only be supported but also mandatory. No transition mode either.  Legacy clients need not apply.

In navigating the chose between pressing forward with Wi-Fi 6e or awaiting the advent of EWi-Fi 7, the decision hinges on a multitude of factors: the standard of your current infrastructure, what clients/applications need to be supported, timeline, and of course budget.  As far as design considerations, there are plenty of additional challenges from RF planning, security, device management, and infrastructure support.  Each of these facets warrants its own exploration, a journey that begins with conversations with trusted partners like TPK.  By delving into these discussions and strategizing with experts, you can chart a course that aligns with your organization’s trajectory, be it Wi-Fi 6e, 7, or beyond.