Since the WiFi Alliance made the arrival of WiFi 7 official, we already knew that 2024 was going to be the expected premiere of this technology in the homes. Although we have been talking about this technology for several months now, it was not until this beginning of the year that we realized how close it really is.
Wireless connections have evolved significantly over the years, and although the vast majority of users are still stuck on the WiFi 5 standard, the most common one found in homes today, Wi-Fi 6 and WiFi 6E They have also been entering homes for quite some time. On the other hand, the speeds and improvements that the latest version of this standard offers us have made me fantasize about the possibility of enjoying such a fast connection like the one we can get with an Ethernet cable.
Connections greater than 4 Gbps in practical cases
It is no surprise that Wired connections remain the most reliable and efficient way to connect to the Internet at maximum speed and with the lowest possible latency. However, times are changing, and WiFi routers and network infrastructures are now prepared to support high speeds wirelessly.
While it is true that today this is already possible with current tools, WiFi 7 presents a context in which we can obtain extreme speeds at home to enjoy all our content from multiple devices simultaneously and offering a new window to leisure and teleworking at home.
Speed test with WiFi 7. Image: Golden Reviewer (X)
To get the most out of this type of connection, We must have compatible devices and routers for this. Also, logically, we must opt for a higher rate than the 1 Gbps fiber packages that companies currently offer. At the moment, in Spain, several companies have 10 Gbps rates, including Digi and Orange. However, it is not yet available throughout the national territory, so it is best to wait for 10 Gbps XGSPON fiber coverage to be standardized to benefit from WiFi 7.
On the Internet we have already seen examples of several users who have carried out speed tests in their homes with contracted 10 Gbps fiber. One of these tests is the one shared recently the Golden Reviewer account on
Comparison between WiFi 6 at 2.4 GHz, WiFi 6 at 5 GHz and WiFi 6E at 6 GHz. Image: r/HomeNetworking (Reddit)
These figures are truly surprising, since it will finally be possible obtain speeds greater than symmetrical gigabytes that companies offer, but completely wirelessly through WiFi. Although this was already possible with WiFi 6 and 6E with speeds that can reach 2 Gbps, this new version of the standard is even faster and will allow us to benefit even more from 10 Gbps rates.
In addition to the increase in speed, WiFi 7 also comes with very important new features compared to previous versions. And WiFi 7, or what is the same, IEEE 802.11be, will offer better performance, higher bandwidth and more energy efficiency while the devices are in operation. It will also be important to see improvements in the latency of our connection, stability and coverage, being key factors and, at certain times, much more important than the maximum speed.
Logically, WiFi 7 will continue to be compatible with 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz tri-band routers, something that is already possible with WiFi 6E. However, it will also allow us use multiple bands simultaneously, which would improve the quality of the connection depending on our local network at home. It is also worth highlighting the reduction in latency, and also a bandwidth that goes from 160 MHz to 320 MHz maximum. WiFi 7 is ready for connections up to 40 Gbps, so this standard is expected to be with us for many years as network technologies continue to advance.
It is expected that by the end of 2024, the number of devices compatible with this standard will be more than 233 million, while by 2028 the forecasts are around 2.1 billion devices.
There is still a long time until the entire national territory can take advantage of connections greater than 1Gbps, but once WiFi 7 routers begin to arrive in homes and teleoperators get their act together with new 10 Gbps rates in more territories, things will move forward.
Although I still believe that there is nothing better than a good wired connection at maximum speed, the WiFi 7 standard may have plenty of reasons to doubt that statement. We will have to see how it ends up establishing itself in Spain.
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