What is WiFi 7?

Making Multi-gigabit Speeds for Your Entire Home a Reality

Today's multi-gigabit internet plans are quickly outpacing current WiFi technology.

WiFi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be, will represent a revolutionary change. The new

standard, dubbed EHT for Extremely High Throughput, will finally make true multi-gigabit

WiFi throughout the home a reality with faster speeds, less interference, and better

performance for today's many high-bandwidth online activities.

Shop WiFi 7 MeshShop WiFi 7 Router

The most powerful WiFi, ever

5x faster speeds than WiFi 6E

Significantly lower latency for real-time responsiveness

2x maximum bandwidth 320 MHz high-capacity channels

20% more data transmission with 4096-QAM modulation

WiFi 7 compared with WiFi 6 and WiFi 5

See the difference between WiFi 7 and earlier generations

INTRODUCED

IEE STANDARD

MAX SPEED

BANDS

MULTI-LINK OPERATION

SECURITY

CHANNEL SIZE

MODULATION

MIMO

WIFI 5

2013

802.11ac

3.5 Gbps

2.4 GHz and 5 GHz

Not supported

WPA2

20, 40, 80, 80+80, 160 MHz

256-QAM OFDMA

4X4 MIMO, DL MU-MIMO

WIFI 6

2019

802.11be

9.6 Gbps

2.4 GHz, 5 GHz

Not supported

WPA3

20, 40, 80, 80+80, 160, 320 MHz

1024-QAM OFDMA

8X8 UL/DL MU-MIMO

WIFI 6E

2021

802.11ax

9.6 Gbps

6 GHz

Not supported

WPA3

20, 40, 80, 80+80, 160 MHz

1024-QAM OFDMA

8X8 UL/DL MU-MIMO

WIFI 7

2023

802.11be

46 Gbps

2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz

Supported

WPA3

20, 40, 80, 80+80, 160, 320 MHz

4096-QAM OFDMA

16x16 MU-MIMO

PREAMBLE PUNCTURING

Don't let interference slow your WiFi down

Did you know your neighbors' WiFi might be slowing your network down? With current versions of WiFi, any channels with interference from other networks become unavailable. With Preamble Puncturing, your WiFi can now slice off part of a channel to transmit your data, if the interference isn't occupying the entire channel. In effect, WiFi 7 lets you "block off one lane" instead of closing down the whole road.

Diagram: a WiFi 6 channel with interference becomes unavailable, while a WiFi 7 channel stays available around the interference
A person wearing a VR headset in front of the text 8K

WiFi 7 advantages for entertainment

WiFi 7 will open new doors for home entertainment. With improved bandwidth and speed, a household can easily stream 4K and 8K content at once throughout the home, host Twitch streams, game in VR, work on Zoom calls, and browse the web without issue.

Even more exciting is the next generation of AR and VR content. WiFi 7 unleashes a world of possibilities to explore new virtual worlds with fully interactive content. With ultra-high speeds and imperceptible levels of latency, users can immerse themselves in these worlds with life-like responsiveness.

An Orbi mesh system in a bright living room

WiFi 7 advantages for home

WiFi 7 will bring immediate improvements for today’s smart homes. The rise of remote work and learning has taxed the abilities of current WiFi technology, as data-intensive Zoom calls and video streaming compete for bandwidth.

With WiFi 7, you can say goodbye to the days of glitchy video conferencing streams, slow downloads, and long buffering times. WiFi 7 offers more speed, bandwidth and an improved ability to handle many devices at once, unlocking the smart home of the future.

An office building with connected WiFi access points

WiFi 7 access points for business

WiFi 7 for business will unlock many new capabilities. Users will experience noticeable performance improvements on shared office networks thanks to improved speed, bandwidth, and new features like multi-link operation.

WiFi 7 access points will unlock intriguing capabilities for incorporating AR and VR into the workplace, enabling next-gen hardware like goggles with AR-enhanced heads-up displays, robust IoT-enhanced smart office products, and further-improved workplace automation technologies.

A home gaming setup at dusk

WiFi 7 advantages for gamers

WiFi 7 will be massive for gamers. Gamers will experience a huge drop in latency, removing the annoying lag issues that hamper the online gaming experience. Games will download in a fraction of the time and streamed content for cloud-based games will render faster and clearer than ever before.

WiFi 7 will also open up many new possibilities in the realm of AR and VR gaming, allowing users to stream ultra-high-definition content seamlessly with real-time responsiveness.

Why is NETGEAR the leader in WiFi 7?

NETGEAR is the proven leader in WiFi, with over 25 years of experience building the world’s best networking devices. When it comes to WiFi 7, our diverse experience across home, business, mesh, and mobile 5G networking gives us a unique and deep understanding of the technologies used. If you’re looking for a router or whole home mesh system that can deliver all WiFi 7 has to offer, look no further than NETGEAR.

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Why Orbi WiFi 7 Mesh is elite

Orbi’s unique Enhanced Dedicated Backhaul combines patented Quad-Band with WiFi 7 technology to create a superhighway between router and satellites, ensuring better throughput at a wider range and consistent 10 Gig WiFi across your entire property.

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WiFi 7 FAQs

Yes, WiFi 7 also known as 802.11be is fully backward compatible with WiFi 5 and WiFi 6. However, different generations of user devices will reap different levels of benefit. For example, only WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 devices will be able to use the ultra-fast 6 GHz WiFi band. Similarly, only the newest WiFi 7 devices will be able to take advantage of advanced features like the 320 MHz bandwidth and multi-link operation.

With higher speed and lower interference, you will see overall improvement in coverage, particularly as applications demanding higher speeds become available. With technological advancements such as multi-link operation you will see improvement in WiFi performance and seamless roaming across mesh networks and over coverage areas of any size. In simple terms, users can easily customize their WiFi 7 coverage area by using a mesh router and satellites to expand range, as needed.

WiFi 7 is up to 2.4x WiFi 6E and WiFi 6. Top theoretical speeds have improved from 9.6 Gbps to 46 Gbps. However actual speeds will be dependent on the number of streams supported, speed from the internet service provider, data plan, networking hardware, and network traffic.

It depends. Your current router and modem may be holding back your performance, particularly if you are on an older version of WiFi. WiFi 7 products are now available, so if you are unsatisfied with your WiFi performance, consider an upgrade to the WiFi 7 standard. Many WiFi devices still use older WiFi standards but can get some benefits of WiFi 7. Check out the following links to learn more about WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E .

Yes! If you currently have a WiFi 5 router, you will get immediate benefits from a WiFi 6, WiFi 6E, or WiFi 7 router. With current internet service provider speeds and many high-quality hardware options available, there is still a substantial amount of time available to enjoy the benefits of WiFi 6 before you can truly experience all the benefits WiFi 7 has to offer. However, only WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 routers can provide ultra-fast 6 GHz band WiFi for the latest phones and computers. WiFi 7 routers and Mesh Systems will future-proof your home and devices with next-level WiFi capabilities.

WiFi 7 offers significant improvements to speed and bandwidth, along with a host of underlying technological improvements designed to make your WiFi work smarter and more efficiently. These benefits are outlined in the article above.

The first WiFi 7 products are already available as of mid 2023, with wider market adoption expected to take hold in late 2024 and beyond.

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