By Alessandro Riganti, D-Link Country Manager for Italy
As the apps, games and videos on our laptops and phones require more bandwidth, and Wi-Fi-connected smart-home devices are increasingly integrated into everyone’s lives, faster networks have never been more essential. It’s the same in businesses: all industries depend on the reliability and efficiency of Wi-Fi networks, as the benefits of high-speed Internet are increasingly important to employee productivity and customer satisfaction. At D-Link, we are always attentive to new market needs and demands, with an IT research and development team always focused on technological innovations, but how realistic are our ambitions?
A journey to better connectivity
Wi-Fi 6 arrived in 2019, bringing significant improvements to its predecessor. For example, the technology introduced OFDMA, which allows routers to divide channels into smaller radio bands to better support environments with a large number of devices. Wi-Fi 6 has also been able to make home and business networks more secure with the help of WPA3 encryption.
It was then the turn of Wi-Fi 6E, which based on all the features of Wi-Fi 6, added a third 6GHz radio band. As the demand for faster speeds and a more reliable Internet connection continues to increase, this additional bandwidth has allowed multi-device homes and businesses to enjoy better connectivity.
Now anticipation is growing for Wi-Fi 7, the latest Wi-Fi technology that promises to significantly increase the speed and strength of wireless connections. But what makes it so different?
Raise the stakes
Not only does Wi-Fi 7 promise dramatically faster speeds and lower latency to radically improve the reliability and responsiveness of connected devices, it also offers simultaneous access to multiple wireless bands – a differentiator between Wi-Fi enabled devices. Fi 7 and previous generations.
Currently, devices choose one band to broadcast, switching to another band based on connection availability. With Multi-Link Operation (MLO), however, Wi-Fi 7-enabled devices can connect simultaneously on two bands, making more efficient use of available data to optimize connection reliability and offer ultra-low latencies.
The benefits for companies are obvious. Higher speeds equal greater productivity, and greater reliability equals less technology downtime and an overall increase in efficiency. The benefits for consumers are also undeniable: in today’s hyper-connected age, who wouldn’t appreciate faster upload and download speeds for streaming, video calling and gaming?
The connectivity dilemma
The extraordinary nature of Wi-Fi 7 is undeniable. However, it is equally certain that, unfortunately, we are still far from actually seeing it in use.
There are barriers to widespread deployment of the technology right now, which always lead back to the same basic question: Until we see true Wi-Fi 7 speeds enabled by the right infrastructure and compatible technology, will the cost of Is the implementation of Wi-Fi 7 justified compared to the implementation of Wi-Fi 6 or 6E?
To get the most out of Wi-Fi 7, consumers will need to ensure their data plans offer broadband in excess of 100Mbps, but in many areas, this is the maximum offered by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The same goes for the wired network that Wi-Fi access points connect to. Since most Wi-Fi 7 access points provide multi-gigabit wireless speeds, classic Gigabit Ethernet speeds would therefore be an immediate “bottleneck”.
In addition to these criteria, in order to consider the true potential of Wi-Fi 7, one must also evaluate the costs of updating the infrastructure and Internet subscription and the need for compatible Wi-Fi 7 devices.
In a time of shrinking budgets for both businesses and consumers, a technology like Wi-Fi 7 is unlikely to be seen as an essential expense, especially if the existing network is functioning at a satisfactory enough level. Also, until ISP data plans evolve to broadly support Wi-Fi 7 features, and compatible technology is widely available, this will realistically remain a challenge.
The real high-speed solution (for now)
There is no doubt that the time of Wi-Fi 7 will come. But it is important to keep in mind that with the current obstacles, the technology will take some time to reach its real potential.
The rollout of Wi-Fi 7 – just like 5G – will be slow and steady, and we can expect the technology to somehow coexist with Wi-Fi 6 and 6E. However, both businesses and consumers should start preparing for this new era of connectivity by upgrading existing systems and devices to Wi-Fi 7 technology, especially as hybrid ways of working and the need for ever more connectivity reliable.
However, it would be a mistake to ignore Wi-Fi 6 and 6E technology while waiting for Wi-Fi 7. Wi-Fi 6 and 6E offer an affordable and immediately available solution for businesses and consumers looking for a fast network it is reliable. After all, it’s important to learn to walk before running.