**: The content was compiled from the IEEE by Semiconductor Industry Watch (ID: icbank), thank you.
Big Power Tech in Wi-Fi is one of the most irritating success stories. Despite how pervasive this technology has become in our lives, it still gives people reason to complain: for example, that the service is unstable or slow, or that the network is constantly interrupted. There is an image issue with the reliability of Wi-Fi.
When Wi-Fi 7 arrives this year, it will bring a new focus to improve the image. Each generation of Wi-Fi brings new features and areas of concern, often related to throughput – getting more bits from point A to point B. New features in Wi-Fi 7 will enable a new generation of wireless technologies that are more focused on reliability and reduce latency, while still finding new ways to continue to increase data rates.
The question we ask ourselves is, 'What do we do now?'Carlos Cordeiro, an Intel researcher and the company's chief technology officer for wireless connectivity, said. "What Wi-Fi really needed to do at the time was to become more reliable. I think now we should focus more on latency and become more certain. ”
Emerging applications are driving a renewed focus on reliability. Imagine the situation of a wireless factory robot, where a worker suddenly walks in front of it and the robot needs to make an immediate decision. "It's not about throughput, but you do want to make sure that your [data] packets get through the first send," Cordeiro says. In addition to industrial automation and robotics, augmented and virtual reality technologies, as well as gaming, will also benefit from faster and more reliable wireless signals.
Multi-link operation will make Wi-Fi more reliable
The key to the Wi-Fi you can rely on in the future is the so-called Multi-Link Operations (MLO). Kevin Robinson, President and CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance, said, "This is the signature feature of Wi-Fi 7. "MLOs come in two flavors. The first (and simpler) of the two versions allows Wi-Fi devices to propagate data streams over multiple channels within a single frequency band. This technology makes aggregate Wi-Fi signals more resistant to interference at specific frequencies.
However, what really sets MLO apart from previous generations of Wi-Fi 7 is that it allows devices to propagate data streams across multiple frequency bands. For context, Wi-Fi uses three frequency bands: 25 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz as of 2020.
Whether MLOs distribute signals across multiple channels in the same frequency band, or across channels across two or three bands, the goal is the same: reliability and reducing latency. Devices will be able to split the data stream and send parts of the data through different channels at the same time (which reduces the overall transmission time), or send copies of the data across different channels if one channel is noisy or otherwise compromised.
MLO isn't the only new feature of Wi-Fi 7, even if industry experts consider it the most compelling. The channel size for Wi-Fi 7 will also be increased from 160 MHz to a new maximum of 320 MHz. Larger channels mean more throughput, which means more data can be transferred in the same amount of time. That is, 320 MHz channels will not be universally available. Wi-Fi uses unlicensed spectrum, and in some regions, there are no contiguous 320 MHz unlicensed blocks due to other spectrum allocations.
In cases where full channels are not available, Wi-Fi 7 also includes another feature called puncturing. "In the past, let's say you were looking for 320 MHz somewhere, but right in there, there was a 20 MHz interference source. You need to think about which side to choose," said Andy D**Idson, senior director of technology planning at Qualcomm. Prior to Wi-Fi 7, you were functionally stuck in a channel of about 160 MHz above or below that interference. "With Wi-Fi 7, you can eliminate distractions. You still have a valid 300 MHz channel," says D**Idson.
When will I get Wi-Fi 7?
The closest Wi-Fi generation to a "release date" is when the Wi-Fi Alliance released its certification, which is a process protocol to ensure that wireless products comply with industry-agreed standards for security, interoperability, and devices. Scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2024, Wi-Fi Certified 7 is the result of years of joint efforts by the wireless industry to determine what features should be included in the new generation. Robinson said that after agreeing on the features, there will be months of validation work on early implementations of these features to ensure they work individually or together. Early Wi-Fi 7 implementations were tested at the organization's R&D lab in Santa Clara, California. Finally, the new features were locked down, and the Wi-Fi Alliance released its certification program.
In addition to the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification process, the IEEE will approve a new version of 80211 Standards. The two are not exactly the same – not everything specified in the standard can be included in Wi-Fi Alliance certification. In any case, the new version 80211BE should also be approved later this year, after the Wi-Fi 7 certification is released.
When Wi-Fi Certified 7 is released, manufacturers will take their devices to one of the 20 authorized testing labs around the world to confirm that their devices meet the specifications set by the Wi-Fi Alliance. On top of that, certified equipment is guaranteed to work properly.
Before the release of Wi-Fi Certified 7, Wi-Fi 7 routers, chips, and other devices were already available. It's standard practice for companies to release Wi-Fi 7 compatible products and receive official certification when they hit the market. Qualcomm's Davidson explained that once it's clear what features and requirements will be included in the next generation of wireless technology, companies typically work on early draft IEEE standards.
In the meantime, work on Wi-Fi 8 is already underway. "Think of it as a pipeline," Robinson said. "While the Wi-Fi Alliance is making final preparations for the commercialization of the next generation of Wi-Fi, standards organizations like the IEEE are already looking forward to the next generation. ”
Attached: Interpretation of WiFi 7 standard
Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of Wi-Fi technology standard, also known as IEEE 80211BE standard. It is a further improvement over current Wi-Fi technology to provide faster speeds, lower latency, and better network performance.
1. Technical characteristics of Wi-Fi 7
1. Speed and spectral efficiency.
Wi-Fi 7 will offer higher speeds, several times faster than the current Wi-Fi 6. The Wi-Fi 7 band will have a bandwidth of 320MHz and will utilize more wireless spectrum to achieve higher speeds and spectral efficiency.
2. MU-MIMO and OFDMA
Wi-Fi 7 will continue to support Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) and Quadrature Frequency Divide Multiple Access (OFDMA) technologies. MU-MIMO allows data to be transmitted to multiple devices simultaneously, while OFDMA can split the wireless spectrum into multiple subcarriers, resulting in higher spectral efficiency.
3. Low latency.
Wi-Fi 7 will reduce transmission latency and provide a more immediate connection experience. This is important for instant applications such as gaming, video conferencing, and virtual reality to improve responsiveness and performance.
4. Security.
Wi-Fi 7 will provide stronger security features to protect wireless networks from potential threats and attacks. This includes support for stronger encryption algorithms and authentication mechanisms to ensure the security and privacy of user data.
5. Energy efficiency.
Wi-Fi 7 will introduce some energy-saving features to improve the energy efficiency of wireless devices. This will be especially helpful for battery-powered devices such as smartphones, tablets, and IoT devices to extend the battery life of these devices.
6. Compatibility.
Wi-Fi 7 will remain backward compatible with existing Wi-Fi technologies, which means users can connect to devices that support older Wi-Fi standards on devices that support Wi-Fi 7. This helps smooth the seamless integration between multiple old and new devices, and enhances the user experience and interoperability.
2. Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi 7 has some important improvements and differences over Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6e. The biggest difference between the three criteria is speed and bandwidth. Wi-Fi 7 offers higher speeds and bandwidth. Wi-Fi 6 has a maximum speed of 96 Gbps, while Wi-Fi 7 can reach higher transfer rates. In addition, Wi-Fi 7 can provide a wider bandwidth by extending the spectrum range, thereby achieving higher transmission performance.
In terms of spectral efficiency, Wi-Fi 6E introduces a new 6 GHz band to alleviate the pressure on the spectrum and provide a wider spectrum. Wi-Fi 7 can also operate on the 6 GHz band, so there is no noticeable difference in spectral efficiency compared to Wi-Fi 6E.
In terms of latency, Wi-Fi 7 aims to reduce transmission latency and provide a more immediate connection experience. It will be optimized for low-latency applications to provide faster reaction times. In addition, Wi-Fi 7 offers improvements in speed and bandwidth, as well as optimization for low-latency applications.