Exploring the superior capabilities of Wi-Fi 7 over Wi-Fi 6

In recent times, purposes equivalent to video conferences, extremely high-definition streaming providers, cloud providers, gaming, and superior industrial Web of Issues (IIoT) have considerably raised the bar for wi-fi expertise. Wi-Fi 6 (together with Wi-Fi 6E) and dual-band Wi-Fi have been promising options to the rising wi-fi calls for. Nonetheless, the real-world enhancements and noticeable advantages of Wi-Fi 6 have been underwhelming.

Now, we have now a brand new normal on the horizon, bringing important technical adjustments to the Wi-Fi business. Wi-Fi 7 will likely be an enormous leap ahead for residential and enterprise customers. This text will present readers with insights into the newest progress of Wi-Fi 7. It’ll assist engineers to higher perceive the total capabilities of Wi-Fi 7 and all of the technical challenges that include these new options. It’ll help engineers to work on easy Wi-Fi 7 adoption and develop potential purposes relating to superior wi-fi applied sciences.

Anticipated Wi-Fi 7 efficiency vs Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 5

From the final column of Desk 1, you possibly can clearly see some efficiency numbers that Wi-Fi 7 will have the ability to ship. As you possibly can see, we’re taking a look at a 4.8 fold connection pace achieve from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 7, making the utmost theoretical knowledge price 46 Gbps. That could be a appreciable pace enchancment from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6, which was solely 2.8 instances.

Desk 1 A specification comparability between Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7.

That a lot pace enchancment is as a result of channel measurement growing as much as 320 MHz. From Desk 1, channel measurement has stayed the identical for over ten years. One other key purpose Wi-Fi 7 may ship a lot greater pace is that it helps three frequency bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and multi-link operations. Determine 1 exhibits the bands, spectrum, channels, and channel width which might be accessible to Wi-Fi 7. This characteristic not solely improves connection pace but additionally improves community capability by 5 instances in comparison with Wi-Fi 6. In a later part, we are going to discover these new technical options in additional element.

Determine 1 An outline of bands, spectrum, channels, and channel width accessible to Wi-Fi 7. Supply: Keysight

Based mostly on the specs of Wi-Fi 7, in addition to the 46 Gbps pace, we anticipate Wi-Fi 7 to ship lower than 5 milliseconds of latency. That is over 100 instances higher than Wi-Fi 6. With this efficiency, we may anticipate 15x higher AR/VR efficiency.

Most channel bandwidth improve

As talked about in Desk 1, one of the vital important adjustments coming to Wi-Fi 7 is the utmost channel bandwidth. It permits the 6 GHz band to double its bandwidth from 160 MHz to 320 MHz, this modification will allow many extra simultaneous knowledge transmissions. As illustrated in Determine 2, with twice the bandwidth sources, you possibly can simply anticipate the bottom pace to double.

Determine 2 Wi-Fi 7’s most channel bandwidth within the 6 GHz unhealthy versus the 5 GHz band of Wi-Fi 6. Supply: Keysight

At present, two primary challenges will make adopting 320 MHz slower. First, from a regulatory standpoint, sure areas help three channels of the 320 MHz contiguous spectrum whereas others solely help one channel, and a few areas don’t help any channel. That’s the reason this bandwidth is unique to the 6 GHz band. It requires policymakers in numerous areas to work carefully with the Wi-Fi business to search out possible options to permit extra bandwidth for Wi-Fi purposes. Regardless of these challenges, a number of chipset/module distributors have already licensed Wi-Fi 7 modules, and several other machine producers will likely be releasing Wi-Fi 7 entry factors (APs) in 2023.

One other problem is that we’d like appropriate shoppers to help this characteristic. At present, all consumer units solely help 160 MHz at greatest. Machine makers should contemplate elements like interference or energy consumption when designing and creating their new merchandise. Larger bandwidth help often means greater energy utilization and a better likelihood of interference. It often takes time for machine makers to discover a stability between efficiency and different elements. Due to this fact, it would take time till the business can take full benefit of this channel bandwidth improve.

Multi-link operation

There’s one other essential characteristic coming to Wi-Fi 7. This characteristic is multi-link operation or MLO. At present, as proven on the left of Determine 3, Wi-Fi expertise solely helps single-link operation, which suggests Wi-Fi units can solely transmit knowledge utilizing both the two.4 GHz band or the 5 GHz band. With Wi-Fi 7 and MLO, proven on the appropriate of Determine 3, Wi-Fi units can transmit knowledge utilizing all accessible bands and channels to transmit knowledge concurrently. There are often two schemes for MLO to work. Units may both select amongst totally different bands for every switch cycle, or they may simply mixture multiple band. Both method, MLO avoids congestion on the hyperlinks, decreasing latency. This characteristic will enhance reliability for purposes like VR/AR, gaming, video conferencing, and cloud computing.

Determine 3 Single-link operation of Wi-Fi 6 versus MLO of Wi-Fi 7. Supply: Keysight

As talked about within the earlier part, Wi-Fi 7 now helps wider most channel bandwidth of as much as 320 MHz. To help excessive band aggregation, it would trigger a rise in peak-to-average energy ratio (PAPR) in wider channels. Due to this fact, this MLO characteristic will introduce extra energy consumption, which machine makers should discover methods to compensate for. Moreover extra energy utilization, having extra subchannels will make managing interference tougher on the similar time.

Channel puncturing

The next essential characteristic is channel puncturing or, preamble puncturing. This characteristic permits APs to determine transmissions with multiple companion machine on the similar time and have the ability to monitor for interference on the channel. In the event that they detect interference within the channel, they will ‘puncture’ the channel and notch out that 20 MHz sub-channel to proceed the transmission in the remainder of the channel. The general bandwidth is decrease due to the punctured quantity, however we nonetheless allow a good channel than not utilizing it in any respect.

Channel puncturing already existed in Wi-Fi 6 as an non-compulsory characteristic. Nonetheless, due to its technical complexity, this characteristic requires each appropriate APs and shoppers to work correctly. There has but to be a producer benefiting from this characteristic. With the brand new Wi-Fi 7 requirements, this channel puncturing may turn out to be a normal characteristic.

For measurement necessities, this characteristic has offered extra challenges from the regulatory facet. The European Telecommunications Requirements Institute (ETSI) has already given the requirements for preamble puncturing testing, however for 160 MHz bandwidths. The Federal Communications Fee (FCC), nevertheless, wants to offer clear pointers for the measurement limits for preamble puncturing. The present measurement limits weren’t designed for the Wi-Fi 7 preamble puncturing characteristic, and they’re too restrictive. For instance, there are discussions in displays on learn how to handle channel puncturing for dynamic frequency choice (DFS) testing, however no formal definition in FCC steerage paperwork (KDBs). Additionally, there are potential adjustments coming to the in-band emission limits for channel puncturing.

Different essential new options of Wi-Fi 7 and IoT help

To help extra IoT units on one Wi-Fi community, Wi-Fi 7 introduced 16×16 multi-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO). This characteristic will simply double the community capability of Wi-Fi 6. Whereas this improves the transmission effectivity, it additionally drastically will increase the quantity of testing required, as a number of checks are required for every antenna output.

Wi-Fi 7 adopts a higher-order modulation scheme, 4096-QAM, to additional improve peak charges. As proven in Determine 4. This permits Wi-Fi 7 to hold 12 bits at a time somewhat than 10 bits. Which means the brand new modulation scheme alone can enhance theoretical transmission charges by 20% in comparison with Wi-Fi 6’s 1024-QAM. Moreover sooner knowledge price enchancment, in terms of streaming, gaming, and VR/AR purposes, 4K-QAM means flawless 4K/8K picture high quality, greater color accuracy, and minimal lag.

Determine 4 Wi-Fi 7 adopts a higher-order modulation scheme, 4096-QAM, to additional improve peak charges; right here is an instance of 1024 QAM vs. 4096 QAM. Supply: Keysight

With Wi-Fi 6, every person solely has one useful resource unit (RU) assigned to transmit frames, which makes the spectrum useful resource much less versatile. Wi-Fi 7, nevertheless, permits a number of RUs mixtures to serve one single person, which will increase transmission effectivity. See Determine 5.

Determine 5 An instance of single RU versus multi-RU. Supply: Keysight

Understanding Wi-Fi 7

Wi-fi connectivity has turn out to be more and more very important in our lives. Wi-Fi expertise performs a vital function in assembly our rising calls for for greater pace, low latency, excessive capability, and excessive effectivity for family and enterprise customers. Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) will convey enhancements in all these main points in comparison with Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and can open extra doorways to extra and higher IoT purposes and providers.

Wi-Fi 7 leverages the elevated channel width, multi-channel operation, and channel puncturing to enhance pace and effectivity. Different options like multi-user capabilities enhancements, 4K-QAM, and multi-RU help will additional optimize the person expertise.

Wi-Fi 7 additionally comes with a number of powerful challenges. Crucial one is discovering a stability between wider characteristic help and energy consumption. In fact, there may be all the time a component of interference within the subchannels. To help all these new options, we’d like appropriate APs and shoppers, which isn’t potential if we shouldn’t have all of the regulatory pointers in place for all areas on the planet. This requires regulatory our bodies to work carefully with business leaders to outline these pointers in order that Wi-Fi 7 evolves to actuality from principle.

Xiang Li is an skilled wi-fi community engineer with a grasp’s diploma in electrical engineering. At present, Xiang is an Trade Resolution Advertising and marketing Engineer at Keysight Applied sciences.

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