Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be): What Changes for Home Networks and When to Upgrade
Wi-Fi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be, is the Wi-Fi Alliance's consumer name for the Extremely High Throughput standard, with its certification program launched in January 2024. It works across the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands and stays backward compatible with older Wi-Fi 5 and 6 devices, though some features need 6 GHz. Key technical gains include 320 MHz channels, 4096-QAM for higher data rates near the access point, Multi-Link Operation for using several bands at once, and preamble puncturing. Theoretical maximum rates reach about 23 Gbit/s, but real-world speeds are much lower, and internet plan limits often matter more for ordinary browsing. The article suggests upgrading mainly for gigabit-class internet, multiple Wi-Fi 7 devices in crowded environments, or frequent local file transfers.
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