Glossary
Wi-Fi 7
The latest Wi-Fi standard (802.11be), introducing 320 MHz channels, 4096-QAM modulation, and Multi-Link Operation. Theoretical peak: ~46 Gbps.
Wi-Fi 7 (technically IEEE 802.11be) builds on Wi-Fi 6/6E with three headline features:
- 320 MHz channels in 6 GHz (double Wi-Fi 6E's max).
- 4K-QAM modulation — 20% more bits per symbol.
- Multi-Link Operation (MLO) — a single device can simultaneously use 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands, lowering latency and increasing reliability.
In practice
Real-world Wi-Fi 7 throughput in a typical home: 2–3 Gbps at 10 m line-of-sight; ~600 Mbps through a wall. Latency is the more important upgrade for VR streaming and competitive gaming — Wi-Fi 7 with MLO consistently sees <5 ms median latency.
Compatibility
A Wi-Fi 7 router falls back gracefully to Wi-Fi 6/6E for older clients. To benefit, you need both router and client supporting Wi-Fi 7.
Where this matters
Categories that use wi-fi 7
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