Wi-Fi 7 gets certified

Wi-Fi 7 technology, the latest in wireless networking, has reached a major milestone with the introduction of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 -- a certification program by Wi-Fi Alliance. Keep in mind, this certification is not really introducing new technology, but rather, affirming the robustness and interoperability of the existing Wi-Fi 7 that many early adopters are already using.

This program guarantees that Wi-Fi 7's advanced features are uniformly deployed, ensuring high-quality user experiences across various devices and applications. This certification plays a critical role in reinforcing the technology's reliability for high throughput, deterministic latency, and critical traffic handling.

The certification of Wi-Fi 7 is especially significant considering its potential impact on many applications. This includes empowering multi-user AR/VR/XR experiences, enhancing immersive 3-D training, revolutionizing electronic gaming, facilitating hybrid work environments, and advancing industrial IoT and automotive technologies. The certification ensures these applications can leverage Wi-Fi 7's capabilities to their fullest extent.

The market's readiness for Wi-Fi 7 is evident, with predictions indicating a surge in Wi-Fi 7-equipped devices. Estimates suggest that over 233 million devices will hit the market in 2024, with an exponential growth to 2.1 billion by 2028. Smartphones, PCs, tablets, and access points (APs) are among the early adopters, with customer premises equipment (CPE) and AR/VR equipment also gaining early market traction.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 distinguishes itself with several advanced features. These include 320MHz channels for ultra-fast speeds, Multi-Link Operation (MLO) for improved throughput and reliability, and 4K QAM for enhanced transmission rates. Additional features like 512 Compressed block-ack, Multiple RUs to a single STA, and Triggered Uplink Access significantly improve efficiency and meet various quality of service requirements.

Kevin Robinson, President and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance, explains, "The certification of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 reaffirms our commitment to pioneering advanced technology that enhances Wi-Fi experiences. It signifies a mature, reliable, and high-performing Wi-Fi 7, ready to expand the possibilities of wireless connectivity."

If you were holding off on adopting Wi-Fi 7 because it was not yet certified, it is finally time to start looking into it. After all, it is a very significant update for all users not yet utilizing Wi-Fi 6E.