We look into Wi-Fi 7, move more data and do it faster

A massive leap in wireless connectivity that Wi-Fi 7 will bring is certainly going to bring forward unmatched capabilities for high bandwidth, high-impact applications, and devices.

This means more opportunities on the cards for augmented, and virtual reality technology as Wi-Fi 7 looks to bring in changes while increasing overall speed.

What is it?

Wi-Fi 7 is the latest standard for wireless networking. It’s still under development with a few tweaks still to be done but early demonstration shows that it has the potential to revolutionize the wireless experience.

Wi-Fi 7 is also known as IEEE 802.11 and is an improvement from its predecessor Wi-Fi 6 and 6E.

With Wi-Fi 7, we see peak speeds of 30 Gbps, compared to Wi-Fi 6’s 9.6 Gbps which translates to much faster downloads, uploads and streaming even of high-resolution content.

We know what it is but what does the future look like with Wi-Fi 7

It’s a massive leap forward in terms of connectivity as Wi-Fi 7 will bring about a solid step into augmented and virtual reality including an entirely new category of devices.

Remember when we saw refrigerators connected to other devices, while camera’s worked synonymously through wifi, the possibilities represent a new frontier of usage scenarios.

Wi-Fi 7 could be the intro to holographic meetings, featuring full body projections without a glitch or lag, says Stefani Johnson, Product Marketing Manager (Wireless) at Cisco.

She says: “Wi-Fi 7 could replace QR code restaurant menus with augmented reality menu experiences, allowing diners to see presentation and ingredients before ordering. Wi-Fi 7 could deliver seamless, reliable connectivity for users’ devices from building to building without users having to think about which network they should connect to.”

Quoting a survey conducted by Gartner on some of the most critical outcomes from tech investments, Johnson pointed out how retail organizations were likely to introduce an era where when a customer enters a retail store, they seamlessly join the store network.

Retail consumers and employees could use virtual reality to see product dimensions and details that are displayed in real-time.

This could lead to more efficient inventory arrays, better management and increased sales volumes, according to Johnson.

So Wi-Fi 7 could propel laboratories and health research institutions across the globe to collaborate more data-intensive research but we cannot forget that it will likely be used with improved AI systems.

What to expect?

We’re likely to experience more 3D projections of microscopic cells for biology where students can examine and study more effectively. Mechanics or engineers in training are likely to see their model in realistic 3 dimensions versus only on a textbook.

Johnson argues that the development will be the greatest advancement in wireless technology of the past 20 years as the standard will change how people and devices connect to networks.

“It may take a while for Wi-Fi 7 to become a viable element of your networking or technology
strategy. As of this writing, the public timeline for Wi-Fi 7’s official release is not until spring
2024. However, now is an optimal time to reflect on your technology strategy and how peak
adoption of Wi-Fi 7 (which realistically maybe a year or two away) will affect your digital
initiatives,” Johnson says.

While it will take time for certain developments in the form of chipsets, and wi-fi to solidify themselves in the market, its important to note that early adopters will most likely pave the way for the majority while knowing exactly what needs development.

The point for any business is to think about which parts of the business can be more efficient using Wi-Fi technology as the change agent.

Working across the organization, CIO’s can plan on the greater use of the network for the new tasks in separate lines of business.

The conclusion

We’re likely to see reduced lag times which are crucial for real-time applications like gaming, video conferencing, VR, and AR experiences.

The adoption of WiFi 7 will support more devices to handle more traffic through denser networks.

The advent will open doors for innovation by offering superior speed alongside the increased capacity when compared to its predecessors.

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