One of the ways a business can get an advantage in a competitive marketplace is by being an early adopter of new technologies. One such technology was just released a few months back: WiFi 7
What are the benefits of WiFi 7? It’s the next generation of wireless connectivity, and there’s a lot of buzz over what it promises. You might be wondering what it offers and if it’s the right move for your business, so let’s dive into the details.
Why is Wi-Fi 7 better?
- Lightning-Fast Speed: WiFi 7 boasts 4.8x faster speed reducing buffering creating a smooth experience.
- More Reliable: WiFi 7 provides rock-solid connections ensuring reliable performance.
- Futureproof: WiFi 7 is built with tomorrow’s demanding technology in mind.
That’s a brief look at why WiFi 7 is better than WiFi 6, but let’s take a deep dive to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good
Imagine WiFi 7 as a brand-new freeway, with more lanes, less congestion, and a higher speed limit compared to its predecessor, WiFi 6.
WiFi7 is insanely fast. It’s rated for peak speeds of 46 Gb/s, which is nearly 5 times faster than WiFi 6’s 9.6 Gb/s. Of course that is theoretical top end, a more realistic comparison would be 2.4 times faster than an existing WiFi radio configuration.
Simply put, this means your business can send and receive data at unprecedented speeds, allowing for smoother video conferencing, faster file transfers, and a generally more efficient online operation.
Moreover, WiFi 7 offers improved capacity and lower latency by widening the bandwidth. In layman’s terms, it can handle more devices at once and reduces the delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction for its transfer.
This is crucial for businesses using cloud services, IoT devices (smart devices), or simply having a lot of employees online simultaneously.
Top it off with usage of additional bands. WiFi 7 uses what is called Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which is just a fancy way of saying that a device can use multiple bands to communicate simultaneously. That would be like drinking out of two straws. You get more flow with double the pipeline.
Most importantly though, is that WiFi 7 is built with tomorrow in mind. As available internet speeds keep increasing, your devices do too. The amount of devices and speeds required is exactly what WiFi 7 was built for. It is the newest technology with a great leap in performance, there is no better way to futureproof yourself than adopting WiFi7.
The Bad
Every coin has two sides. So what is the flip side to all the benefits of WiFi 7?
Well, the fact that the 3 bands available in WiFi 6 and 6E are exactly the same in WiFi 7. It is standard these days to utilize 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands. That 6 GHz band is really fast with tremendous bandwidth.
WiFi 6 and 6E came out in 2019 and 2020 respectively, so it’s not like they are “old” technology per say. Is WiFi 7 faster? Yes. But in realities terms it’s more akin to swapping one sports car for another. They are both fast, and you probably won’t see huge differences.
Not to mention that WiFi 7 is brand spanking new. Unless you just bought a flagship device, you probably don’t have any devices that are WiFi 7 compatible, so all those benefits are lost on you.
The Ugly
You love to spend money right? Of course you do…said no one ever.
Upgrading to WiFi 7 will require new hardware, which will put a decent dent in your budget.
A new home grade WiFi 7 router is easily double or two and a half times more expensive than a WiFi 6 counterpart. And that is home grade equipment. Business grade or Enterprise level? Expect the prices be similarly high.
Is it worth it?
So, is it worth upgrading to WiFi 7? It’s a mixed bag. On one hand, the perks of Wi-Fi 7 are pretty compelling. But on the flip side, upgrading isn’t exactly pocket change.
In all honesty, unless you are due for a hardware refresh now, I’d recommend waiting. Your dollars would be better spent elsewhere. However, if you happen to be in need of hardware, then this is a perfect time to tap into the better performance of WiFi 7.
Not ready to take the Wi-Fi 7 plunge? No worries. There are a ton of ways to amp up your current WiFi setup without breaking the bank. Whether it’s fine-tuning what you’ve got, adding extenders, or setting up a mesh network, there’s something for every budget out there.
We’re here to help you navigate through the tech maze and find the best solutions that keep your business humming and your team smiling. Curious about your options or ready to chat? Drop us a line.