Wi-Fi 7 reaches speeds comparable to Thunderbolt 3

The next generation of consumer wireless networks can deliver extremely high-speed connections, with initial demonstrations of Wi-Fi 7 offering about the same speeds as Thunderbolt 3.

Current consumer electronics products generally support Wi-Fi 6 and earlier technologies, and a few have begun to use Wi-Fi 6E. Although adoption in consumer hardware is still some time away, hardware vendors appear to be starting to test the technology.

Semiconductor maker MediaTek has been demonstrating Wi-Fi 7 to "key customers and industry partners," including successfully completing the world's first live demonstration. The test includes a demonstration of MediaTek’s WiFi 7 “Filogic” technology to help achieve maximum speeds for the upcoming standard.

Wi-Fi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be, uses the 2.4Ghz, 5GHz and 6GHz spectrum and is expected to provide speeds about 2.4 times faster than Wi-Fi 6. It does this by expanding the channel to 320Mhz and supporting 4K Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM).

While Wi-Fi 6 can handle speeds of up to 9.6Gbps, the Wi-Fi Alliance says Wi-Fi 7 should be able to provide connections of "at least 30" Gbps, and possibly 40Gbps.

For reference, Thunderbolt 3 connections can run at speeds up to 40 Gb per second, and in fact, any single peripheral on the chain is limited to 32 Gb per second. In fact, a full-speed Wi-Fi 7 connection can provide speeds close to Thunderbolt 3, but wirelessly.

As part of the demonstration, MediaTek showed off its Multi-Link Operation (MLO) technology, which can combine multiple channels from different frequency bands. In effect, one connection can use different frequency bands simultaneously, mitigating any potential interference or congestion on a specific band.

“The launch of Wi-Fi 7 will mark the first time Wi-Fi has become a true wired/Ethernet alternative for ultra-high-bandwidth applications,” said Alan Hsu, vice president and general manager of MediaTek’s Smart Connectivity Group. The VP believes that the technology can be used in the infrastructure of home and business networks and "provide seamless connectivity for everything from multiplayer AR/VR applications to cloud gaming and 4K calling to 8K streaming."

Currently, Wi-Fi 7 is still a draft specification, but it is expected to be certified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2024. Despite the two-year wait, MediaTek believes the first consumer products capable of supporting Wi-Fi 7 may launch in 2023.

It’s unclear when Apple might support Wi-Fi 7. Wi-Fi 6 is the fastest version supported by Apple products in early 2022, and even the flagship iPhone 13 Pro, as well as the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro are using the old spec.

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