Wi-Fi 7

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Short description: Wireless networking standard in development
Not to be confused with IEEE 802.11b.
Wi-Fi 7
Icon used by the Wi-Fi Alliance for Wi-Fi 7

Template:Wi-Fi Generations

IEEE 802.11be-2024[1] or 802.11be, dubbed Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is a wireless networking standard in the IEEE 802.11 set of protocols[2][3] which is designated Wi-Fi 7 by the Wi-Fi Alliance.[4][5][6] It has built upon 802.11ax, focusing on WLAN indoor and outdoor operation with stationary and pedestrian speeds in the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz frequency bands.[7]

In a single band, throughput reaches a theoretical maximum of 23 Gbit/s, although actual results are much lower.

Development of the 802.11be amendment began with an initial draft in March 2021 and the final version was published on 22 July 2025.[8][5][9][10] Despite this, numerous products were announced in 2022 based on draft standards, with retail availability in early 2023. On 8 January 2024, the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced its Wi-Fi Certified 7 program to certify Wi-Fi 7 devices as the technical requirements were essentially complete.[11][12][13]

Core features

The following are core features that have been approved as of Draft 3.0:

  • 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) enables each symbol to carry 12 bits rather than 10 bits, resulting in 20% higher theoretical transmission rates than WiFi 6's 1024-QAM. This feature is optional for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14]
  • Contiguous and non-contiguous 320/160+160 MHz and 240/160+80 MHz bandwidth. This feature is optional for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14][lower-alpha 1]
  • Multi-link Operation (MLO), a feature that increases capacity by simultaneously sending and receiving data across different frequency bands and channels. (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz). This feature is mandatory for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14] Wi-Fi 7 builds on the technology of Wi-Fi 6 through the introduction of Multi-Link Operation (MLO), allowing users to connect to 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands simultaneously.[15]
  • 8 spatial streams and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) protocol enhancements. (Initial 16 but removed from the specs in 2024).
  • Flexible Channel Utilization – Interference currently can negate an entire Wi-Fi channel. With preamble puncturing, a portion of the channel that is affected by interference can be blocked off while continuing to use the rest of the channel. This feature is mandatory for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14][lower-alpha 2]
  • Multiple Resource Unit (MRU) – Improves OFDMA technology from Wi-Fi 6, allowing a single user to have multiple Resource Units. This feature is mandatory for Wi-Fi 7 certification.[14]

Candidate features

The main candidate features mentioned in the 802.11be Project Authorization Request (PAR) are:[16]

  • Multi-Access Point (AP) Coordination (e.g. coordinated and joint transmission),
  • Enhanced link adaptation and retransmission protocol (e.g. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)).
  • If needed, adaptation to regulatory rules specific to 6 GHz spectrum.[needs update][14][lower-alpha 1]
  • Integrating Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) IEEE 802.1Q extensions for low-latency real-time traffic:[17][18][19]
    • IEEE 802.1AS timing and synchronization
    • IEEE 802.11aa MAC Enhancements for Robust Audio Video Streaming (Stream Reservation Protocol over IEEE 802.11)
    • IEEE 802.11ak Enhancements for Transit Links Within Bridged Networks (802.11 links in 802.1Q networks)
    • Bounded latency: credit-based (IEEE 802.1Qav) and cyclic/time-aware traffic shaping (IEEE 802.1Qch/Qbv), asynchronous traffic scheduling (IEEE 802.1Qcr-2020)
    • IEEE 802.11ax Scheduled Operation extensions for reduced jitter/latency

Additional features

Apart from the features mentioned in the PAR, there are newly introduced features:[20]

  • Frame formats with improved forward-compatibility.
  • Enhanced resource allocation in OFDMA.
  • Implicit channel sounding, optimized to require less airtime.
  • Support for direct links, managed by an access point.[clarification needed]

Rate set

  1. REDIRECT Template:Row hover highlight
Modulation and coding schemes
MCS index[lower-roman 1] Modulation type Coding rate Data rate (Mbit/s)[lower-roman 2]
20 MHz channels 40 MHz channels 80 MHz channels 160 MHz channels 320 MHz channels
3200 ns GI[lower-roman 3] 1600 ns GI 800 ns GI 3200 ns GI 1600 ns GI 800 ns GI 3200 ns GI 1600 ns GI 800 ns GI 3200 ns GI 1600 ns GI 800 ns GI 3200 ns GI 1600 ns GI 800 ns GI
0 BPSK 1/2 7 8 9 15 16 17 31 34 36 61 68 72 123 136 144
1 QPSK 1/2 15 16 17 29 33 34 61 68 72 122 136 144 245 272 288
2 QPSK 3/4 22 24 26 44 49 52 92 102 108 184 204 216 368 408 432
3 16-QAM 1/2 29 33 34 59 65 69 123 136 144 245 272 288 490 544 577
4 16-QAM 3/4 44 49 52 88 98 103 184 204 216 368 408 432 735 817 865
5 64-QAM 2/3 59 65 69 117 130 138 245 272 288 490 544 576 980 1089 1153
6 64-QAM 3/4 66 73 77 132 146 155 276 306 324 551 613 649 1103 1225 1297
7 64-QAM 5/6 73 81 86 146 163 172 306 340 360 613 681 721 1225 1361 1441
8 256-QAM 3/4 88 98 103 176 195 207 368 408 432 735 817 865 1470 1633 1729
9 256-QAM 5/6 98 108 115 195 217 229 408 453 480 817 907 961 1633 1815 1922
10 1024-QAM 3/4 110 122 129 219 244 258 459 510 540 919 1021 1081 1838 2042 2162
11 1024-QAM 5/6 122 135 143 244 271 287 510 567 600 1021 1134 1201 2042 2269 2402
12 4096-QAM 3/4 131 146 155 263 293 310 551 613 649 1103 1225 1297 2205 2450 2594
13 4096-QAM 5/6 146 163 172 293 325 344 613 681 721 1225 1361 1441 2450 2722 2882
14 BPSK-DCM-DUP 1/2 7 8 9 15 17 18 31 34 36
15 BPSK-DCM 1/2 4 4 4 7 8 9 15 17 18 31 34 36 61 68 72

Comparison

IEEE 802.11 network PHY standards
Frequency
range,
or type 		PHY Protocol Release
date[21] 		Frequency Bandwidth Stream data rate[22] Allowable
MIMO streams 		Modulation Approximate
range[citation needed]
Indoor Outdoor
(GHz) (MHz) (Mbit/s)
1–6 GHz DSSS/FHSS[23] 802.11-1997 Jun 1997 2.4 22 1, 2 N/A DSSS, FHSS 20 m (66 ft) 100 m (330 ft)
HR-DSSS[23] 802.11b Sep 1999 2.4 22 1, 2, 5.5, 11 N/A DSSS 35 m (115 ft) 140 m (460 ft)
OFDM 802.11a Sep 1999 5 5/10/20 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54
(for 20 MHz bandwidth,
divide by 2 and 4 for 10 and 5 MHz) 		N/A OFDM 35 m (115 ft) 120 m (390 ft)
802.11j Nov 2004 4.9/5.0[D][24][failed verification] ? ?
802.11p Jul 2010 5.9 ? 1,000 m (3,300 ft)[25]
802.11y Nov 2008 3.7[A] ? 5,000 m (16,000 ft)[A]
ERP-OFDM(, etc.) 802.11g Jun 2003 2.4 38 m (125 ft) 140 m (460 ft)
HT-OFDM[26] 802.11n Oct 2009 2.4/5 20 Up to 288.8[B] 4 MIMO-OFDM 70 m (230 ft) 250 m (820 ft)[27][failed verification]
40 Up to 600[B]
VHT-OFDM[26] 802.11ac Dec 2013 5 20 Up to 346.8[B] 8 MIMO-OFDM 35 m (115 ft)[28] ?
40 Up to 800[B]
80 Up to 1733.2[B]
160 Up to 3466.8[B]
HE-OFDM 802.11ax September 2019 [29] 2.4/5/6 20 Up to 1147[F] 8 MIMO-OFDM 30 m (98 ft) 120 m (390 ft) [G]
40 Up to 2294[F]
80 Up to 4804[F]
80+80 Up to 9608[F]
mmWave DMG[30] 802.11ad Dec 2012 60 2,160 Up to 6,757[31]
(6.7 Gbit/s) 		N/A OFDM, single carrier, low-power single carrier 3.3 m (11 ft)[32] ?
802.11aj Apr 2018 45/60[C] 540/1,080[33] Up to 15,000[34]
(15 Gbit/s) 		4[35] OFDM, single carrier[35] ? ?
EDMG[36] 802.11ay Est. May 2020 60 8000 Up to 20,000 (20 Gbit/s)[37] 4 OFDM, single carrier 10 m (33 ft) 100 m (328 ft)
Sub-1 GHz IoT TVHT[38] 802.11af Feb 2014 0.054–0.79 6–8 Up to 568.9[39] 4 MIMO-OFDM ? ?
S1G[38] 802.11ah Dec 2016 0.7/0.8/0.9 1–16 Up to 8.67 (@2 MHz)[40] 4 ? ?
2.4 GHz, 5 GHz WUR 802.11ba[E] Est. Sep 2020 2.4/5 4.06 0.0625, 0.25 (62.5 kbit/s, 250 kbit/s) N/A OOK (Multi-carrier OOK) ? ?
Light (Li-Fi) IR 802.11-1997 Jun 1997 ? ? 1, 2 N/A PPM ? ?
? 802.11bb Est. Jul 2021 60000-790000 ? ? N/A ? ? ?
802.11 Standard rollups
  802.11-2007 Mar 2007 2.4, 5 Up to 54 DSSS, OFDM
802.11-2012 Mar 2012 2.4, 5 Up to 150[B] DSSS, OFDM
802.11-2016 Dec 2016 2.4, 5, 60 Up to 866.7 or 6,757[B] DSSS, OFDM
  • A1 A2 IEEE 802.11y-2008 extended operation of 802.11a to the licensed 3.7 GHz band. Increased power limits allow a range up to 5,000 m. As of 2009, it is only being licensed in the United States by the FCC.
  • B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 Based on short guard interval; standard guard interval is ~10% slower. Rates vary widely based on distance, obstructions, and interference.
  • C1 For Chinese regulation.
  • D1 For Japanese regulation.
  • E1 Wake-up Radio (WUR) Operation.
  • F1 F2 F3 F4 For single-user cases only, based on default guard interval which is 0.8 micro seconds. Since multi-user via OFDMA has become available for 802.11ax, these may decrease. Also, these theoretical values depend on the link distance, whether the link is line-of-sight or not, interferences and the multi-path components in the environment.
  • G1 The default guard interval is 0.8 micro seconds. However, 802.11ax extended the maximum available guard interval to 3.2 micro seconds, in order to support Outdoor communications, where the maximum possible propagation delay is larger compared to Indoor environments.

802.11be Task Group

The 802.11be Task Group is led by individuals affiliated with Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom. Those affiliated with Huawei, Maxlinear, NXP, and Apple also have senior positions.[10]

Commercial availability

Hardware

The Wi-Fi Alliance maintains a list of Wi-Fi 7 certified devices.[41]

Software

Android 13 and higher provide support for Wi-Fi 7.[42]

The Linux 6.2 kernel provides support for Wi-Fi 7 devices. The 6.4 kernel added Wi-Fi 7 mesh support.[43] Linux 6.5 included significant driver support by Intel engineers, particularly support for MLO.[44]

Support for Wi-Fi 7 was added to Windows 11, as of build 26063.1.[45][46]

Notes

  1. ↑ MCS 9 is not applicable to all combinations of channel width and spatial stream count.
  2. ↑ Per spatial stream
  3. ↑ GI stands for guard interval.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 see 3.2. – 320 MHz Channel Width
  2. ↑ see 3.4. – Preamble Puncturing

References

  1. ↑ "IEEE 802.11be-2024" (in en). https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/802.11be/7516/. 
  2. ↑ "Wi-Fi 7". Wi-Fi Alliance. https://www.wi-fi.org/who-we-are/current-work-areas#Wi-Fi%207. 
  3. ↑ Jackson, Mark (2024-01-08). "Wi-Fi Alliance Officially Certifies Kit for New Wi-Fi 7 Standard" (in en). https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2024/01/wi-fi-alliance-officially-certifies-kit-for-new-wi-fi-7-standard.html. 
  4. ↑ Shankland, Stephen (2019-09-03). "Wi-Fi 6 is barely, but Wi-Fi 7 is already on the way – With improvements to Wi-Fi 6 and its successor, Qualcomm is working to boost speeds and overcome congestion on wireless networks.". https://www.cnet.com/news/wi-fi-6-is-barely-here-but-wi-fi-7-is-already-on-the-way/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Khorov, Evgeny (2020-05-08). "Current Status and Directions of IEEE 802.11be, the Future Wi-Fi 7". IEEE 8: 88664–88688. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2993448. Bibcode: 2020IEEEA...888664K. 
  6. ↑ "Wi-Fi Generations". Wi-Fi Alliance. https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi. 
  7. ↑ López-Pérez, David (12 Feb 2019). "IEEE 802.11be – Extremely High Throughput: The Next Generation of Wi-Fi Technology Beyond 802.11ax". arXiv:1902.04320 [cs.IT].
  8. ↑ "Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Technical Guide" (in en). 2024-12-03. https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/Wi-Fi_Basics_and_Best_Practices/Wi-Fi_7_(802.11be)_Technical_Guide. 
  9. ↑ "IEEE 802.11, The Working Group Setting the Standards for Wireless LANs". https://www.ieee802.org/11/Reports/802.11_Timelines.htm. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "IEEE P802.11 – TASK GROUP BE (EHT) – GROUP INFORMATION UPDATE". https://www.ieee802.org/11/Reports/tgbe_update.htm. 
  11. ↑ "The Next Generation of Wi-Fi Is Officially Here. But You Don't Need It (Yet)." (in en-US). The New York Times. 2024-02-16. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/do-you-need-wi-fi-7/. 
  12. ↑ Boever, Nick (2024-01-17). "The First Wi-Fi 7 Certified Devices Have Begun to Hit the Market" (in en-US). https://www.cepro.com/products/first-wi-fi-7-certified-products-now-available/. 
  13. ↑ "Intel® Wi-Fi 7 Series Products and Solutions with Intel® Wi-Fi 7..." (in en). https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/details/wireless/wi-fi-7-series.html. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 "Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Technical Guide". 3 December 2024. https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/Wi-Fi_Basics_and_Best_Practices/Wi-Fi_7_(802.11be)_Technical_Guide. 
  15. ↑ "A Complete Guide to Wi-Fi 7". 2024-05-30. https://myrepublic.net/sg/blog/broadband/a-complete-guide-to-wifi-7/. 
  16. ↑ "802.11be Project Authorization Request (PAR)". https://mentor.ieee.org/802.11/dcn/18/11-18-1231-06-0eht-eht-draft-proposed-par.docx. 
  17. ↑ "IEEE 802.11 features towards RAW". November 2003. https://datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/106/materials/slides-106-raw-04-ieee-status-00. 
  18. ↑ Wi-Fi TSN Capabilities datatracker.ietf.org
  19. ↑ 802.1 TSN over 802.11 with updates from developments in 802.11be ieee802.org
  20. ↑ E. Khorov; I. Levitsky; I. F. Akyildiz (2020). "Current Status and Directions of IEEE 802.11be, the Future Wi-Fi 7". IEEE Access (IEEE) 8 (in press): 88664–88688. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2993448. Bibcode: 2020IEEEA...888664K. 
  21. ↑ "Official IEEE 802.11 working group project timelines". January 26, 2017. http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/11/Reports/802.11_Timelines.htm. Retrieved 2017-02-12. 
  22. ↑ "Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n: Longer-Range, Faster-Throughput, Multimedia-Grade Wi-Fi® Networks". Wi-Fi Alliance. September 2009. http://www.wi-fi.org/register.php?file=wp_Wi-Fi_CERTIFIED_n_Industry.pdf. [|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Banerji, Sourangsu; Chowdhury, Rahul Singha. "On IEEE 802.11: Wireless LAN Technology". arXiv:1307.2661.{{cite arXiv}}: CS1 maint: missing class (link)
  24. ↑ "The complete family of wireless LAN standards: 802.11 a, b, g, j, n". https://cdn.rohde-schwarz.com/pws/dl_downloads/dl_common_library/dl_news_from_rs/183/n183_lan.pdf. 
  25. ↑ Abdelgader, Abdeldime M.S.; Wu, Lenan (2014). "The Physical Layer of the IEEE 802.11p WAVE Communication Standard: The Specifications and Challenges". World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science. http://www.iaeng.org/publication/WCECS2014/WCECS2014_pp691-698.pdf. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Wi-Fi Capacity Analysis for 802.11ac and 802.11n: Theory & Practice
  27. ↑ Belanger, Phil; Biba, Ken (2007-05-31). "802.11n Delivers Better Range". Wi-Fi Planet. http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3680781. 
  28. ↑ "IEEE 802.11ac: What Does it Mean for Test?". LitePoint. October 2013. http://litepoint.com/whitepaper/80211ac_Whitepaper.pdf. 
  29. ↑ "Wi-Fi 6 Routers: What You Can Buy Now (and Soon) | Tom's Guide". https://www.tomsguide.com/amp/us/best-wifi-6-routers,review-6115.html. 
  30. ↑ "IEEE Standard for Information Technology--Telecommunications and information exchange between systems Local and metropolitan area networks--Specific requirements Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications Amendment 3: Enhancements for Very High Throughput to Support Chinese Millimeter Wave Frequency Bands (60 GHz and 45 GHz)". IEEE Std 802.11aj-2018. April 2018. doi:10.1109/IEEESTD.2018.8345727. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8345727. 
  31. ↑ "802.11ad - WLAN at 60 GHz: A Technology Introduction". Rohde & Schwarz GmbH. November 21, 2013. p. 14. https://cdn.rohde-schwarz.com/pws/dl_downloads/dl_application/application_notes/1ma220/1MA220_2e_WLAN_11ad_WP.pdf. 
  32. ↑ "Connect802 - 802.11ac Discussion". https://www.connect802.com/802-11ac-discussion. 
  33. ↑ "Understanding IEEE 802.11ad Physical Layer and Measurement Challenges". https://www.keysight.com/upload/cmc_upload/All/22May2014Webcast.pdf. 
  34. ↑ "802.11aj Press Release". https://mentor.ieee.org/802.11/dcn/18/11-18-0698-01-0000-802-11aj-press-release.docx. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Hong, Wei; He, Shiwen; Wang, Haiming; Yang, Guangqi; Huang, Yongming; Chen, Jixing; Zhou, Jianyi; Zhu, Xiaowei et al. (2018). "An Overview of China Millimeter-Wave Multiple Gigabit Wireless Local Area Network System". IEICE Transactions on Communications E101.B (2): 262-276. doi:10.1587/transcom.2017ISI0004. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/transcom/E101.B/2/E101.B_2017ISI0004/_pdf. 
  36. ↑ "IEEE 802.11ay: 1st real standard for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) via mmWave – Technology Blog". https://techblog.comsoc.org/2018/06/15/ieee-802-11ay-1st-real-standard-for-broadband-wireless-access-bwa-via-mmwave/. 
  37. ↑ Sun, Rob; Xin, Yan; Aboul-Maged, Osama; Calcev, George; Wang, Lei; Au, Edward; Cariou, Laurent; Cordeiro, Carlos et al.. "P802.11 Wireless LANs". IEEE. pp. 2,3. Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20171206183820/https://mentor.ieee.org/802.11/dcn/15/11-15-1074-00-00ay-11ay-functional-requirements.docx. Retrieved December 6, 2017. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "802.11 Alternate PHYs A whitepaper by Ayman Mukaddam". https://www.cwnp.com/uploads/802-11alternatephyswhitepaper.pdf. 
  39. ↑ Lee, Wookbong; Kwak, Jin-Sam; Kafle, Padam; Tingleff, Jens; Yucek, Tevfik; Porat, Ron; Erceg, Vinko; Lan, Zhou et al. (2012-07-10). "TGaf PHY proposal". IEEE P802.11. https://mentor.ieee.org/802.11/dcn/12/11-12-0809-05-00af-tgaf-phy-proposal.docx. Retrieved 2013-12-29. 
  40. ↑ Sun, Weiping; Choi, Munhwan; Choi, Sunghyun (July 2013). "IEEE 802.11ah: A Long Range 802.11 WLAN at Sub 1 GHz". Journal of ICT Standardization 1 (1): 83–108. doi:10.13052/jicts2245-800X.115. http://riverpublishers.com/journal/journal_articles/RP_Journal_2245-800X_115.pdf. 
  41. ↑ "Product Finder Results | Wi-Fi Alliance". https://www.wi-fi.org/product-finder. 
  42. ↑ "Android 13 review". 20 October 2022. https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/android-13. 
  43. ↑ "Linux 6.4 Has Many Networking Changes from a New Performance Tunable to More WiFi 7". https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.4-Networking. 
  44. ↑ "Linux 6.5 Continues Making Preparations for WiFi 7, Enabling New Hardware". https://www.phoronix.com/news/WiFi-7-Linux-6.5. 
  45. ↑ Blog, Windows Insider (22 February 2024). "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26063 (Canary Channel)" (in en-US). https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2024/02/22/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-26063-canary-channel/. 
  46. ↑ Carrasqueira, João (2024-02-22). "Windows 11 preview adds support for Wi-Fi 7" (in en). https://www.xda-developers.com/windows-11-build-26063/. 



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