MediaTek Demos Next-Gen Wi-Fi 7 Standard Boasting Near Thunderbolt 3 Speeds

[MacRumors]

MediaTek has conducted the world's first live demo of Wi-Fi 7 for "key customers and industry collaborators," paving the way for the wireless network technology to enter mainstream consumer hardware as early as next year, according to the company.

Taiwan-based MediaTek said the demos demonstrated the ability of Wi-Fi 7 to achieve the maximum speed defined by IEEE 802.11be, the official name for the Wi-Fi 7 standard. The company said it also highlighted its multi-link operation (MLO) technology. MLO aggregates multiple channels on different frequency bands at the same time to allow network traffic to still flow seamlessly even if there is interference or congestion on the bands. "Filogic" simply refers to MediaTek's Wi-Fi 7 connectivity portfolio.

"The rollout of Wi-Fi 7 will mark the first time that Wi-Fi can be a true wireline/Ethernet replacement for super high-bandwidth applications," said Alan Hsu, corporate vice president and general manager of the Intelligent Connectivity business at MediaTek. "MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 technology will be the backbone of home, office and industrial networks and provide seamless connectivity for everything from multi-player AR/VR applications to cloud gaming and 4K calls to 8K streaming and beyond."

"Faster broadband Internet access and more demanding applications such as higher resolution video streaming and VR gaming are driving demand for Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and soon Wi-Fi 7," said Mario Morales, group vice president, Semiconductors at IDC. "Wi-Fi 7's advances in channel width, QAM, and new features such as multi-link operation (MLO) will make Wi-Fi 7 very attractive for devices including flagship smartphones, PCs, consumer devices and vertical industries like retail and industrial; as service providers begin to deploy a wider spectrum of hotspots across these market segments."

Wi-Fi 7 is said to deliver 2.4x faster speeds than Wi-Fi 6, even with the same number of antennas, since Wi-Fi 7 can utilize 320Mhz channels and supports 4K quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) technology.

The Wi-FI Alliance says Wi-Fi 7 could provide speeds of "at least 30" gigabits per second (Gbps) and should exceed that to reach 40Gbps, which is the same speed as Thunderbolt 3. As noted by ArsTechnica, Wi-Fi 6 supports speeds up to 9.6Gbps, while its predecessor, WiFi 5, has a max output of 3.5Gbps. Wi-Fi 6 is the marketing name given to 802.11ax technology, which is supported by all iPhone 11 and later models, the newest iPad mini, iPad Air, iPad Pro, and all Macs powered by Apple silicon.

The next step up from Wi-Fi 6 is Wi-Fi 6E. Devices supporting Wi-Fi 6E use a dedicated 6E spectrum with up to seven additional 160MHz channels, while Wi-Fi 6 devices share the same spectrum as other Wi-Fi 4, 5, and 6 devices, and they only operate on two 160MHz channels. Some reports suggested Apple's iPhone 13 series would include Wi-Fi 6E, but the rumors never panned out. Looking ahead, this year's iPhone 14 is expected to adopt Wi-Fi 6E and Apple's forthcoming AR/VR headset is also expected to support it to meet the needs of the high-end, immersive experience it will deliver, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

MediaTek has been involved in the development of the Wi-Fi 7 standard since its inception and is eager to drum up excitement for its Wi-Fi 7 Filogic connectivity portfolio, but the protocol hasn't been finalized by the Wi-FI Alliance yet, so it's difficult to say when consumer devices will actually support it. MediaTek says products with Wi-Fi 7 are expected to hit the market starting in 2023. Regardless, given that Apple has yet to adopt Wi-Fi 6E in any of its devices, support for Wi-Fi 7 is likely to be some way away.

Article Link: MediaTek Demos Next-Gen Wi-Fi 7 Standard Boasting Near Thunderbolt 3 Speeds

 

[bollman]

802.11be specifies 6 channels of each 320MHz. Those 6 channels occupy the entire available spectrum for 6 and 7GHz Networks. Not a lot of clients can reach high speeds per AP then... (one, actually).

 

[singularity0993]

Now I wonder if this comes at the cost of (greatly) increased energy consumption.

I can already see manufactures implementing “Auto Wi-Fi 7” mode just like they did with 5G.

 

[Shirasaki]

So, high speed, but how about energy consumption? Matching wire connection? Not to mention eavesdropping easier than wire. My iPhone XS Max can’t sustain long time continuous 4G network usage without massively thermal throttling. How about this one?

And 90% of people around the world don’t even have 10Mbps down broadband. So far the best case scenario I could see is wifi 7 paving ways for apple to wirelessly connect latest iPhone iPad with Mac, or Apple Watch with iPhone. That’s about it.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I just hope they're doing all the hard work now to make WIFI 7 good enough to last a while.

I don't want WIFI 7E announced shortly afterwards...

🤣

 

[RamGuy]

This just in: Misleading marketing keeps on being misleading.

These numbers are the absolute best-case scenario when you aggregate performance using 6x6 320MHz. Clients will mostly stay 1x1 and 2x2 as a result of power usage and limited space for antennas.

Even with a client using 6x6 you wouldn't be anywhere close to these numbers as you are filling the entire spectrum so unless you live in a very remote area with barely any interference using up the entire spectrum all at once for a single device is not going to happen.

Comparisons with Thunderbolt 3 is also downright false and stupid as Thunderbolt is full-duplex, WiFi is half-duplex. Meaning that Thunderbolt can push data upstream and downstream at the same time, WiFi can't so when you have upstream and downstream on WiFi the throughput is instantly cut in half.

That's why you don't really need anything more than 1Gbps ethernet for 802.11ax/WiFi6 access points even if 4x4 802.11ax/WiFi6 in theory can go beyond 1Gbps. All these people convince themselves they need 2.5Gbps ports on their WiFi6 routers and access points are just fooling themselves.

Their numbers for WiFi6 are just as stupid. You won't see anywhere close to 9.6Gbps using WiFi6 in any scenario.

 

[BootsWalking]

Be sure to use expensive Monster cables for your wireless connection to guarantee no drop outs!

 

[Erasmus]

Fantastic for untethered VR.

For almost anything else? Ridiculous overkill. Might find some interesting niche cases where the ability to dump dozens of gigabytes onto devices one at a time remotely in just a few seconds each would be handy. Can’t think of anything specific though.

 

[bollman]

Be sure to use expensive Monster cables for your wireless connection to guarantee no drop outs!

I only use these:
High-End Audiophile Ethernet Cables | Avanti Audio
You can never use too good cables.
Observe, these ethernet cables are directional ? I guess if you want to send data you have to go with 2 ethernet ports.

/s (I use pretty darn expensive cables though, but nowhere near that stupidity)

 

[VerizonLover]

Still half-duplex though.

 

[Erasmus]

Be sure to use expensive Monster cables for your wireless connection to guarantee no drop outs!

I’m selling premium air-cable protector carrying cases for just $50.

Lifetime guarantee to keep your cable’s electric permittivity above 1, or your money back less P&H.

 

[Pezimak]

I only recently upgraded to WiFi 6 routers. Not interested in WiFi 7, I haven’t even got gigabit internet yet, will do this year fingers crossed. Not sure how many people will need 30gbps, let alone the 9 WiFi 6 offers.
I see Dell offers 200gbs switches for the enterprise sector now. Speeds are getting faster and faster over the very recent few years, like Ethernet and WiFi have suddenly got rockets up the rear ends lol.

 

[TheOldChevy]

Any information on range or ability to pass through concrete walls ?

 

[nylonsteel]

near thunderbolt speeds sounds good to me
hopefully it doesnt take forever to bring product to the masses - at reasonable price

 

[EntropyQ3]

In my country (and most of EU) there is room for a single (one!) 320MHz channel on 6GHz. :-(

That’s not the main attraction of WiFi 7 though.

 

[EntropyQ3]

Any information on range or ability to pass through concrete walls ?

Should be the same as WiFi6e (6GHz band) which is close to the 5GHz reach of WiFi 5 and 6.

You don’t want very long reach - that’s what causes overlap and interference.

Ideally your WiFi should stay within your walls.

 

[hortod1]

But can I still land my plane?

 

[macintoshmac]

And I just invested USD 1000 in an Orbi Pro Wifi 6 mesh system a few days ago and we have Wi-Fi 7 already! ? Just the way how tech is supposed to go!

Ideally your WiFi should stay within your walls.

Warm and fuzzy.

But can I still land my plane?

Depends on if you can keep the in-cockpit iPad away or not.

I only recently upgraded to WiFi 6 routers. Not interested in WiFi 7, I haven’t even got gigabit internet yet, will do this year fingers crossed. Not sure how many people will need 30gbps, let alone the 9 WiFi 6 offers.
I see Dell offers 200gbs switches for the enterprise sector now. Speeds are getting faster and faster over the very recent few years, like Ethernet and WiFi have suddenly got rockets up the rear ends lol.

Same with me - just recently got myself a speedy 200 Mbps connection and I see myself going up only if the value proposition on the higher speeds increases, which it will, soon. With my Wi-Fi 6 mesh system, I think I am good for gigabit-speed internet, or at least about 600-750 Mbps. By the time I do come to upgrade to that speed, I would likely be looking to upgrade my computer as well, so might just pick the newer router systems available at the time.

Not upgrading my Wi-Fi router until all my Wi-Fi devices support the latest standard I would be upgrading to. I got myself a Wi-Fi 6 router system because now all my devices in the house are on Wi-Fi 6, save for a lone Wi-Fi printer that is on Wi-Fi 5. For reference, I upgraded from Airport Express router that was serving me the full 50 Mbps speed plan I was on until I bought the new router system. So, I upgraded from Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) to Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax). Completely skipped Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) routers even though all my devices were compatible with it because I wasn't using a high-speed connection.

 

[laptech]

What is the point of having Gbps wifi speeds when the worlds majority of wifi routers only work at Mbps because the internet speeds going into those routers is also Mbps (for the most part)

 

[JustSomebody12]

I just hope they're doing all the hard work now to make WIFI 7 good enough to last a while.

I don't want WIFI 7E announced shortly afterwards...

?

Just like for WiFi 6 there are three versions:

Basic 6, 6E, and wave2.

 

[alexjholland]

What is the point of having Gbps wifi speeds when the worlds majority of wifi routers only work at Mbps because the internet speeds going into those routers is also Mbps (for the most part)

You can share files across your own network much faster, for a start.

 

[alexjholland]

Surely a cable will always be able to handle faster speeds than air?

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[arkmannj]

This will be great!
… when Apple and Ubiquiti pick it up.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Oh wow! That’s very impressive. Can never go wrong with faster Wi-Fi.

 

[arkmannj]

What is the point of having Gbps wifi speeds when the worlds majority of wifi routers only work at Mbps because the internet speeds going into those routers is also Mbps (for the most part)

If latency isn’t terrible it could perhaps mean the start of more wireless devices. File transfers, but n house streaming of multiple devices, etc.

also, the speeds are fairly theoretical and for perfectly ideal conditions. if I lose 20% off my 1Gb connection I’m down to only 800Mb. if I lose 20% off my 10Gb connection I’m still at 8Gb.

last, We as people will always find away to consume a resource. Be it digital or otherwise. That speed won’t go to waist. If everyone and everything stays how it is right today then maybe it would be overkill for the average home, but we will see other progress and other uses come up, I have no doubt.