Wi-Fi 7, Data Rates, and Latency: Understanding the IEEE 802.11be Standard

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Will Wi-Fi 7 be a revolution or just an evolution in wireless Internet access? This article examines some of the new features and capabilities in the next iteration of the 802.11 standard.

www.allaboutcircuits.com, Feb. 08, 2022 – 

A Google search for "famous members of Generation Z" brings up various names that I've never heard of (I did recognize Greta Thunberg, though). One name is conspicuously absent: IEEE 802.11, more commonly known by the sobriquet Wi-Fi.

Born in 1997, Wi-Fi has influenced human life far more than any other Gen Z celebrity. Its steady growth and maturation have gradually liberated network connectivity from the ancien régime of cables and connectors to the extent that wireless broadband Internet access–something unthinkable in the days of dial-up–is often taken for granted.

I'm old enough to remember the satisfying click by which an RJ45 plug signified a successful connection to the rapidly expanding online multiverse. Nowadays I have little need for RJ45s, and tech-saturated teenagers of my acquaintance might be unaware of their existence.

The preference for Wi-Fi among the general populace is not at all surprising; Ethernet cables seem almost barbaric compared to the prodigious convenience of wireless. But as an engineer concerned simply with datalink performance, I still see Wi-Fi as inferior to a wired connection. Will 802.11be bring Wi-Fi a step–or maybe even a leap–closer to completely displacing Ethernet?

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