What is Wi-Fi 7?

Wi-Fi 7, officially IEEE 802.11be and also known as “Extremely High Throughput (EHT),” is the latest generation of Wi-Fi, succeeding Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 6E. Development of the 802.11be amendment began in March 2021. The Wi-Fi Alliance launched the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 program in January 2024 to certify early devices against the nearly finalized specification, and the standard was officially published in July 2025.

Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) operates across the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, making full use of the spectrum available for wireless LANs. It introduces higher-order 4096-QAM (4K QAM) modulation, enabling denser data transmission and greater throughput. With support for channel bandwidths up to 320 MHz and up to 16 spatial streams, Wi-Fi 7 achieves theoretical data rates of up to 46 Gbps, a dramatic leap from previous generations. Alongside these core enhancements, Wi-Fi 7 incorporates many more advanced features - such as Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Multiple Resource Units (MRU), and preamble puncturing - that together deliver faster, more efficient, and more reliable wireless connectivity.

Image provided by the Wi-Fi Alliance

Key Wi-Fi 7 Enhancements over Wi-Fi 6/6E:

• Multi-Link Operation (MLO) for simultaneous use of multiple bands/links
• 320 MHz channel bandwidth with efficient use of non-contiguous spectrum
• 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) modulation
• Up to 16 spatial streams with enhanced MIMO protocols
• 512 Compressed Block Ack
• Theoretical peak data rates up to 46 Gbps
• Multiple Resource Units (MRU) and improved OFDMA allocation
• Multi-Access Point / RU coordination
• Enhanced link adaptation and retransmission (e.g., HARQ)
• Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) extensions for low-latency real-time traffic

In the following sections of this article, we will elaborate on these key enhancements of Wi-Fi 7, explaining how each contributes to higher throughput, lower latency, and more reliable wireless connectivity.

Multi-Link Operation (MLO)
Multi-Link Operation (MLO) is the flagship feature of Wi-Fi 7. It allows devices to connect and transmit data simultaneously across multiple bands and channels (for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz). Earlier Wi-Fi generations supported multi-band connectivity, but only one band could be actively used for data transfer at a time, with others serving as backups. MLO changes this by enabling parallel data transmission and reception. This results in:

• Higher throughput: Aggregating multiple links increases effective bandwidth, pushing real-world speeds much closer to theoretical peaks.
• Lower latency: Devices can dynamically switch traffic to the least congested or fastest link, reducing delays in time-sensitive applications like gaming, AR/VR, and industrial automation.
• Improved reliability: If interference or congestion affects one band, data continues to flow over the others, providing a more stable connection.

MLO can be implemented in different modes — such as link aggregation (combining multiple links for higher data rate) and link redundancy (using backup links for seamless failover). This makes it a versatile enhancement that not only boosts speed but also significantly strengthens the consistency and resilience of Wi-Fi connections, marking a fundamental leap beyond Wi-Fi 6/6E.

320 MHz channel bandwidth
The maximum single-channel bandwidth in Wi-Fi 7 has doubled from 160 MHz (Wi-Fi 6/6E) to 320 MHz, available within the 6 GHz band (5.925–7.125 GHz). This wider channel allows far greater throughput per spatial stream and is a key driver behind Wi-Fi 7’s multi-tens of gigabits per second capacity. Unlike earlier generations, Wi-Fi 7 also improves spectrum efficiency with features such as preamble puncturing, enabling use of portions of a wide channel even when interference blocks part of it.

While 320 MHz operation is primarily supported in regions with fully opened 6 GHz spectrum, Wi-Fi 7 remains backward compatible with narrower channels, ensuring flexibility. Together with Multi-Link Operation and Multi-AP coordination, these wider channels deliver the low latency and high bandwidth required for advanced use cases like immersive AR/VR, 8K video, and real-time industrial applications.

4096-QAM (4K-QAM) Modulation
Wi-Fi 7 increases the maximum modulation order from 1024-QAM (used in Wi-Fi 6/6E) to 4096-QAM (4K-QAM). Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is the method used to encode data by varying the amplitude and phase of carrier signals. By moving from 1024-QAM (10 bits per symbol) to 4096-QAM (12 bits per symbol), Wi-Fi 7 achieves a 20% increase in peak throughput under ideal conditions.

The denser 4K-QAM constellation enables more data in the same spectrum but requires very clean, high-SNR conditions. It is most effective at short range or in optimized networks, boosting Wi-Fi 7’s top speeds and making better use of 320 MHz channels and multiple spatial streams.

Up to 16 Spatial Streams with Enhanced MIMO Protocols
Wi-Fi 7 doubles the maximum number of supported spatial streams from 8 in Wi-Fi 6/6E to 16, further expanding the capacity of MIMO technology. Each stream carries separate data over the same frequency band, allowing parallel transmissions that dramatically increase total throughput. With more spatial streams, access points can serve multiple devices more efficiently, improve spectral reuse, and support demanding applications like AR/VR and industrial automation. While consumer devices may not fully implement 16 streams, enterprise and carrier-grade deployments stand to benefit from the added flexibility and network capacity.

512 Compressed Block Ack
Wi-Fi 7 increases the size of the compressed Block Acknowledgment (Block Ack) bitmap from 256 to 512 frames. This means a single acknowledgment can confirm receipt of up to 512 data frames, reducing the number of control frames required. The result is lower overhead and improved efficiency, especially important when operating with wide 320 MHz channels and high data rates where large volumes of frames are transmitted in rapid succession.

Data Rate
Combining 320 MHz channels, 4096-QAM, and up to 16 spatial streams, Wi-Fi 7 delivers a theoretical maximum throughput of around 46 Gbps — this is about four times higher than Wi-Fi 6/6E. However, in practical terms, even with fewer spatial streams (e.g., 2x2 or 4x4 setups common in laptops and smartphones), devices can achieve several gigabits per second, enabling smooth 8K streaming, ultra-low latency gaming, and fast wireless file transfers.

Multiple Resource Units (MRU) and Improved OFDMA Allocation
Wi-Fi 7 enhances Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), first introduced in Wi-Fi 6, by allowing devices to use Multiple Resource Units (MRU) within the same transmission. Instead of being limited to a single resource block, a device can now aggregate several, improving flexibility, efficiency, and throughput. This is particularly useful in dense environments where spectrum fragmentation and varying traffic demands make efficient allocation critical.

Multi-Access Point (AP) Coordination
In dense deployments, interference between neighboring access points can significantly reduce performance. Wi-Fi 7 introduces AP coordination, enabling nearby APs to share scheduling and transmission information. By synchronizing transmissions and minimizing contention, networks can deliver better overall performance, higher aggregate throughput, and better user experiences in environments like stadiums, airports, and enterprise campuses.

Enhanced Link Adaptation and Retransmission (HARQ)
Wi-Fi 7 integrates Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), a technique widely used in cellular systems. HARQ improves reliability by combining error correction with rapid retransmission of corrupted data packets. This results in more efficient recovery from errors compared to traditional ARQ, especially under challenging RF conditions, leading to more consistent throughput and reduced latency.

Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) Extensions
These mechanisms prioritize real-time traffic flows, reduce jitter, and provide tighter timing synchronization across devices. By aligning with IEEE TSN standards, Wi-Fi 7 becomes more suitable for enterprise and mission-critical use cases beyond consumer networking. It can support applications requiring predictable, ultra-low latency - such as industrial automation, robotics, and AR/VR - Wi-Fi 7 incorporates TSN extensions.

Wi-Fi 7 delivers faster speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connections, making it the strongest Wi-Fi standard to date. It is already being used in devices and networks around the world and will support demanding applications like 8K streaming, gaming, and industrial automation. Work on the next generation, Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn), has already begun and will continue to push wireless performance further.