A futuristic light tunnel

What is WiFi 7, and How Does It Work?

WiFi 7 BE THE FUTURE

What is WiFi 7?

WiFi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) is the seventh generation of the 802.11 standard since 1997. It packs all the benefits of WiFi 6/6E and expands several existing standards to a whole new level, such as 320 MHz bandwidth and 4K-QAM. And it introduces some revolutionary features like Multi-Link Operation, Multi-Resource Units (RU) and Puncturing. As WiFi has become indispensable in daily life from work to home, WiFi 7 reshapes your WiFi experiences with a huge leap into the future.

  • 4.8XFaster*

  • 5XCapacity*

  • Ultra-lowLatency

*Compared to WiFi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax)

How Does WiFi 7 Work?

320 MHz Bandwidth

While WiFi 6E increased channel width in the 6 GHz band to 160 Mhz, WiFi 7 introduces ultrawide 320 MHz channels, doubling data transmission capacity. You can think of networking as a virtual freeway and the doubled bandwidth as a doubling of the number of lanes. Now larger vehicles are allowed to get on the freeway and can pack more data than ever before.

*Due to regulatory restrictions, the 6 GHz band is only available in some regions/countries.
A comparison illustration between 320MHz, 160MHz and 80MHz

Three new 320MHz channels in the 6 GHz band

4K-QAM

With the introduction of 4K-QAM, WiFi 7 can improve data transmission rates versus WiFi 6/6E by up to 20%, because a higher QAM can pack signals more densely. Continuing with the freeway analogy, now higher QAM permits more merchandise to be loaded into every vehicle. In other words, you can now upload and download more data in the same timeframe as before.

A comparison illustration between 4096 QAM of WiFi 7 and 1024QAM of WiFi 6

12 bits/symbol

10 bits/symbol

Multi-Link Operation (MLO)

Before WiFi 7, transmissions were limited to one band, such as 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. Multi-Link Operation (MLO) allows a device to simultaneously connect on multiple bands, enabling faster speeds by aggregating bandwidth, with more reliable WiFi connections on multiple concurrently used bands.

A comparison illustration showing the benefits of Multi-Link Operation

Multi-Resource Units (RU) and Puncturing

In WiFi 6, the spectrum resource could be wasted if the channel encounters signal interference. With Multi-RU and Puncturing, Wi-Fi 7 devices will be able to take full advantage of the remaining part of the channels that is not being used or interrupted. This way, the WiFi bandwidth can be used efficiently to make data transmission quicker and more reliable.

A comparison illustration showing the benefits of Multi-RU and Puncturing.

With Multi-RU and Puncturing

Without Multi-RU and Puncturing

16x16 MU-MIMO

MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) supports multiple users to transmit and receive data simultaneously. With 16x16 MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi 7 doubles the number of spatial streams compared to Wi-Fi 6 and increases network capacity. Now, more WiFi devices that need more network capacity can perform smoothly at the same time.

*Although 16x16 MU-MUMO is the maximum technical standard of WiFi 7, it is not a mandatory feature for all WiFi 7 devices.
A router is communicating with 16 devices simultaneously though 16x16 MU-MIMO technology

Do I Need WiFi 7?

WiFi 7 for gaming scenario with a man wearing a VR headset

WiFi 7 for Gaming

WiFi 7 delivers ultra-fast WiFi speeds and extremely low latency that can get you competitive in any online battlefield, whether it’s cloud gaming, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or mixed reality (MR).

WiFi 7 for smart homes scenario with a 8K TV streaming sports car

WiFi 7 for Smart Homes

With up to 5x more capacity, less interference and less congestion versus previous WiFi generations, you can enjoy unparalleled smart home experiences, from reliably smooth 8K video streaming to more intelligent smart home devices.

WiFi 7 for industrial 4.0 scenario with a man operating an IOT device in the factory

WiFi 7 for Industry 4.0

Millions of industrial IOT devices are driving a revolution in the way the world manufactures and distributes its products, and ASUS WiFi 7 devices can empower these systems to reach new heights.

A man is drawing a chart to show business growth

WiFi 7 for Businesses

If your business operates in the areas of gaming, smart homes, or smart manufacturing -- such as VR content creation or industrial IOT engineering – a Wi-Fi 7 infrastructure can prepare you for growth when the next big thing arrives.

WiFi 7 vs. WiFi 6/6E vs. WiFi 5

WiFi 7 WiFi 6E WiFi 6 WiFi 5
IEEE 802.11be 802.11ax 802.11ac
Max data rate 46 Gbps 9.6 Gbps 3.5 Gbps
Bands 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz 5GHz
Bandwidth Up to 320 MHz 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 80+80 MHz, 160 MHz
Modulation 4096-QAM 1024-QAM OFDMA 256-QAM OFDM
MIMO 16x16 MU-MIMO 8x8 MU-MIMO 4x4 MU MIMO
RU Multi-RUs RU N/A
Security WPA3 WPA3 WPA2

Upgrade to WiFi 7 Now

  • ROG Rapture GT-BE98 quad-band gaming router front view

    ROG Rapture GT-BE98

    • 25,000 Mbps
    • 2.4 GHz BE:4x4 + 5 GHz-1 BE:4x4 + 5 GHz-2 BE:4x4 + 6 GHz BE:4x4
    • 10 Gbps ports x 3
    • Gaming features: Triple-level game acceleration, Mobile game mode, Gear Accelerator, Open NAT, VPN fusion
    • Quad-Level Security: Security Scan, AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard VPN, Site-to-Site VPN
    • ASUS features: AiMesh, RangeBoost Plus, AURA RGB
    Learn more
  • ASUS RT-BE96U tri-band router front view

    ASUS RT-BE96U

    • 19,000 Mbps
    • 2.4 GHz BE:4x4 + 5 GHz BE:4x4 + 6 GHz BE:4x4
    • 10 Gbps ports x 2
    • Gaming features: Mobile game mode, Gear Accelerator, Open NAT, VPN fusion
    • Quad-Level Security: Security Scan, AiProtection Pro, Instant Guard VPN, Site-to-Site VPN
    • ASUS features: AiMesh, RangeBoost Plus
    Learn more

  • Coming soon

* Actual data throughput and WiFi coverage will vary from network conditions and environmental factors, including the volume of network traffic, building material and construction, and network overhead, result in lower actual data throughput and wireless coverage.