无论是蓝牙、USB 还是WiFi，每个技术标准都会随着时间的推移而经历多次迭代升级。下一代 Wi-Fi 带来更快的传输速度和更低的延迟，改善了这些接口的连接性。
即将推出的Wi-Fi 7 标准也是如此。这种新协议的正式名称为IEEE 802.11be超高吞吐量(Throughput)( EHT )，旨在为使用(EHT)Wi-Fi技术的无线通信带来许多增强功能。以下概述了从WiFi 6到WiFi 7的过渡过程中将发生的变化。
比以往更快
(Wireless)几十年来，无线连接一直是以太网(Ethernet)等有线选项的次要选择。无线网络的低带宽从来都不足以取代物理连接，用于性能敏感的用例，如4K 流媒体(4K streaming)或多人游戏。
但是有了Wifi 7，这将改变。新标准承诺网络速度与以太网(Ethernet)连接相当，延迟低以支持依赖于 ping 的功能(ping-dependent functions)。
实际数字仍然很难获得，因为我们还没有看到任何设备使用它，但WiFi 7预计将提供 40 Gbps的速度。联发科(MediaTek)和高通(Qualcomm)已经向企业客户展示了现场演示的新功能，并承诺在今年年底前正式推出。
专注于视频和游戏
如果说大流行教会了我们什么，那么对视频流的需求将继续存在。从看视频到玩网络游戏，娱乐已经转移到互联网，基础设施需要跟上。
WiFi 7针对视频内容的交付进行了优化，同时具有低延迟，有助于流畅地玩游戏。这不仅适用于娱乐应用程序，也适用于企业用户，适用于VR（虚拟现实）和AR（增强现实(Augmented Reality)）实施。
在无线网络上实时视频传输将比以往更容易。
双倍带宽(Bandwidth),双倍(Double)流量(Streams)_
WiFi 6提供 160 MHz带宽(bandwidth)和 8 个同步空间流。WiFi 7 直接将该容量翻倍，提供 320 MHz的带宽和 16 个流。这使得创建无线网状网络以同时连接多个设备变得前所未有的容易。
这种多输入多输出(Multiple Input Multiple Output)( MU-MIMO ) 功能还使用户能够建立智能家居设备网络，从而极大地促进了IoT（物联网(Internet)）的发展。(Things)WiFi 7规范还配备了全新的多链路操作(Multi-Link Operation)( MLO ) 技术，允许多用户同时访问不同的频段和频道。
6GHz 因素
长期以来，WiFi 联盟(WiFi Alliance)一直在努力为无线技术采购新的频段。2.4Ghz 和 5Ghz 频段(The 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequency bands)虽然完成了工作，但远没有足够宽以确保最大精度。
近日，WiFi终于被分配到6GHz(GHz)频段，这标志着一段时间以来的第一次新的频谱分配。WiFi 6E 为启用设备上的无线传输开辟了许多未开发的空间。这为无线通信标准提供了更多的使用空间，尽管它也使得管理跨多个频段的连接变得更加困难。
WiFi 7旨在解决这个问题。它可以有效地利用非连续频段并提供更好的连接性。
更高效的传输
即使使用 5Ghz 频段，较旧的 Wi-Fi 5 接入点也难以提供可靠的高密度连接。为了解决这个问题，WiFi 6引入了正交幅度调制(Quadrature Amplitude Modulation)( QAM )。
这将更多数据打包到同一频谱中，无需更改硬件即可实现高密度数据传输。Wi-Fi 7 更进一步，将 1024-QAM 转变为 4096-QAM，可以将更多数据压缩到有限的带宽中。
在遥远的地平线上
WiFi 7的功能听起来很简洁，但它到底什么时候会出现在我们的设备上呢？不幸的是，不会太早。
该标准仅在技术演示中展示，与实际生产仍有一段距离。即便如此，首批产品仍将面向企业用户。
我们可能会在 2023 年之前看到支持WiFi 7的路由器上市。即使WiFi 6也尚未正确推出，大多数 PC 和智能手机仍在使用旧版本的标准。
WiFi 7 是否重要？
对于大多数人来说， USB(USB)或WiFi等通信标准的不断进步几乎没有影响。当然，您可以获得更快的数据速率，但这并不是惊天动地的。那么，您为什么要关心WiFi 7呢？
因为这一次，变化不仅仅是渐进式的。随着新一代WiFi网络的出现，无线互联网最终将与以太网(Ethernet)竞争。这似乎是一件小事，但事实并非如此。
使用WiFi 7，您的智能电视上的流媒体视频或在线玩要求苛刻的FPS游戏将不再需要有线网络。您将能够利用无线网络的移动性和便利性，而不必牺牲带宽或遭受延迟问题的困扰。
所以是的，WiFi 7确实很重要。无论您是寻求无缝娱乐的家庭用户，还是寻求提高系统效率的企业用户，WiFi 7都将成为一剂强心针。
What Is Wi-Fi 7 and How Is It Different?
Be it Bluetooth, USB, or WiFi, every technical standard goes through multiple iterative upgrades over time. The next generation of Wi-Fi brings faster transfer speeds and lower latencies, improving the connectivity of these interfaces.
It’s the same for the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 standard. Formally known as IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT), this newer protocol is slated to bring many enhancements to wireless communications using Wi-Fi technology. Here’s an overview of what will change in the transition from WiFi 6 to WiFi 7.
Faster Than Ever
Wireless connectivity has played second fiddle to wired options like Ethernet for decades. The low bandwidth of wireless networks has never been good enough to replace a physical connection for performance-sensitive use cases like 4K streaming or multiplayer gaming.
But with Wifi 7, that’s slated to change. The new standard promises network speeds on par with an Ethernet connection, with low latencies to support ping-dependent functions.
Actual numbers are still hard to come by since we are yet to see any devices using it, but WiFi 7 is expected to offer speeds of 40 Gbps. MediaTek and Qualcomm have already demonstrated the new capabilities in live demos to enterprise clients and are promising an official rollout by the end of this year.
A Focus On Videos and Gaming
If there is anything the pandemic has taught us, the demand for video streaming is here to stay. From watching videos to playing online games, entertainment has already moved to the internet, and the infrastructure needs to keep pace.
WiFi 7 is optimized for the delivery of video content, along with low latency to help smooth over gaming. This comes in handy not only for entertainment apps but for enterprise users as well, for VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) implementations.
Real-time video transmission will be easier than ever on a wireless network.
Twice the Bandwidth, Double the Streams
WiFi 6 offered a 160 MHz bandwidth and eight simultaneous spatial streams. WiFi 7 straight up doubles this capacity, giving 320 MHz of bandwidth and 16 streams. This makes it easier than ever to create wireless mesh networks to connect with multiple devices at once.
This Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) capability also enables users to set up a network of smart home devices, giving a considerable boost to IoT (Internet of Things). The WiFi 7 specification also comes with the brand new Multi-Link Operation (MLO) technology, allowing multi-user access to separate bands and channels at once.
The 6GHz Factor
The WiFi Alliance had been trying to procure a new spectrum band for wireless technology for a long time. The 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequency bands, while getting the job done, are nowhere near as wide enough to ensure the utmost precision.
Recently, WiFi was finally allocated the 6 GHz band, marking the first fresh spectrum allocation in a while. WiFi 6E opens up a lot of untapped space for wireless transmissions on enabled devices. This gives the wireless communication standard much more room to work with, though it also makes it harder to manage connections across multiple bands.
WiFi 7 has been built to be able to solve this problem. It can efficiently utilize the non-contiguous spectrum bands and provide better connectivity.
More Efficient Transmission
Older Wi-Fi 5 access points have trouble providing reliable high-density connections even with the 5Ghz band. To combat this, WiFi 6 introduced Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM).
This packs more data into the same spectrum, allowing high-density data transmission without hardware changes. Wi-Fi 7 takes this further, turning 1024-QAM into 4096-QAM, which can compress even more data into the limited bandwidth.
On The Distant Horizon
The features of WiFi 7 sound neat and everything, but when exactly is it coming to our devices? Not too soon, unfortunately.
The standard has only been showcased in technical demos and is still some way off from actual production. Even then, the first offerings are going to be for enterprise users.
We will probably see WiFi 7 enabled routers hitting the market no earlier than 2023. Even WiFi 6 is yet to be properly rolled out, with most PCs and smartphones still making do with older versions of the standard.
Does WiFi 7 Even Matter?
For most people, the constant advancement in communication standards like USB or WiFi is hardly impactful. Sure, you get faster data rates, but that is hardly earth-shattering. Why, then, should you care about WiFi 7?
Because this time, the change is more than just incremental. With this new generation of WiFi networks, wireless internet will finally compete with Ethernet. This might seem like a small thing, but it is not.
With WiFi 7, streaming videos on your smart TV or playing a demanding FPS game online will no longer require a wired network. You will be able to leverage the mobility and convenience of wireless networking without having to sacrifice the bandwidth or suffer from latency issues.
So yes, WiFi 7 does matter. Whether you are a home user just looking for seamless entertainment or an enterprise user seeking to improve the efficiency of your systems, WiFi 7 is going to come as a shot in the arm.
