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After months of development, the tech industry is close to finalizing the official specs for Wi-Fi 7.
The Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry body that oversees the wireless technology, published a new web page that mentions the release schedule for “Wi-Fi 7 Certified.”
"Based on IEEE 802.11be technology, [it] will be available before the end of Q1 2024,” the alliance says, which Tom’s Hardware was first to report.
The news arrives as some vendors are already selling Wi-Fi 7 routers using the draft specs for the 802.11be wireless standard. The finalized specs promise to set the technology in stone, making it easier for router and device makers to fully adopt.
The Wi-Fi Certified 7 spec could also give consumers more confidence when buying the technology. Wi-Fi 7 is so new that most gadgets, such as smartphones and PCs, don’t support the standard, although that’s starting to change. In July, Acer began selling a Wi-Fi 7-compatible laptop, while OnePlus’ upcoming flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 12, will support Wi-Fi 7.
The current technical specs for Wi-Fi 7 indicate it can offer theoretical speeds at up to over 40Gbps. But so far, we’ve found Wi-Fi 7 routers offering speeds closer to 2Gbps in our real-world tests. So interested users will need a home internet speed at over 1Gbps to reap the benefits. They’ll also need to pay up, with some Wi-Fi 7 routers going for $600 or more.
The Wi-Fi Alliance adds that it views the new wireless standard as an important upgrade for virtual reality and augmented reality products, along with paving a way to fuel “ultra-high definition video streaming.”