The Future of Wi-Fi: What 6e and 7 Mean For You

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If you are invested in the latest technology, you’ve heard about Wi-Fi 6e and 7. Maybe hearing about each of the forthcoming standards made you curious, and you’ve done some research. Perhaps you are aware of them but could use some information.

Regardless of where you land, the effort here is to tell you what each is, why they are important, and what you need to know about them. Also, which makes the most sense for your needs?

What is Wi-Fi 6e?

In a nutshell, Wi-Fi 6e is an extension of what we all know as Wi-Fi 6. Simple enough, right? Not exactly. 6e introduces the 6GHz spectrum. That is a huge deal for Wi-Fi. If you are new to things, let me provide some background. 

In the early days of Wi-Fi, we used the 2.4GHz spectrum. When we didn’t have a whole lot connected to it, the three usable non-overlapping channels it provided were perfectly fine as more people wanted fewer wires; that limited spectrum wasn’t enough. Enter 5Ghz, which brought us 24 non-overlapping channels if you use 20MHz widths. 

Of course, the higher speeds everyone wanted led to wider channels, which meant less spectrum. But it was still better than 2.4GHz. Eventually, as more people had wireless devices, both spectrums were too saturated, and regulatory bodies decided it was time to give us more spectrum. This is how we’ve gotten the 6GHz spectrum, first available in the 6e spec.

While Wi-Fi 6e gives us an increased spectrum, it does give us some rules for how we can and cannot use it. I like to say that 6e gives us the foundation for using the increased spectrum, which Wi-Fi 7 is expected to build upon.

Why People are Excited About Wi-Fi 7?

As with almost every standard before it, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to take its predecessors (most notably 6e) and make it even better. The Wi-Fi 7 standard is not expected to be ratified at some point in 2023. While most of what we know should make it, some things may change. 

On top of that, just because it is in the standard does not mean vendors will integrate every feature the same way or even in their product.

With that in mind, there are several bigger features many have high hopes for beyond the increased spectrum and wider channels (and subsequently increased throughput). A couple of promising points? Multi-link operation (MLO) and preamble puncturing. 

These are, again, just a couple. MLO is one way we expect to see big gains in throughput. Old Wi-Fi, you’d connect and use a single channel in a specific band, be it 5 or 2.4. With MLO, you can see a user’s traffic leveraging any or all of the available radios to provide a multi-link connection for better throughput. It’s just a sample, but you can understand why people are very excited about what is coming.

Risks and Issues with 6e and 7

With the addition of 6GHz, we must use Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) to ensure Wi-Fi devices are not stepping on the licensed 6GHz incumbents. This is a risk because it’s been quite delayed. We’ve been waiting at least a year or two for it, but we should finally see it this year. 

You cannot use 6e APs outdoors (nor the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 ones) without it. Also, without AFC, you cannot operate your APs at “standard power.” AFC is a key component, and it’s been delayed, leading to another issue.

Because our ability to use the 6GHz spectrum has been somewhat constrained, coupled with some unprecedented supply chain issues, devices capable of 6e operation have been slower to roll out than expected. This means we’ve seen fewer access points (consumer and professional) and fewer end-user devices with 6e chips.

While they’ve taken a while to come to market…that delay has also brought Wi-Fi 7 closer to release. The standard is expected in 2023; we’ve even discussed some fringe consumer devices. Bigger vendors are expected to release Wi-Fi 7 devices in 2023, so it is coming.

When Should You Upgrade Your Wi-Fi?

If you have a working Wi-Fi network running even Wi-Fi 5, you should be fine holding off until Wi-Fi 7. Anyone deploying in the enterprise knows that hardware is still harder to get, so get as much use out of it as you can.

If your network is way past time to replace, and you can get the requisite 6e hardware, then it makes sense to do so. But it probably makes sense if you are functioning and can wait another year to 18 months. After all, far more end-user devices exist supporting Wi-Fi 6 than 6e.

That upgrade delay gives you time to focus on learning more about the changes heading our way. One key thing to keep in mind is that as you start to deploy a new network, your design considerations may need to change. This is a good time to recommend building your wireless design skills, possibly through an advanced training course that covers principles found in the CWDP-304 certification.

If you haven’t figured it out, you cannot upgrade to 6e or 7 without knowing what you have in place today. Both offer expanded spectrum, but the bigger changes come in Wi-Fi 7, so if you can, you probably should wait. Not everyone can, but no matter what, many of us will enjoy the benefits of both 6e and 7 for years to come.