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

If you are invested in the latest technology, then you’ve certainly 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. In case 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 amount of spectrum wasn’t enough. Enter 5Ghz, which brought us 24 non-overlapping channels if you use 20MHz channel widths. 

Of course, the higher speeds that everyone wanted led to wider channels, which in turn meant less spectrum. But it was still better than 2.4GHz. Eventually, as more people had more wireless devices, both spectrums were simply 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 pretty much every standard that has come 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 already, some things may still 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 at all.

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.

Related: 5 Must-Have Wireless Certs for 2023.

Risks and Issues With 6e and 7

With the addition of 6GHz, we have to use Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) to make sure 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. 

Without it, you cannot use 6e APs outdoors (nor the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 ones). Also, without AFC, you cannot operate your APs at “standard power”. AFC is a key component, and it’s been delayed, which leads us 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), along with fewer end-user devices with 6e chips in them. 

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

When Should You Upgrade Your Wi-Fi?

If you have a working Wi-Fi network now, running even Wi-Fi 5, you should be fine to hold 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 possibly 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 if you are functioning and can wait another year to 18 months, it probably makes sense. After all, far more end-user devices exist supporting Wi-Fi 6 than 6e.

That delay in upgrading gives you time to focus on learning more about the new changes heading our way. One key thing to keep in mind is, as you start to deploy a new network, your design considerations may need to change. This is a good time to recommend getting some hands-on design instruction like a Certified Wireless Design Professional (CWDP-304) online training course.

In case you haven’t figured it out, the decision to upgrade, either to 6e or 7, is not one you can make 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, the benefits of both 6e and 7 will be enjoyed by many of us for years to come.