IEEE 802.11be

IEEE 802.11be, dubbed Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is a wireless networking standard in the IEEE 802.11 set of protocols, which is designated Wi-Fi 7 by Wi-Fi Alliance. It has built upon 802.11ax, focusing on WLAN indoor and outdoor operation with stationary and pedestrian speeds in the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz frequency bands.

Throughput is believed to reach a theoretical maximum of 46 Gbit/s, although actual results are much lower.

Development of the 802.11be amendment is ongoing, with an initial draft in March 2021, and a final version expected by the end of 2024. Despite this, numerous products were announced in 2022 based on draft standards, with retail availability in early 2023. On 8 January 2024, the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced its "Wi-Fi Certified 7" program to certify Wi-Fi 7 devices. While final ratification is not expected until the end of 2024, the technical requirements are essentially complete, and there are already products labeling themselves as "Wi-Fi 7" as of February 2024.

The global Wi-Fi 7 market was estimated at US$1 billion in 2023, and is projected to reach US$24.2 billion by 2030.

Core features
The following are core features that have been approved as of Draft 3.0:


 * 4096-QAM (4K-QAM) enables each symbol to carry 12 bits rather than 10 bits, resulting in 20% higher theoretical transmission rates than WiFi 6's 1024-QAM.
 * Contiguous and non-contiguous 320/160+160 MHz and 240/160+80 MHz bandwidth
 * Multi-Link Operation (MLO), a feature that increases capacity by simultaneously sending and receiving data across different frequency bands and channels. (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz)
 * Theoretically as little as 1% the latency of Wi‑Fi 6, through the use of MLO
 * 16 spatial streams and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) protocol enhancements
 * Flexible Channel Utilization – Interference currently can negate an entire Wi-Fi channel. With preamble puncturing, a portion of the channel that is affected by interference can be blocked off while continuing to use the rest of the channel.

Candidate features
The main candidate features mentioned in the 802.11be Project Authorization Request (PAR) are:


 * Multi-Access Point (AP) Coordination (e.g. coordinated and joint transmission),
 * Enhanced link adaptation and retransmission protocol (e.g. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)),
 * If needed, adaptation to regulatory rules specific to 6 GHz spectrum,
 * Integrating Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) IEEE 802.1Q extensions for low-latency real-time traffic:
 * IEEE 802.1AS timing and synchronisation
 * IEEE 802.11aa MAC Enhancements for Robust Audio Video Streaming (Stream Reservation Protocol over IEEE 802.11)
 * IEEE 802.11ak Enhancements for Transit Links Within Bridged Networks (802.11 links in 802.1Q networks)
 * Bounded latency: credit-based (IEEE 802.1Qav) and cyclic/time-aware traffic shaping (IEEE 802.1Qch/Qbv), asynchronous traffic scheduling (IEEE 802.1Qcr-2020)
 * IEEE 802.11ax Scheduled Operation extensions for reduced jitter/latency

Additional features
Apart from the features mentioned in the PAR, there are newly introduced features:
 * Newly introduced 4096-QAM (4K-QAM),
 * Contiguous and non-contiguous 320/160+160 MHz and 240/160+80 MHz bandwidth,
 * Frame formats with improved forward-compatibility,
 * Enhanced resource allocation in OFDMA,
 * Optimized channel sounding that requires less airtime,
 * Implicit channel sounding,
 * More flexible preamble puncturing scheme,
 * Support of direct links, managed by an access point.

802.11be Task Group
The 802.11be Task Group is led by individuals affiliated with Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom. Those affiliated with Huawei, Maxlinear, NXP, and Apple also have senior positions.

Commercial availability
Qualcomm announced its FastConnect 7800 series on 28 Feb 2022 using 14 nm chips. As of March 2023, the company claims 175 devices will be using their Wi-Fi 7 chips, including smartphones, routers, and access points.

Broadcom followed on 12 April 2022 with a series of 5 chips covering home, commercial, and enterprise uses. The company unveiled its second generation Wi-Fi 7 chips on 20 June 2023 featuring tri-band MLO support and lower costs.

The TP-Link Archer BE900 wireless router was available to consumers in April 2023. The company's Deco BE95 mesh networking system was also available that month. Later in the year, Asus, Eero, Linksys and Netgear had Wi-fi 7 wireless routers available by the end of 2023.

The ARRIS SURFboard G54 is a DOCSIS 3.1 cable gateway featuring Wi-Fi 7. It became available in October 2023.

Client devices
Intel launched the BE200 and BE202 wireless adapters for desktop and laptop motherboards in September 2023.

The Asus ROG Strix Z790 E II motherboard is among the first with built-in Wi-Fi 7.

Software
Android 13 and higher provide support for Wi-Fi 7.

The Linux 6.2 kernel provides support for Wi-Fi 7 devices. The 6.4 kernel added Wi-Fi 7 mesh support. Linux 6.5 included significant driver support by Intel engineers, particularly support for MLO.

Support for Wi-Fi 7 was added to Windows 11, as of build 26063.1.