Almost without realizing it, we have been connecting devices to the home Wi-Fi for years as if it were a source of data without risk of collapse. In some homes more than others, but network connections are growing to the point that it is estimated that in four years the average number of devices connected to each home Wi-Fi network in the United States will be about 20. Now there are many homes , also in Europe, which has more. Home internet is only getting worse, although there is a solution, the new Wi-Fi 7 standard, which implies, on the other hand, investing in new devices, both transmitter and receiver, that are compatible.
An important part of the industry is already preparing for this change and wants to convince users to invest in devices with the new standard. It will not be easy. Most homes use Wi-Fi routers provided by their operator. In a country like Spain, with an extensive fiber optic network, the largest in Europe, most routers use the Wi-Fi 5 standard, which has two possible connection frequencies, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
Another wireless connection technology, Bluetooth, also uses the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the most used. So it seems to you that your home WiFi is getting slower and slower, it’s not your operator’s fault, but rather your home network is starting to show signs of being saturated. Appliances, thermostats, doorbells, tablets, cell phones and televisions connected to streaming channels must share a flow of data that is increasingly distributed.
The main advantage of Wi-Fi 7 compared to previous generations of Wi-Fi is that it adds the 6 Ghz frequency – Wi-Fi 6E also has it – to the previous 2.4 GHz and 5 Hz, and doubles the width of band, from 160 Mhz to 320 Mhz. The combination of all this allows this new standard for multi-link connections of several devices at the highest speeds.
One of the largest companies dedicated to wireless communications and chips, Qualcomm, already has a Wi-Fi 7 modem on the market, which equips a few hundred devices, which it wants to combine with its latest launch, a 10 ultra-fast fiber system. GB per second, ten times more than the speed currently offered by any operator. The Qualcomm system will be ready for commercialization in several countries starting in the summer of 2024. The main problem to access this new phase of ultra-fast internet, in addition to the necessary investments in the operators’ infrastructure, will be the replacement of the current home equipment.
Rahul Patel, vice president and general manager of connectivity, broadband and networks at Qualcomm, admits that “if operators don’t know how to make more money, they won’t be able to move to the next technology, because that comes with an expense.” According to the manager, in countries like Spain, “large operators are holding back investments because the price of the subscription is not changing.” In his opinion, the change to new technologies must be based on “offering subscribers more immersive and engaging experiences.”
Streaming video in 4K HDR, and spatial sound technologies such as Dolby Atmos, which require greater amounts of data, can drive demand. Therefore, the audiovisual experience seems to be one of the great factors for this leap in technology. In the case of Wi-Fi 7, what seems easiest to replace are receiving equipment, such as mobile phones, of which there are new models at least once a year, but also semi-annually and even for shorter periods, depending on each company.
The key is the internet access point at home. Some users only use the operator’s router as internet access to which they connect a higher capacity Wi-Fi modem, for example Wi-Fi 6, which allows them to configure a mesh that optimizes connections throughout the home. In the end, it’s all about spending more.
