The Multi-Link Revolution (MLO)

Historically, Wi-Fi clients were bound to a single band at a time. If you connected to 5GHz, the 2.4GHz and 6GHz radios sat idle. Multi-Link Operation (MLO) allows the MAC layer to aggregate these links. A client can now transmit data across different bands concurrently, effectively combining their throughput and providing a 'failover' mechanism that operates at frame-speed.

320MHz Channels & Spectral Efficiency

By doubling the maximum channel width from 160MHz (Wi-Fi 6) to 320MHz in the 6GHz spectrum, Wi-Fi 7 theoretically doubles the physical layer rate. However, wider channels are more susceptible to noise. To counter this, Wi-Fi 7 uses 4096-QAM (4K-QAM), which packs 12 bits into every symbol compared to 10 bits in Wi-Fi 6.

Puncturing: Navigating Interference

In previous generations, if a small portion of a 160MHz channel was occupied by a legacy device or interference, the entire channel (or a large chunk of it) was unusable. Wi-Fi 7 introduces Preamble Puncturing, allowing the AP to 'drill a hole' in the channel, skipping the interference while still using the remaining clean spectrum.

Reduced Latency (The Goal of 11be)

The combined effect of MLO and wider channels is a dramatic reduction in worst-case latency (tail latency). By being able to switch bands instantly if one becomes congested, Wi-Fi 7 achieves the reliability levels required for wireless AR/VR and industrial automation.