FYI - Wi-Fi 7 routers have arrived and they are fast
My friend just upgraded to the EERO Pro 7 Tri-band mesh Wi-Fi 7 router. He reports "his down load speed on his iPhone went from around 500 to over 1,200!" So his speed over doubled! He pays for 1200 down load and now gets that over Wi-Fi which is amazing.
His iPad is Wi-Fi 6E and it still went from 500 down load to 1,000. All models of iPhone 16 have a Wi-Fi 7 chip in them. It’s the first iPhone to run Wi-Fi 7.
The XFINITY XB10 Gateway is expected to become widely available by the end of 2025. Currently, it is undergoing limited testing in select markets and is only accessible to specific customers, primarily in areas with DOCSIS 4.0 infrastructure. I will visit their store next week to ask on its availability in the SF Bay Area.
The latest generation Xfinity Advanced Gateway (XB10) is the first device to combine Unified DOCSIS 4.0 technology with the new Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) standard, delivering ultra-fast, multi-gigabit speeds.
With Wi-Fi 7, it offers much faster speeds and better network capacity. This is achieved through wider channels and advanced features that handle more data at once, making it perfect for homes with many connected devices or for high-bandwidth activities, like streaming 4K videos and online gaming.
The XFINITY Advanced Gateway (XB10) does not yet have a confirmed release date yet. Current information indicates the XB10 is undergoing limited testing in select markets and will be rolled out gradually, starting with areas using DOCSIS 4.0 networks and specific plans like X-Class Internet. General availability is expected later in 2025, but no specific timeline has been provided. As noted above, other routers are now supporting Wi-Fi 7.
Perplexity AI reports:
“Wi-Fi 7 significantly enhances audio streaming by offering faster speeds, lower latency, and improved bandwidth. These advancements enable smoother playback of high-resolution, lossless audio formats (up to 192kHz), which were previously limited by Bluetooth or older Wi-Fi standards.
With wider channels (320MHz) and better interference management, Wi-Fi 7 reduces dropouts and supports multiple devices simultaneously, making it ideal for high-quality music streaming in busy networks. Additionally, new chips like Qualcomm’s S7 Pro enable wireless headphones to connect directly to Wi-Fi networks for enhanced sound quality and range, potentially replacing Bluetooth for premium audio experiences.
Wi-Fi 7 can enable lossless audio streaming without dropouts, thanks to its significant advancements in speed, bandwidth, and latency reduction. With support for up to 320MHz channels and multi-link operation, Wi-Fi 7 ensures stable, high-throughput connections even in congested environments, making it ideal for streaming high-resolution, lossless audio formats like 192kHz/24-bit.
Devices using Qualcomm’s S7 Pro chip can connect directly to Wi-Fi networks for lossless audio streaming, bypassing Bluetooth’s limitations and offering improved range and sound quality. These features make Wi-Fi 7 a game-changer for seamless hi-res audio streaming”.
And, of course, Wi-Fi 8, officially known as IEEE 802.11bn, is the next generation of Wi-Fi technology, focusing on ultra-high reliability rather than simply increasing speed. Unlike Wi-Fi 7, which emphasized higher throughput, Wi-Fi 8 aims to provide more stable and efficient wireless connections by optimizing existing resources and introducing innovations like multi-access point (AP) coordination and Coordinated Spatial Reuse (Co-SR). Wi-Fi 8 is expected to roll out around 2028, with initial enterprise-class access points appearing in the second half of that year.