Wireless technology powers everything from smart homes to industrial IoT. As our reliance on seamless, high-speed wireless connections grows, so does the need for innovation to keep pace. Wi-Fi 7 is the latest advancement in wireless networking that promises to revolutionize the way we connect.
Broadcom, a global leader in semiconductor solutions, is at the forefront of this technological leap. With its cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 chip portfolio, Broadcom is delivering unprecedented speeds, reduced latency, and enhanced network capacity. In this article, we’ll explore what Wi-Fi 7 is, how it compares to its predecessor, and why Broadcom Wi-Fi 7 chips are poised to lead the charge in this new era of wireless innovation.
What is Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7, officially designated as IEEE 802.11be, builds on the foundation of Wi-Fi 6 and 6E by introducing ultra-fast speeds and reduced latency — it’s designed to handle the increasingly bandwidth-intensive applications of today and the future.
Key Advancements in Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7 offers several upgrades over its predecessors, including:
- Wider Channel Bandwidths: With support for channel widths of up to 320 MHz — double that of Wi-Fi 6 — Wi-Fi 7 can transfer significantly more data in the same time frame. This improvement is particularly beneficial for high-speed applications like 4K and 8K streaming.
- Higher Data Rates with 4K-QAM: Wi-Fi 7 introduces 4K Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), which packs more data into each transmission, which results in up to 20% higher data rates compared to Wi-Fi 6’s 1024-QAM.
- Multi-Link Operation (MLO): MLO enables devices to use multiple frequency bands simultaneously, so by combining 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, Wi-Fi 7 minimizes interference and maximizes throughput and reliability.
- Lower Latency: Wi-Fi 7 significantly reduces latency, a critical factor for real-time applications like online gaming, virtual reality, and teleconferencing.
A Giant Leap from Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi 6 introduced higher speeds and better efficiency, but Wi-Fi 7 takes these advancements to a whole new level. While Wi-Fi 6 offers maximum theoretical speeds of 9.6 Gbps, Wi-Fi 7 reaches up to 46 Gbps. Also, enhanced multi-user technologies allow Wi-Fi 7 to support more devices without compromising performance. Plus, Wi-Fi 7 is engineered to handle the demands of upcoming technologies like 8K streaming, cloud gaming, and the growing Internet of Things (IoT).
Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 7 Portfolio
Broadcom is leading the charge in the Wi-Fi 7 revolution with a comprehensive portfolio of cutting-edge wireless connectivity chips. These solutions are designed to address the diverse needs of residential, enterprise, and mobile markets by delivering the speed, capacity, and efficiency that the next generation of wireless technology demands.
Key Products in the Broadcom Wi-Fi 7 Lineup
BCM67263 and BCM6726: Residential Access Points
- Key Features:
- The BCM67263 supports 320 MHz channel bandwidth in the 6 GHz band, enabling ultra-high-speed internet in homes and small businesses.
- The BCM6726 operates across 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, with support for up to 160 MHz bandwidth, making it ideal for multi-device environments.
BCM43740 and BCM43720: Enterprise Applications
- Key Features:
- The BCM43740 is a 4×4 Wi-Fi 7 SoC designed for enterprise-grade access points, offering 320 MHz bandwidth for dense networks.
- The BCM43720, a 2×2 variant, supports 160 MHz bandwidth, providing high-speed and reliable connectivity in smaller-scale enterprise setups.
BCM4390: Mobile and IoT Devices
- Key Features:
- A low-power Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 combo chip optimized for mobile handsets and IoT devices.
- Combines energy efficiency with high performance, ensuring seamless connectivity for next-generation smartphones and wearables.
Applications and Use Cases
With its versatile portfolio, Broadcom is not only advancing the capabilities of WiFi7 but also ensuring that its solutions cater to a wide range of real-world applications:
- Residential chips provide faster and more reliable connections for smart homes, 4K/8K streaming, and cloud gaming.
- Enterprise chips upport dense environments like offices and conference centers with high-speed, low-latency networks.
- Mobile and IoT chips enhance performance for next-generation smartphones, smart devices, and wearables.
Key Innovations in Broadcom Wi-Fi 7 Chips
Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 7 chips are packed with groundbreaking features that set them apart in the wireless industry. These innovations are designed to maximize speed, reduce latency, and ensure efficient performance across a wide range of applications. By integrating advanced technologies, Broadcom is pushing the boundaries of what wireless networks can achieve.
One of the standout features in Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 7 lineup is Multi-Link Operation (MLO). This technology allows devices to operate across multiple frequency bands simultaneously, such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz. By utilizing multiple bands at once, MLO enhances throughput, minimizes interference, and significantly reduces latency.
Another key innovation is the use of 4K-QAM modulation, which improves data transmission efficiency. By encoding more bits into each signal, 4K-QAM enables higher data rates compared to the 1024-QAM used in Wi-Fi 6. This enhancement makes Broadcom’s chips ideal for bandwidth-intensive applications like 8K streaming, cloud gaming, and large-scale file transfers.
Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 7 chips also support wider channel bandwidths of up to 320 MHz. This is double the bandwidth available in Wi-Fi 6, which allows for significantly more data to be transmitted at once. Wider channels are a game-changer for high-speed networks, particularly in areas where demand for faster, seamless connections is growing, such as smart cities, industrial IoT, and immersive virtual reality environments.
Additionally, Broadcom has prioritized energy efficiency across its Wi-Fi 7 portfolio. By balancing performance with low power usage, Broadcom ensures that its chips deliver exceptional results without compromising battery life, so they are ideal for smartphones, wearables, and other portable devices.
These innovations collectively position Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 7 chips as the leading choice for next-generation wireless networks. Whether it’s for enterprise-grade applications, residential use, or mobile devices, these advanced features ensure that Broadcom stays ahead in the race to define the future of wireless connectivity.
Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 7: The Technical Leap
Wi-Fi 6 brought a host of advancements to wireless networking that focused on speed, efficiency, and the ability to handle dense environments. But Wi-Fi 7 takes these improvements even further with transformative features that redefine connectivity for the next generation of applications.
Speed and Throughput
The most noticeable improvement is the leap in speed. Wi-Fi 6 offers a maximum theoretical data rate of 9.6 Gbps, which already felt revolutionary compared to earlier standards. However, Wi-Fi 7 raises the bar with speeds reaching up to 46 Gbps. This nearly fivefold increase is achieved through wider channels and more efficient modulation techniques.
Lower Latency
Latency, or the delay in data transmission, has been a major focus in Wi-Fi 7’s design. While Wi-Fi 6 significantly reduced latency compared to previous generations, Wi-Fi 7 takes it further with Multi-Link Operation (MLO). By simultaneously utilizing multiple frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz), MLO ensures a stable and low-latency connection even in congested environments. This makes Wi-Fi 7 ideal for real-time applications such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and competitive gaming.
Network Capacity
Wi-Fi 6 introduced innovations like OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output), which allowed networks to handle more devices efficiently. Wi-Fi 7 builds on these technologies and enhances their capabilities to support even greater numbers of simultaneous connections. This makes Wi-Fi 7 particularly valuable in smart homes, offices, and public spaces where dozens — or even hundreds — of devices may be connected at once.
Bandwidth Efficiency
Wi-Fi 7 doubles the channel width from 160 MHz in Wi-Fi 6 to 320 MHz, effectively increasing the amount of data that can be transmitted at any given time. Combined with 4K-QAM modulation, which packs more information into each transmission, Wi-Fi 7 delivers significantly higher data throughput and improved spectral efficiency. This allows for smoother streaming, faster downloads, and better performance in bandwidth-intensive tasks.
Future-Proofing for Next-Gen Applications
Wi-Fi 6 set the stage for high-efficiency networks, but Wi-Fi 7 is designed to meet the demands of future technologies. As IoT, 8K streaming, cloud computing, and immersive AR/VR applications grow, Wi-Fi 7’s speed, reliability, and capacity will be critical — and Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 7 chips are already prepared to integrate these features.
Wi-Fi 7 represents a paradigm shift in wireless networking. With its massive improvements in speed, latency, and capacity, Wi-Fi 7 ensures that next-generation devices and applications will perform at their best. Broadcom Wi-Fi 7 chips exemplify this leap, offering advanced features that are ready to power the future of connectivity. Whether you’re comparing Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 7 or looking at specific use cases, the benefits of Wi-Fi 7 are undeniable.
Release Timeline and Adoption
Wi-Fi 7 officially became a standard in early 2024, marking the next phase in wireless connectivity. As one of the pioneers in the space, Broadcom has played a key role in accelerating Wi-Fi 7 adoption by introducing its second-generation Wi-Fi 7 chips ahead of the finalized standard. These chips, tailored for residential, enterprise, and mobile applications, ensure seamless integration into existing networks and readiness for next-gen devices.
The adoption timeline for Wi-Fi 7 will vary across industries. Early adopters include high-performance sectors such as gaming, virtual reality (VR), and enterprise environments that demand especially low latency and high capacity. Consumer electronics like smartphones, routers, and smart home devices will follow, with broader market penetration expected by the end of 2025.
Broadcom’s advanced Wi-Fi 7 solutions are designed to facilitate this transition and become a cornerstone for enabling the widespread adoption of WiFi7 across diverse applications and markets.
If you’re working on systems that will leverage Wi-Fi 7 technology with components from Broadcom, or other manufacturers, Microchip USA can deliver the parts you need. We’re the premier independent distributor of board level electronics, and our supply specialists have worked to support a variety of industries, from medical and industrial automation to green energy and transportation. Contact us today!
