It was announced at the beginning of last week’s CES that the Wi-Fi Alliance had begun certifying Wi-Fi 7 devices. An uncertified device won’t work, but it has been confirmed to work within the standard’s specification and is therefore compatible with other Wi-Fi devices. It’s handy that the Wi-Fi Alliance has a searchable database of what’s certified, and a few notable ones have already been approved.
Some cool products are already listed on the Wi-Fi Alliance’s website. The new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone has Qualcomm’s FastConnect 7800 chip, which is Wi-Fi 7 certified. However, Samsung hasn’t turned this feature on yet. It could connect much faster if they did! Qualcomm says it can transfer data at up to 5.8 gigabits per second.
Gaming laptops will also have Wi-Fi 7 soon. Laptops shown at CES like Razer’s Blade 16 use Intel’s BE200 chip. Intel claims speeds up to 5,800 megabits per second on the 6GHz band. As the year goes on, more laptops will likely use this fast Wi-Fi chip.
TP-Link currently makes the only Wi-Fi 7 routers for homes. Their Deco BE85 mesh router system and Archer BE800 router are certified. The Archer can transfer data very quickly through its ports and radio bands. It is also compatible with other mesh networking gear using the Wi-Fi EasyMesh standard. However, early adopters need to know these routers are quite expensive, costing up to $1,000!
Although new, Wi-Fi 7 offers greatly increased speeds over previous standards. Some cutting-edge phones and laptops now feature certified Wi-Fi 7, even if it is not yet enabled. And TP-Link offers the first certified home mesh and router solutions for those wanting to be early adopters. Check the Wi-Fi Alliance database for the full list of certified products.
