MSI released the Herald BE NCM865, a PCIe wireless networking adapter that provides Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity in a convenient internal add-on card form-factor. The features a PCI-Express x1 and USB 2.0 host interfaces. Besides installing the card on a PCIe slot, you connect it to a vacant USB 2.0 header on your motherboard with the included cable, for the Bluetooth component to work. The base card features the two antenna jacks, the USB 2.0 header, and an M.2 E-key slot which holds the actual WLAN module.

The WLAN module in charge of this card is a Qualcomm NCM865. This provides Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) at a maximum throughput of 5.8 Gbps. The controller supports 320 MHz wide channels across the 6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz bands. It also supports older Wi-Fi standards going down to 802.11n over the 2.4 GHz band. Its Bluetooth component supports the latest Bluetooth 5.4 standard. The controller features multi-link operational topology. A stylish magnetized base antenna module comes included—the kind that MSI includes with some of its premium motherboards. The company didn't release pricing information.

MediaTek, one of the first adopters of Wi-Fi 7 technology, today announced that it is working closely within Wi-Fi Alliance to launch a complete first wave of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 products, which will be featured as part of MediaTek's global ecosystem showcase at CES 2024. In an era where people rely on artificial intelligence to improve their lives and productivity, a fast and reliable network ensures consumers and professionals have the connectivity needed to utilize the latest AI tools. These devices, powered by MediaTek Filogic Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 chipsets, represent fast, reliable and always-on connected experiences for a wide variety of consumer and enterprise products, including residential gateways, mesh routers, televisions, streaming devices, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more.

"As a technology leader, we make significant investments in formulating the standards that drive the industry, in addition to developing products that utilize those standards," said Alan Hsu, corporate vice president at MediaTek. "The recent announcement of our family of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 chipset solutions has enabled us to work with Wi-Fi Alliance to provide testbeds for devices on both the access point and client sides, streamlining the product certification process for manufacturers."

TP-Link, a leading global provider of consumer and business networking products, and the first-to-market Wi-Fi 7 brand, is proud to announce its latest line of Wi-Fi 7 innovations at CES 2024. This exciting lineup features a more robust collection of Deco Mesh Wi-Fi systems, next-gen Archer routers, and the industry's most powerful gaming router, along with the debut of the world's first Wi-Fi 7 client adapter. TP-Link is committed to delivering an unparalleled connectivity experience for homes of any size and internet access type.

Wi-Fi 7 Whole Home Mesh All-Scenario Solution
Deco offers a seamlessly integrated and comprehensive mesh Wi-Fi solution, allowing users to effortlessly create a whole home mesh Wi-Fi system. Whether consumers have a small apartment or a spacious residence with expansive floor plans and outdoor requirements, Deco ensures a robust and reliable network with faster speeds, lower latency, and more capacity than ever before. At CES 2024, TP-Link will unveil an impressive end-to-end range of Deco solutions that fit any scenario, including the BE95, BE65 Pro, BE63, BE65-5G, BE65-PoE, BE25, BE25-Outdoor, and more.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 is here, introducing powerful new features that boost Wi-Fi performance and improve connectivity across a variety of environments. Cutting-edge capabilities in Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 enable innovations that rely on high throughput, deterministic latency, and greater reliability for critical traffic. New use cases - including multi-user AR/VR/XR, immersive 3-D training, electronic gaming, hybrid work, industrial IoT, and automotive - will advance as a result of the latest Wi-Fi generation. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 represents the culmination of extensive collaboration and innovation within Wi-Fi Alliance, facilitating worldwide product interoperability and a robust, sophisticated device ecosystem.

Wi-Fi 7 will see rapid adoption across a broad ecosystem with more than 233 million devices expected to enter the market in 2024, growing to 2.1 billion devices by 2028. Smartphones, PCs, tablets, and access points (APs) will be the earliest adopters of Wi-Fi 7, and customer premises equipment (CPE) and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) equipment will continue to gain early market traction. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 pushes the boundaries of today's wireless connectivity, and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED helps ensure advanced features are deployed in a consistent way to deliver high-quality user experiences.

Acer unleashes a series of powerhouse gaming laptops, headlined by the refreshed models of the Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16. Acer also announced the new Predator Helios Neo 18 gaming laptop and major updates to the Predator Helios Neo 16, all outfitted with the latest Intel Core 14th gen processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPUs with DLSS 3.5 technology and NVIDIA Advanced Optimus. NVIDIA RTX Laptop GPUs are packed with specialized AI Tensor Cores enabling unmatched AI performance and accelerations in creative apps, ultra-efficient productivity, blistering fast gaming, and more. The Predator laptops feature Microsoft's Copilot in Windows 11 and a dedicated Copilot key for quick access to AI-powered task assistance. They also come with one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving gamers access to hundreds of high-quality PC games.

Gamers seeking a competitive edge will be thrilled with the Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16 laptops as they come with options for captivating Mini LED panels, MagKey 3.0 swappable mechanical switch for shorter key travel and response time, and lightning-fast network speeds with Wi-Fi 7 compatibility.

The process of assembling a computer is a great joy for gamers, but cable management can be complex and troublesome. MSI's newly introduced PROJECT ZERO series aims to eliminate these issues. The PROJECT ZERO motherboards relocate most of the cable connectors to the back of the motherboard, allowing cables to hide behind it. This not only enhances the cleanliness and aesthetics in the front but also reduces the difficulty of cable management, making the assembly an enjoyable experience. At the same time, we have introduced the PROJECT ZERO compatible chassis that complements the design philosophy, emphasizing simplicity and elegance when used together.

The PROJECT ZERO series motherboards feature a silver-white design with an extensive heatsink, exuding a clean and sleek appearance. You can choose from a variety of chipset options: Z790 PROJECT ZERO, an ATX motherboard with a 14+1 Duet Rail Power System, Lightning Gen 5 PCIe slot, 4x M.2 slots, and Wi-Fi 7. B760M PROJECT ZERO, a Micro-ATX motherboard with a 12+1 Duet Rail Power System, Lightning Gen 5 PCIe slot, 2x M.2 slots, and Wi-Fi 6E. B650M PROJECT ZERO features a 10 + 2 direct out power system, Lightning Gen 4 PCIe slot, 2x M.2 slots, and Wi-Fi 6E.

Intel's current generation mobile processor product stack is vast, to say the least. In Q4-2023, the company launched its Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" mobile processors spanning the U-segment (7 W to 28 W), and H-segment (35 W to 45 W). Today, the company capped the upper end of the stack with the 14th Gen Core HX-series mobile processors based on "Raptor Lake Refresh," which dial up core counts to 8P+16E. And now, the company is adding more choice to the U-segment with the Core Processor Series 1, based on a lower core-count variant of the "Raptor Lake Refresh" architecture.

The Core Processor Series 1 follows the same nomenclature as the Core Ultra, where the "Ultra" denotes the latest "Meteor Lake" architecture. Processor model numbering and case badges are similar between Core Processor Series 1 and Core Ultra, except the lack of the "Ultra" brand extension. These chips are built on the monolithic "Raptor Lake Refresh" dies on the Intel 7 foundry node, and lack innovations such as the Low-power Island cores, 3D Performance Hybrid architecture, the all important AI Boost and on-silicon NPU; as well as that 2x faster Arc Xe-LPG integrated graphics, but use existing combinations of "Raptor Cove" and "Gracemont" CPU cores, along with older Xe-LP graphics with up to 96 EU; and a mostly similar I/O.

Intel today announced the release of its 14th Gen Core HX series "Raptor Lake Refresh" mobile processors. Processor models from this series are supposed to cap off the upper end of Intel's mobile processor portfolio. Although Intel released the Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" mobile processors late last year, those chips cover the U-segment, and H-segment (ultraportable, thin-and-light, and mainstream); with the fastest model being the Core Ultra 165H, which caps out at 6P+8E+2LP. The HX segment, which started out as enthusiast-class, broadened in scope over the years to cover the bulky gaming notebooks and portable workstations. These chips typically have a power rating of 55 W. All chips have maximum turbo power rating of 157 W. Intel is tapping into its "Raptor Lake Refresh" silicon to carve out these processors. This is a monolithic chip built on the Intel 7 process, and its package is a multi-chip module with an on-package PCH.

The lineup begins with the Core i9-14900HX, which maxes out the "Raptor Lake Refresh" silicon, with an 8P+16E core-count, with 2 MB of L2 cache per P-core, 4 MB of L2 cache per E-core cluster, and a shared 36 MB L3 cache. The processor's full I/O is wired out, including support for dual-channel DDR5 (SO-DIMMs only), a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 connection for discrete GPUs, a PCI-Express 4.0 x4 connection for a CPU-attached M.2 NVMe SSD, and DMI 4.0 x8 link between the processor die and the PCH die. This PCH puts out up to 16 PCIe Gen 4 lanes, besides up to 12 Gen 3 lanes, which notebook designers can combine with discrete Thunderbolt 4 controllers, and the likes. You can expect Wi-Fi 7 to be prevalent in this crop of premium gaming notebooks. The i9-14900HX features a P-core maximum boost frequency of 5.80 GHz, and an E-core boost frequency of 4.10 GHz.

MaxLinear, Inc., a global leader in broadband access and gateway solutions, today announced its Wi-Fi 7 chipsets and Tri-band Access Point were certified by Wi-Fi Alliance and selected as one of the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 test bed devices. Wi-Fi Alliance's Wi-Fi 7 certification helps verify that upcoming Wi-Fi 7 devices can seamlessly interoperate and deliver the high-performance promises of the new standard. The inclusion of MaxLinear's innovative, single-chip Wi-Fi 7 solution in the verification process exemplifies its continuing commitment to pushing the boundaries of in-home communications and reshaping the way service providers build access and connectivity networks.

"At MaxLinear, we're not just leading the pack with Wi-Fi 7 technology; we're redefining it. Our single-chip tri-band device is an industry first, symbolizing a giant leap in wireless communication," said Will Torgerson, VP/GM Broadband Group. "With our focus on power efficiency and peak performance, we're at the forefront of the Wi-Fi 7 revolution, offering blazing-fast speeds, reduced latency, and robust connectivity. As part of the Wi-Fi Alliance, we celebrate 25 years of Wi-Fi innovation and remain committed to advancing a connected world where our groundbreaking solutions enable seamless, multi-gigabit broadband access."

Acer expanded its Swift family of thin and light laptops with new Intel Core Ultra processors featuring Intel's first neural processing unit (NPU) and integrated AI acceleration capabilities. Now even more performance-minded, capable, and intuitive for content creation, schoolwork, productivity, and play, the new Swift laptops' powerful processing and AI-supported features further the laptop's usability.

"After unveiling our first Intel Core Ultra laptops last month, we're debuting even more products in our Swift line to help a wider range of customers take advantage of premium laptop experiences and AI-supported technology for more exciting and effective PC use," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer. "Plus, these laptops feature impressive updates that help customers do more - and do them even better."

Acer announced new additions to its Aspire laptop line, showcasing an extensive range of performance and design options to support everyday computing needs.

The Aspire Vero 16 is the latest from its Vero product line, powered by the new Intel Core Ultra processors with Intel AI Boost and Wi-Fi 7 compatibility. Acer has committed to carbon neutrality for the Aspire Vero 16, following international standards for carbon footprint calculation and carbon neutrality. Actions are taken at each stage of the device lifecycle to minimize its carbon footprint, and then, high-quality carbon credits will be applied to attain carbon neutrality. The Intel Evo Edition laptop has increased the usage of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials on the chassis, doubling that of the 2021 model, to combine eco-innovation and premium PC experiences on the device.

Acer today announced two new gaming routers, leveraging the power of the Qualcomm Immersive Home Platform and tri-band Wi-Fi 7 for stable connections and enhanced wireless gameplay. The Predator Connect X7 5G CPE unleashes blazing-fast internet speeds through 5G and Wi-Fi 7, along with dual WAN connectivity to minimize disruptions. Fast, reliable, and vast network coverage is provided by the Predator Connect T7 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router with the expandability of its multi-link Wi-Fi mesh system, making wired-level latency possible in a mesh setup.

Powered by Qualcomm Technologies' advanced quad-core processor, the X7 and T7 provide gamers and streamers with accelerated online experiences, improved Spectrum Utilization with Wi-Fi 7, as well as enhanced MU-MIMO and OFDMA across connected devices.

MSI, the globally renowned gaming brand, has collaborated with the esteemed game developer CAPCOM to mark the 20th anniversary of the Monster Hunter game series by introducing a carefully curated line of limited-edition PC products. The unveiling of these highly anticipated products will take place at CES 2024, where MSI will showcase concept prototypes at an exclusive booth. The official debut of these products is scheduled to coincide with the 20th-anniversary celebration of Monster Hunter.

Inspired by one of the series' most iconic monsters, the Rathalos, this collaboration aims to infuse the majestic aura and power of the Rathalos into a captivating range of limited-edition gaming peripherals. This includes gaming laptops, monitors, graphics cards, motherboards, cases, liquid coolers, and controllers. With these products, MSI invites gamers to embark on a journey into the captivating world of Monster Hunter, delivering a unique gaming experience that combines the superior craftsmanship of MSI with the classic gaming elements of CAPCOM.

GIGABYTE released the GC-WIFI7, a WLAN card in the PCIe add-on card form-factor, which, as its name suggests, gives your desktop the power of Wi-Fi 7. Given how the new wireless networking standard is exotic and provides a more than 2.2x gain in Wi-Fi bandwidth over Wi-Fi 6E, GIGABYTE decided to give this accessory its coveted AORUS Gaming branding and product design. The card supports tri-band, and a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 5800 Mbps, with support for 320 MHz and 160 Hz channels. The card also supports MLO, in which it simultaneously connects to a 2.4 GHz and 5/6 GHz network. The card comes with a stylish antenna array that supports up to 5 dBi signal strength. Besides Wi-Fi 7, the card also provides Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

The most interesting aspect about this product is that it has three hardware revisions at launch. The Rev 1.0 card is based on a Qualcomm chipset; Rev 1.1 is based on a MediaTek chipset, and Rev 1.2 is based on Intel, all three offering identical hardware specs and performance levels. Rev 1.0 is based on a Qualcomm QCA FastConnect 7800 controller; Rev 1.1 rocks a MediaTek MT7927 controller; while the Rev 1.2 uses an Intel BE200. All three revisions are sold under the same SKU, and it's only in a brick-and-mortar store that you can figure out what you want by looking closely at the barcode sticker, where the revision is mentioned. The company didn't reveal pricing.

MediaTek, one of the first adopters of Wi-Fi 7 technology, now has the industry's most comprehensive Wi-Fi 7 portfolio with today's introduction of the company's new Filogic 860 and Filogic 360 solutions. Together, these second-generation additions aim to further expand MediaTek's platform of cutting-edge products that utilize the latest technology advancements in connectivity while achieving peak performance and always-on reliability.

Filogic 860 combines a Wi-Fi 7 dual-band access point with a new advanced network processor solution and is ideal for enterprise access points, service provider Ethernet gateways and mesh nodes, as well as retail and IoT router applications. Filogic 360 is a stand-alone client solution that integrates Wi-Fi 7 2x2 and dual Bluetooth 5.4 radios in a single chip, and is designed to deliver next-generation Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to edge devices, streaming devices and a vast array of other consumer electronics.

The full specifications of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Book 4 line of ultra portable notebooks, have been leaked to the web by Windows Report. The star attraction with these notebooks are the next-generation Intel Core processors (possibly "Meteor Lake"), combined with LPDDR4X, LPDDR5, or LPDDR5X memory, the company's latest NVMe SSD storage, and innovative new display panels. There are as many as 5 main models based on form-factor and market segment, and their sub-variants based on memory or storage sizes. The series begins simply with the Galaxy Book 4, with a conventional thickness body and 15.6-inch screen size. This notebook has a conventional IPS panel with anti-glare treatment, and Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. At the heart is a Core 5-120U processor that boosts up to 5.00 GHz, and has 12 MB of L3 cache. The notebook uses the iGPU of this processor, and combines it with 8 GB of LPDDR4X memory. There are two M.2 NVMe slots, one of which has a pre-installed 512 GB SSD. Comms include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

The Galaxy Book 4 360 is a step up, and is a convertible. This looks similar to the Galaxy Book 4, but with a screen hingle that turns it into a tablet. The 15.6-inch display now gets an AMOLED touchscreen with Full HD resolution. While the processor is the same Core 5-120U, the 8 GB of memory is faster LPDDR5. You still get two M.2 NVMe slots, one of which has a 256 GB SSD. The communications are a step up, too, with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Both the Galaxy Book 4 and Galaxy Book 4 360 should be priced around the $1,000-mark.

Adtran today launched its next-generation Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7 service delivery gateways (SDGs) for optimized in-home connectivity, the SDG 8600 and 8700 Series. Specifically designed as a revenue-generating vehicle for operators, the energy-efficient mesh routers combine a compact footprint with a processor twice as powerful as previous models, supporting over 250 devices simultaneously. With their ability to cater to diverse market segments, from low-cost broadband to premium multigigabit offerings, they effectively address the connectivity needs of households, multi-dwelling units and businesses. Ensuring lag-free cloud gaming, smooth 4K streaming and efficient remote working, the SDG 8600 and 8700 Series will help dramatically improve the in-home Wi-Fi experience.

"As market demands transition towards multigigabit services, seamless and robust Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly vital. With our SDG 8600 and 8700 Series, we're taking speed to the next level and delivering a superior Wi-Fi experience, all while ensuring homeowners enjoy a streamlined and unobtrusive setup free from unsightly network equipment. This means Wi-Fi devices can be placed prominently, resulting in no more dead spots and no more dropped signals. So whether you're streaming, gaming or on an important video call, you can be sure of uninterrupted connectivity throughout the home," said Eric Presworsky, GM of residential solutions at Adtran. "For operators, our new SDGs offer a unique opportunity. Not only can they provide an unbeatable Wi-Fi experience, but they also unlock new avenues for revenue generation with differentiated services and applications, from IoT security to parental controls. This translates to increased customer loyalty and a concrete path to business growth."

Intel has officially pulled back the curtain on its 14th Gen Core CPUs, giving gamers, creators, enthusiasts, and everyday users a new tier of processors that elevate everything they do. We've already teased several of our Z790 motherboards purpose-built for the latest Intel Core CPUs, but now we're ready to share all the details. In total, we're releasing seven new Z790 motherboards for your consideration as you hunt for the best motherboard for your 14th Gen Intel CPU. Our cutting-edge ROG Maximus motherboard family is expanding with the ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero, the ROG Maximus Z790 Apex Encore, and the ROG Maximus Z790 Formula. For gamers everywhere, we're expanding our ROG Strix lineup with three new models, and fans of our TUF Gaming series will be pleased to see the TUF Gaming Z790-Pro WiFi make its debut. These new motherboards join our existing Z790 and Z690 motherboards, which also support Intel's latest and greatest chips through a simple firmware update.

There's a lot to go over with the new additions to our Z790 motherboard family: they mark the debut of our first WiFi 7 motherboards, for one, and we're increasing the number of models with onboard PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots. They offer our latest game-changing innovations like DIMM Flex, and they make the process of building a PC easier than ever with their DIY-friendly features.

MSI is announcing today the brand-new Intel Core 14th gen processors that will be best paired with our recently launched MSI's Z790 MAX MEG Series, MPG Series, MAG Series, and PRO Series motherboards. MSI's Z790 MAX motherboards paired with Intel Core 14th gen processors are here to succeed with more efficient computing from the last generation of processors. As a world-leading motherboard manufacturer, MSI's Z790 MAX motherboards are to design and provide the very best performance for gamers, creators, and all users.

Intel Core 14th gen processors are still built on their "Intel 7" Hybrid Architecture Process Technology but for the first time on the Intel Core 14th gen processors, the highest performance i9-14900K processors can hit up to 6 GHz thanks to Intel 's Thermal Velocity Boost. This CPU refresh also focuses on the Intel Core i7-14700K as it increases an additional 4 E-Cores that will help increase certain multithread workloads as well as an increase in L3 Cache across all processors. On launch, there will be six models available, which are the Intel Core i9-14900K, i9-14900KF, i7-14700K, i7-14700KF, i5-14600K and i5-14600KF.

GIGABYTE Technology, a leading global powerhouse in motherboards, graphics cards, and cutting-edge hardware solutions, is ready to usher in the era of Intel Core 14th gen processors with a complete lineup of Z790/Z690 series motherboards. Especially, From the flagship Z790 AORUS XTREME X to the versatile Z790 AORUS ELITE X, the X Gen series is engineered to optimize the performance of Intel Core 14th gen processors and drive DDR5 memory faster than ever.

The AORUS Z790 X Gen motherboards, equipped with cutting-edge technologies, deliver best-in-class DDR5 compatibility and leading performance, supporting up to DDR5 XMP-8266 and beyond. The most crucial technology for DDR5's leading performance is the newly introduced Back Drilling Technology, which enhances signal integrity, resulting in improved system performance and heightened reliability.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is ushering in a new era of home connectivity, and new opportunities for service providers, with the introduction of the Qualcomm 10G Fiber Gateway Platform and its signature feature, Qualcomm Service Defined Wi-Fi technology.

The overwhelming majority of subscribers experience their broadband service through Wi-Fi. In today's broadband systems, the access network from the service provider to the home and Wi-Fi within the home are managed separately - with a quality of service which is nearly impossible to maintain across the entire network, given the diversity of devices, applications, connectivity technologies, and the near-constant change across all these elements.

Amazon announced eero Max 7, its first Wi-Fi 7 mesh system and the fastest, most powerful eero yet. eero Max 7 combines the company's patented TrueMesh networking technology with the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard to dramatically increase speeds, avoid interference from neighboring networks, and improve mesh latency-and with 10 Gigabit Ethernet, it's now possible to download a 4K movie in 10 seconds or a 50 gigabyte video game in less than a minute.

"Connectivity is core to our everyday lives—we stream movies and TV, take video calls for work, play online games with our friends, and use an ever increasing number of connected devices," said Nick Weaver, co-founder and CEO of eero. "With tens of millions of eero devices around the world, we know customers notice even a millisecond delay when streaming a movie or gaming, want reliable connectivity in every corner of the home, and always look for faster speeds. eero Max 7 is the culmination of everything we've learned—this is an entirely new class of eero, built without compromise."

MSI is excited to announce today the brand-new MAX Series Motherboards for the Z790 chipset and Micro-ATX motherboards for the B760 chipset, which includes the MEG Series, MPG Series, MAG Series, and PRO Series. MSI's Z790 and B760 motherboards paired with Intel Core Next-gen, 13th Gen, and 12th Gen Processors are here to bring even more performance and fine-tuning on the success of the last generation of Processors. As a world-leading motherboard brand, MSI's Z790 MAX Series motherboards are designed to provide the very best performance for gamers and creators.

MSI Z790 MAX Series motherboards have a strong lineup of power phase design boards across every model ranging from our flagship MEG Z790 GODLIKE MAX that has 26 Duet Rail Power System CPU power phases with 105 A SPS to even our entry-level PRO Series motherboard that has increased up to 16 DRPS CPU power phases with 80 A SPS.

NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of award-winning connected products designed to simplify and improve people's lives, today took its award-winning Orbi line to new heights with a powerful new antenna design and exclusive, patented technology that enhance the benefits of WiFi 7. Born of over 25 years of NETGEAR pioneering WiFi expertise, the Orbi 970 Series delivers unparalleled performance, speeds of up to 27 Gbps, a slim, elegant design and high-performance antennas for 360-degree coverage across just about any home, no matter the layout.

With the rise of faster multi-gig internet speeds now available to more households, the growing number of connected devices per family and the ever-increasing growth of bandwidth-intensive applications such as 4K/8K video streaming, HD Zoom calls, graphics-focused work, highly interactive real-time gaming and immersive AR/VR entertainment, the need for faster WiFi speeds, lower latency and more capacity becomes imperative. Enter WiFi 7. While WiFi 6E opened the 6 GHz band as a superhighway for the latest, fastest devices, WiFi 7 builds on that promise by expanding the channels to 320 MHz and unleashing unprecedented speeds and performance. The Orbi 970 Series maximizes the potential of the new standard with innovative, new technology that ensures the benefits are delivered throughout the home, from the front door to the backyard, across all devices simultaneously.

Intel today updated its ARK listings with two new networking chipsets: Wi-Fi 7 BE200 and Wi-Fi 7 BE202. The company unveiled IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) specification-based chipsets despite the standard still needing final ratification. The Wi-Fi 7 standard promises data rates as high as 40 Gbit/s, with Intel's BE200 chipset using 2x2 TX/RX streams with 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. However, as demonstrated by the adapter's maximum speed of 5 Gbit/s, real-world implementations might not initially reach the theoretical maximum speed. Various motherboards, like the upcoming Gigabyte Aorus Z790 Master X, are already planning to integrate this technology, showing that the industry is getting ready for a Wi-Fi 7 world.

What makes Wi-Fi 7 especially interesting is its raw speed and underlying technology designed to improve efficiency and capacity. Features like Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) and Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), which were introduced in Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, are mandatory in Wi-Fi 7. These technologies aim to optimize the overall performance of wireless networks, making them more suitable for bandwidth-intensive tasks like AR and VR. While full certification for Wi-Fi 7 is not expected until 2024, with widespread adoption to follow, the technology looks poised to become a significant aspect of our wireless future.