In 2023, NETGEAR launched its first WiFi 7 router products, the Nighthawk RS700S, and the Orbi 970 Mesh System. The promise of 100x lower latency is a lure for gamers, animators, and virtual reality developers who need time-sensitive online responses for an advantage over the competition, without the need for wired Ethernet connections.
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How to Choose a Gaming and Streaming Router?
The new WiFi standard, IEEE 802.11be, also known as WiFi 7, provides the best of both worlds – wired and wireless. The tri-band WiFi Nighthawk RS700S, for example, offers WiFi coverage of up to 325 sq. m. and can simultaneously handle 200+ connected devices. The newly optimised antenna design is ideal for long range coverage with low latency for high-speed gaming, streaming, conferencing, and more.
The Nighthawk WiFi 7 Router includes a 10 Gbps WAN Ethernet port and a matching LAN port for supporting the fastest available home cable and fiber connections.
If even more WIFi coverage is desired The Orbi 970 quad-band WiFi 7 system is a mesh WiFi powerhouse that can cover up to 660 sq m with low-latency WiFi. Orbi 970 also offers unsurpassed raw throughput speeds, upstairs, downstairs, and even outside by the pool by utilising an exclusive enhanced dedicated backhaul.
Manufacturers of connectable devices such as Samsung smartphones are onboard the multi-gigabit wireless revolution, taking advantage of WiFi 7’s 4K QAM (4096-QAM) modulation and other state-of-the-art innovations.
WiFi 7: Next-Generation WiFi
Next-generation WiFi 7 supersedes WiFi 6E, WiFi 6, and WiFi 5. WiFi 7 is also backward compatible, meaning your current devices will function as normal when connected to a WiFi 7 router. However, only WiFi 7-enabled devices will get the maximum benefit from a new WiFi 7 router or mesh system. At this point, it may be worth asking a few questions:
- What performance benefits make an upgrade to WiFi 7 worth it?
- When can we expect to see a proliferation of new WiFi 7-enabled devices on the market?
- Is it worth the expense to be an early adopter of the new WiFi 7 standard technology?
- Can WiFi 7 match the speeds offered by Ethernet LAN ports and multi-gig WAN ports?
WiFi 7 builds on the foundation laid by WiFi 6/6E. It supports the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band, with many cutting-edge initiatives designed to dramatically increase overall network capacity and performance. Here are some Extremely High Throughput (EHT) WiFi 7 advantages for gamers and other data-intensive users worth knowing about.
Wider Channels and Additional Bandwidth
WiFi frequency bands are split into 20 MHz channels to distribute wireless data. The 2.4 GHz band can be divided into 11 channels, the 5 GHz band has 45 channels, and the 6 GHz band has 60 channels. Channel bandwidth can also be combined to support 40MHz and 80MHz channels. Wider channels can transmit more data. WiFi 7 offers 320MHz channel bandwidth compared to the 160MHz bandwidth of WiFi 6E.
What is Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)
QAM gives us the ability to combine two amplitude modulation signals to double the channel bandwidth. Whereas WiFi 6E supports 1024 QAM, NETGEAR WiFi 7 supports 4096 QAM (4K QAM). This WiFi 7 improvement offers 20% higher data rates.
Does WiFi 7 use Multi-Link Operation (MLO)?
Earlier dual-band and tri-band WiFi standard routers use single-band connections – 2.4GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. NETGEAR WiFi 7, on the other hand, uses MLO to combine several frequencies into a single connection. This solution helps gamers and streamers avoid interference and congestion issues.
What is Preamble Puncturing?
This progressive WiFi feature lets your access point transmit a ‘punctured’ or ‘split’ portion of the spectrum channel. With earlier WiFi standards, the entire channel would be unavailable for use if part of the channel was already in use by a legacy device. Preamble Puncturing is another great step toward low latency and high speeds.
How Does Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access Work?
OFDMA is a new technology that gives you the ability to create independently modulating subcarriers within frequencies. In other words, your router can handle simultaneous transmissions to and from multiple clients. OFDMA is a means of efficiently allocating bandwidth and solving congestion problems.
Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO)
MU-MIMO allows a main access point and antennas to simultaneously transmit on 16 spatial streams to multiple client devices. It increases data rate efficiency and ensures your client devices receive optimal speeds for the best possible performance. With MU-MIMO, a lower-speed client won’t slow the downlink throughput speeds for other clients on the network, so you can focus on your online experience without lag or dropouts.
What the WiFi 7 Improvements Mean for Orbi Gamers?
The improved wireless speeds and lower latencies are a big benefit of NETGEAR’s new Orbi 970 System. MLO combines the 5GHz and 6GHz channels to provide up to 10 Gbps backhaul. Previous WiFi 6E mesh systems, on the other hand, use only a 5 GHz backhaul, then may fall back to 2.4 GHz depending on factors such as congestion and interference.
According to Sandeep Harpalani, VP of Product Management for NETGEAR, “We see multi-gig speeds throughout the house. With our enhanced dedicated backhaul (using MLO to combine the dedicated 5 GHz backhaul radio and share 6 GHz for up to 10 Gbps), the backhaul throughput is 5x prior mesh systems.”
Is it Worth Being an Early WiFi 7 Adopter?
WiFi times are changing fast, and while a fully wired backhaul between a main router and its satellites will guarantee optimal performance, WiFi 7’s MLO capabilities offer a formidable wireless alternative. The higher level of WiFi 7 router bandwidth also means that speeds are less likely to degrade over an extended range. In fact, NETGEAR Nighthawk and Orbi router satellite nodes remain fully in sync with your main router to provide a uniquely unified whole-home mesh WiFi system.
Early WiFi 7 adopters are keeping up with the times by introducing the newest client devices with cutting-edge features, functions, and specifications. The best WiFi 7 systems also offer legacy support for WiFi 6E routers and older standards. Full support for laptops, desktops, etc. will be contingent on Windows OS readiness, while next-generation Intel chipsets aim to support WiFi 7. Devices such as the ASUS ROG Phone 7 can also be updated to work with the WiFi 7 platform.
WiFi 7 Nighthawk for a Superior Gaming Experience
Let’s explore why it’s a smart choice to future-proof your work or play with a NETGEAR Nighthawk RS700S gaming router. Here are some impressive features and specs.
- Next-generation interactive gaming, 4K/8K streaming, UHD video conferencing, and AR/VR entertainment with blazing-fast WiFi 7 speeds up to 19Gbps.
- Lower latency for real-time responsiveness without lag or dropouts that can ruin the immersive gaming experience.
- The new WiFi 7 standard is 2.4x faster than WiFi 6 and fully backward compatible with older WiFi devices.
- Sleek new body and high-performance antenna design with a smaller footprint, offering up to 3,500 sq. ft. of 360-degree WiFi coverage.
- A 10 Gig internet port that unleashes the fastest download speeds of today and tomorrow for the best available wired and wireless gaming and streaming connections.
- A total of one 10 Gig LAN port and four 1 Gig LAN ports to guarantee ultra-fast wired connections.
- Powered by Broadcom’s state-of-the-art BCM6726/3 WiFi 7 chips for delivering enhanced performance and groundbreaking speeds across all your devices.
- NETGEAR® ArmorTM provides an automatic shield of security for your WiFi and connected devices for real-time protection against hackers and added privacy with VPN.
The Orbi 970 Mesh WiFi Alternative
Alternatively, check out the all-new NETGEAR Orbi 970 Series Whole-Home Mesh WiFi. This leading system unleashes speeds of up to 27Gbps for unparalleled performance throughout your entire home. Orbi 970 mesh systems are fully compatible with older WiFi devices, and gamers can expect 2.4x faster speeds than WiFi 6 courtesy of the exclusive quad-band technology and enhanced dedicated backhaul.
The elegant, high-performance antennas provide seamless 360° WiFi coverage across every corner of your home, no matter the layout. Orbi 970 routers include 10Gbps and 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports that unlock unbeatable speeds and reliability for gaming consoles and media storage. WPA3 encrypted security ensures you and your network remain safe from spam and other malicious intrusions.
A Win-Win for Gamers
NETGEAR Orbi and Nighthawk products work with any internet service provider and are a breeze to set up using the handy app. With WiFi 7, you can download games, movies, and other large files in an instant without interference. You will appreciate stronger high-throughput WiFi connections, blazing-fast speeds, and greater reliability. NETGEAR WiFi 7 is the answer if you want real-time responsive gaming and immersive futuristic experiences. The future of gaming is now with NETGEAR.