New technology standards can’t anticipate how users will consume content and applications and revisions to the standards will be adopted to meet their needs. In this episode, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Ron Westfall, Drew Lentz, and Rocky Gregory as they discuss where Wi-Fi 7 falls short. Even though Wi-Fi 7 is a new standard it is still based on older thinking and users have changed the way they consume content and applications. This episode discusses the difference between cloud-hosted applications and local software as well as the drive to increase performance on edge access points to include faster response times to things like AI assistants.
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Wi-Fi 7 Isn’t Enough For Future Wireless Needs
When the development of Wi-Fi 7 started, the promise of 5G speeds was simply theoretical. We were still struggling with the rollout of LTE and given how problematic 3G was before it Wi-Fi just made sense. Fast forward to the modern wireless era and you find that 5G connectivity is not only more stable but, in many cases, much faster than the networks you can connect to a the local coffee shop. Add in the protection mechanisms inherent in cellular technology and it appears to be a significantly better user experience.
Users have also changed the way they do work. Before the pandemic the majority of work was done with applications that connected to internal resources at a company office. You needed private wireless connectivity to access important resources. The cloud was making changes but users still felt comfortable working at their desks. Five years later and most work is done through applications that connect to cloud resources. There isn’t as much of a need to go to the office, and that’s if you even still have one. Users don’t need fast enterprise connectivity. They just need to get to the cloud somehow.
The third major factor in the lack of performance for Wi-Fi 7 is the rise of more intensive applications. Modern AI development sees a significant push to have processing done centrally and algorithms being run on the edge. We need to have more powerful devices on the edge to take advantage of those capabilities, but the trend previously in development was to use more modest devices to meet power budgets for edge switches to deliver standard power capabilities. While power standards have increased to allow for more powerful capabilities the older style of thinking still persists.
This episode debates these topics as well as others to help you understand what the current state of Wi-Fi 7 is and how it will help you and your users with their connectivity needs.
Podcast Information:
Tom Hollingsworth is a Networking and Security Specialist at Gestalt IT and Event Lead for Tech Field Day. You can connect with Tom on LinkedIn and X/Twitter. Find out more on his blog or on the Tech Field Day website.
Ron Westfall is The Research Director at The Futurum Group specializing in Digital Transformation, 5G, AI, Security, Cloud Computing, IoT and Data Center as well as the host of 5G Factor Webcast. You can connect with Ron on LinkedIn and on X/Twitter and see his work on The Futurum Group’s website.
Rocky Gregory is a Technical Leader in mobility and Wi-Fi and a long time Field Day Delegate. You can connect with Rocky on LinkedIn and on X/Twitter and learn more on his website.
Drew Lentz is the Co-Founder of Frontera Consulting and the host of Waves Podcast. You can connect with Drew on LinkedIn and on X/Twitter and learn more on his website.
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