Yeah, but with WiFi 6 this feature seems to be neither mandatory for certification nor commonly implemented. My hAP ax³ can’t do 160 MHz, and it’s supposed to be relatively high-end, or something. With WiFi 7 on the other hand, it seems like there are way more devices coming out with 160 MHz channel support.
Does anyone know if 160 MHz channel support is mandatory with WiFi 7, by the way? I can’t seem to find any information about that.
In any case, even if it isn’t officially mandatory, but gets put into many WiFi 7 devices, it would constitute a good reason to upgrade, at least in countries where there are no problems with the spectrum. Double the channel width = double the speed, with pretty much no asterisks, except the 3 dBm per-MHz power reduction, which really isn’t that bad.
The Wi-Fi 7 standard requires support for both 160 MHz channel width on 5 GHz and 320 MHz channel width on 6 GHz. Wi-Fi 6 requires support for 80 MHz channel width on 5 GHz, while Wi-Fi 6e requires support for 160 MHz channel width on 5 GHz.
The MikroTik Hap AX3 supports Wi-Fi 6, not 6e, so it has a maximum channel width of 80 MHz on 5 GHz.
A router with the following features is highly recommended in 2026: Wi-Fi 7 2.4GHz 40MHz, 5GHz 160MHz, 6GHz 320MHz, 1 Wan/Lan port 10Gb/s RJ-45. Lan 2 ports 10 Gbps Ethernet, wireless connection up to 25-30 Gbps at all frequencies 2.4 Hz, 5 Hz, 6 Hz, including 1.5 Gbps at 2.4 Hz, 10 Gbps at 5 Hz, 160 MHz, 20 Gbps at 6 Hz 320 MHz
I have seen multiple WiFi 7 devices that don’t even have a 6Ghz radio.
Routers that are advertised as being equipped with a Wi-Fi 7 module, but only operate on 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz frequencies, can only exist in two cases: the first is when local regulators have not certified the use of the 6 Ghz frequency, and the second is when unscrupulous manufacturers use Wi-Fi 7 marketing to attract attention. However, these routers do not meet the advertised specifications.
What's new in 7.21beta9 (2025-Nov-25 08:08):
wifi - add configuration parameters relevant to the upcoming WiFi 7 products;
Now the question is when ^^
Where do you see that support for 6GHz band is mandatory for WiFi7 devices (APs and stations)?
Wikipedia article on WiFi7 doesn't say that. The only item there, marked as required and mentioning 6GHz, is the item about MLO (but that feature strictly speaking is not about 6GHz band specifically, it's about concurrent use of multiple frequency bands).
Good afternoon)
There are Wikipedia articles and Technical specifications - and they are different things! The technical specification of the Wi-Fi 7 standard is the basis for international certification, including frequencies of 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz. Take a closer look at what is included in it. The main difference between the seventh generation of Wi-Fi and the sixth generation is that it uses a frequency of 6 GHz with a channel width of 160 MHz and 320 MHz. This is the main purpose of the standard.
And the release of routers, declared as Wi-Fi 7, but not having the ability to use the 6 GHz frequency, is just a marketing move that misleads the consumer. Not every country has certified the use of 6 GHz for Wi-Fi, but so it does not affect the Wi-Fi 7 standard itself. This is a problem of the local regulator of communications.
Actually it was the initial question and is the topic title. I believe it will not be answered in this year.
I'd gladly read more relevant documentation than wikipedia articles are ... so please provide a pointer to (publicly available) standards of 802.11be for us to read (and understand).
Thanks for the link. It's not standard, it's one vendor's interpretation (which might be accurate but I can't prove it either way). But IMO it's as relevant as Wikipedia article.
And my browser found "6GHz" mentioned 8 times in linked article, none was about support for 6 GHz band being required.
I think you’re right @mkx. Sadly, the 802.11be docs are no longer public since the IEEE only keep new WiFi standards docs public for 6 months after publication.
Out of curiosity I looked for WiFi CERTIFIED 7 devices that are dual band 2.4+5GHz. I found two from two different manufacturers: Ruckus R370 and TP-Link Archer BE3600. Both claim WiFi7 certification and both are dual-band devices.
Plus the wording of documents on wi-fi.org suggested that the specific technical changes like MLO, 4k QAM, 512 compressed block ack, etc. are what are required, not a particular band.
You are talking about two different things:
1. The IEEE Wi-Fi 7 standard, which is the basis for the Certification adopted by the Wi-Fi Alliance and the approval for the use of the new Wi-Fi 7 protocol (802.11be) in electronic devices with frequencies of 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz, which are accepted, approved, and are a qualifying feature of Wi-Fi 7. This is an absolute fact that is not subject to doubt or discussion regarding whether the presence of 6 GHz is a mandatory qualification for Wi-Fi 7 in accordance with the Technical Standard and International Certification as of January 2024.
2. With the production of routers that are marketed as Wi-Fi 7 but only operate in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. I have already noted that this is due to restrictions on the use of the 6GHz frequency by local regulators or marketing deception of consumers, but it has nothing to do with the Standard and Certification of frequencies, which are mandatory qualifications for Wi-Fi 7.
dont forget is cheaper, they save one radio doing that, It would be better to call them wifi6+ than wifi7 at all
That's right, they are classified as Wi-Fi 6+ devices.
By whom?
Ruckus and wi-fi.org classify the R370 as a WiFi 7 device. Please link to a document which indicates otherwise.
The vendor I quoted is following the standard. And No, 6 GHz is not a strict requirement for a device to be considered Wi-Fi 7, but it is a key feature that allows devices to reach the standard's full potential.
To be considered a Wi-Fi 7 device, it must include mandatory features like Multi-Link Operation (MLO) and mandatory Flexible Channel Utilization, but it can also include optional features like 320 MHz channel width and 4K QAM for higher performance. The device's hardware must be specifically designed to support the new 802.11be standard and its performance enhancements.
Mandatory features
Multi-Link Operation (MLO): Allows a device to transmit and receive data simultaneously across multiple bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) to increase throughput, lower latency, and improve reliability.
Flexible Channel Utilization: Uses preamble puncturing to allow the device to bypass parts of a channel that are experiencing interference, enabling the use of wider channels even with disruptive signals.
Multiple Resource Unit (MRU): Enhances the OFDMA technology to allow a single user to be assigned multiple resource units, improving efficiency and flexibility in spectrum scheduling.
Optional features for higher performance
320 MHz channel width: Doubles the channel width compared to Wi-Fi 6E, but requires availability of the 6 GHz band.
4K QAM: A modulation scheme that can achieve 20% higher transmission rates than 1024 QAM.
512 Compressed Block-ACK: Improves efficiency by reducing overhead.
Other prerequisites
Hardware support: Wi-Fi 7 is a hardware-dependent standard, so devices need to have the specific hardware to support it.
Backward compatibility: Wi-Fi 7 devices are designed to be backward compatible with older Wi-Fi generations.
Exactly my point: there are required functions for WiFi7 ... and there are optional functions which help with performance but are not required to get certification. And that's what I was trying to explain (to @Vedet who can't seem to grasp between standardized function and required function).