U7-Pro Preview: Welcome to Wi-Fi 7
Originally Posted: January 8th, 2024
Last Edited: January 9th, 2024
On January 8th 2023, Ubiquiti announced their first Wi-Fi 7 access point, the U7-Pro:
After years of development, we are proud to introduce UniFi 7 — a massively scalable WiFi 7 platform capable of delivering wired-like user experiences. For the first time in history, exceptional WiFi speeds and predictability can be achieved simultaneously thanks to UniFi 7’s interference-resilient radio technologies combined with an ocean of newly supported 6 GHz spectrum.
Designed specifically for professional and enterprise deployments, the U7 Pro is ideal for applications requiring flawless WiFi service within demanding large-scale environments.
In this preview we’ll take a quick look at the specs of the U7-Pro and how it compares with the U6-Enterprise and other Wi-Fi 6 models. We’ll also briefly cover what Wi-Fi 7 is, and the big features that are included in the new standard.
U7-Pro Key Specs
WiFi 7 (802.11be) with 6 GHz support
Tri-band, two spatial streams in each band
Single 2.5 Gbps RJ45 uplink
Powered using PoE+ (802.3at)
Claimed 140 m² (1,500 ft²) coverage and 300+ connected devices
The U7-Pro is now available on the Ubiquiti Store for $189 USD
Notes:
6 GHz operation is supported in these countries
Multi-Link Operation (MLO) capability to be provided via a software update in February 2024
Here are the specs of the U7-Pro compared with other Wi-Fi 6, 6E, and 7 UniFi APs. See my UniFi Comparison Charts for more spec comparisons.
Is 2x2 “Pro” Enough?
Some early comments about the U7-Pro suggested it should have been called a “U7-Lite”, due to only having 2x2 MIMO, or two spatial streams per band. I see their point, because the AC-Pro offers two 3x3 radios, and the U6-Pro has one 2x2 and one 4x4 radio. Looking at it another way, all of the “Pro” models offer 6 spatial streams in total. The U7-Pro just spreads them out over 3 spectrum bands.
Although most Wi-Fi clients like phones and laptops are limited to 2x2 operation, there are many benefits to having additional spatial streams on an access point. Having 3 or 4 antennas and 3 or 4 spatial streams on the AP allows for better beamforming, gain, channel sounding, and many other benefits. Aggregate performance should be better with more spatial streams (and frequency bands!) available for clients.
In the end, “Pro” is a marketing term. It can mean whatever Ubiquiti want it to mean.Traditionally, "Pro" means that it is in the middle of the class. For APs you have Lite, Plus, and Long-Range models below, and XG, HD, or Enterprise models above.
The price, specs, and performance are what matters. The U7-Pro is priced, and will likely perform, in line with its name when the rest of the U7 lineup arrives. I assume they will cut down on channel width, TX power, or something for cheaper models, and add TX power, antenna gain, better components, RGB laser beams, and lord knows what else in the models above.
We’ll have to wait for the rest of the U7 models to be released before we can know. I would assume a U7-Lite will exist at some point, and it will be cheaper and offer less in some way. I also assume a U7-Enterprise will come out, for those that want the highest-end possible. If you don’t think the U7-Pro offers enough, wait for additional U7 models or vote with your wallet and buy something else.
Ubiquiti’s U7-Pro FAQ
As part of the announcement post, they answered some frequently asked questions:
Can I install U7 Pro using an existing AP mounting plate?
U7 Pro uses the AP Professional Mounting System. It can be installed using the same metal mounting plate as the following AP models:
U6-Enterprise
U6-Pro
U6-LR
UAP-AC-Pro
UAP-AC-HD
UAP-AC-SHD
UAP-AC-XG
What do I need to run U7 Pro?
U7 Pro is managed with UniFi Network 8.0.26 and later.
U7 Pro is powered by PoE+ with a 2.5 GbE uplink. We recommend pairing U7 Pro with a UniFi PoE switch that features 2.5 GbE performance and PoE+ output, such as Pro Max and Enterprise PoE switches.
U7 Pro is fully backward compatible with WiFi 6E and earlier client devices. A WiFi 6E or WiFi 7 client device is required to utilize the 6 GHz band.
Can I customize the appearance of my U7 Pro?
Yes, a fully customizable cover will be available in the second quarter of 2024 for U7 Pro.
What is Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 is the latest generation of Wi-Fi. As with most technologies, a bigger number = better. Wi-Fi 7 isn’t that simple though.
The underlying standard is known as 802.11be, and work on Wi-Fi 7 officially started back in May 2019. The main goal of Wi-Fi 7 is to increase throughput, reduce latency, and leverage all of the available spectrum, ranging from 1 GHz up to 7.25 GHz.
The initial draft of the Wi-Fi 7 standard landed in March 2021, and the Wi-Fi Alliance launched the Wi-Fi 7 certification program on January 8th, 2023. Manufacturers started producing their first products years ago, based on early draft versions of the standard, just like they did with Wi-Fi 6 and past major revisions. Qualcomm, Broadcom, and TP-Link have been aggressive with rolling out early hardware, and now Ubiquiti and the rest of the industry have joined them.
Key Wi-Fi 7 features
- 320 MHz bandwidth and more efficient utilization of non-contiguous spectrum
- Increases maximum modulation to 4096-QAM (4K-QAM)
- Multi-band/multi-channel aggregation and operation, including contiguous and non-contiguous 320/160+160 MHz and 240/160+80 MHz bandwidth
- 16 spatial streams and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) protocol enhancements
- Multi-Access Point (AP) Coordination (e.g. coordinated and joint transmission)
- Enhanced link adaptation and retransmission protocol (e.g. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ))
- Frame formats with improved forward compatibility
- Enhanced resource allocation in OFDMA
- Reduces airtime consumption with optimized and implicit channel sounding, and a more flexible preamble puncturing scheme
- Supports direct links, managed by an access point.
- Integrates Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) IEEE 802.1Q extensions for low-latency real-time traffic
The Goals of Wi-Fi 7
One of the big themes of Wi-Fi 7 is the same as most new generations of Wi-Fi: how can we make it faster and more reliable?
Until now, Wi-Fi has increased speed and capacity by:
- More complicated modulation to send more data at once
- Wider channels to use more spectrum
- MIMO to use multiple antennas at once
Unfortunately, we are reaching to point of diminishing returns with increases in modulation, channel width, and MIMO. Despite this, Wi-Fi 7 still pushes those forward, increasing maximum modulation to 4096-QAM, channel width to 320 MHz, and MIMO up to 16 spatial streams. The numbers are bigger than ever, but that’s not enough.
4096-QAM offers at most a 20% increase over 1024-QAM, but both of them only work over short distances, in ideal conditions. They require such a high signal-to-noise (SNR) that they are only attainable within a few feet of an AP. Higher data rates deliver more data but are less reliable, so clients need to balance between speed and reliability.
Wide channels have been a big topic since the introduction of Wi-Fi 6E and the addition of 1200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band. Wi-Fi 7 increases the maximum channel size to 320 MHz, compared to 160 MHz in Wi-Fi 5, 6, and 6E. Double the spectrum equals double the data rates and double the potential throughput. It also doubles the noise and chance for interference, making them challenging to use in real-world networks, particularly those with a lot of clients or density. 320 MHz channels aren’t supported in many countries yet either, but availability will continue to expand.
Wi-Fi 7 will permit up to 16 spatial streams, but those will require large antenna arrays, more expensive internals, and a ton of power. If history is anything to go by, MIMO beyond 4 spatial streams is unlikely to be found in anything beyond high-end access points, and most clients are likely to stay with 2 spatial streams.
With these increases costing more and delivering less, new techniques are needed to see big gains in performance. Wi-Fi 7 does this in several ways, but one of the biggest is with Multi-Link Operation.
The Promise of Multi-Link
Multi-Link Operation (MLO) allows for the aggregation of multiple bands or channels. With MLO, Multi-Link Devices (MLDs) can simultaneously use the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. This can be in the form of load balancing, or aggregation. This allows for higher overall speeds, and reduced latency and congestion for all connected clients.
In previous Wi-Fi standards, clients connect to one band at a time and can switch between them. This introduces overhead when changing frequencies, leading to delays and precious milliseconds being wasted. When load balancing, a client can choose the fastest or least busy channel. With aggregation, latency can be as low as 1 ms when switching bands. This should improve performance overall, especially in real-time audio, video, or gaming applications.
There are several different types of MLO, including:
- Multi-link single radio (MLSR) which can transmit and receive over one radio at a time
- Enhanced MLSR (eMLSR) which enhances MLSR with a reduced function radio to choose the best link
- Nonsimultaneous TX and RX multi-link multi-radio (Non-STR MLMR), which can transmit and receive over 2 or more radios, but with time and frequency separation constraints
- STR MLMR, which can simultaneously transmit and receive over 2 or more radios
A Splash of Cold Water
There are many other details about MLO that I didn't cover here, and many other features of Wi-FI 7 that address issues and increase performance. The new features in Wi-Fi 7 are exciting, but for now, they are mostly a technical curiosity. I am excited to watch the continued development and rollout of Wi-Fi 7, and get my hands on a U7-Pro to do some testing.
While Wi-Fi 7 is in its early adopter phase, we are going to see a lot of hype and marketing designed to make us think we need it, and we need it right now. I’ll never agree with that mindset, especially when it comes to Wi-Fi standard revisions.
For the vast majority of users, Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 offer more than enough speed and reliability. For the applications most of us use, on the devices most of us have, we’re not going to see a massive jump in experience. What excites me the most is projecting into the future, when multi-link and Wi-Fi 7 become common.
Progress is good, but with all things Wi-Fi, patience is rewarded. Don’t rush out and get the first Wi-Fi 7 equipment you see, let the standard come down to you. That being said, it’s always fun to look out to the edge of the wireless frontier. Welcome to Wi-Fi 7.
