Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Qualcomm debuts Wi-Fi 7

Qualcomm unveiled its FastConnect 7800 chipset offering Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth connectivity and High Band Simultaneous Multi-link technology that leverages two Wi-Fi radios for four streams of high band connectivity in 5GHz and/or 6GHz bands. FastConnect 7800 supports all multi-link modes and with HBS Multi-Link, consumers can experience minimized latency and interference, jitter-free connections, and blazing fast speeds using 320MHz channels in increasingly available 6GHz spectrum, or 240MHz channels of globally available 5GHz spectrum.

"With FastConnect 7800, Qualcomm Technologies reasserts its leadership by defining the future of wireless connectivity. Introducing the first Wi-Fi 7 solution to the industry might be enough for some, but with the introduction of HBS Multi-Link we take performance to the next level, shattering expectations for speed and latency," said Dino Bekis, vice president and general manager, Mobile Compute and Connectivity, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Coupled with up to 50% lower power consumption** and Intelligent Dual Bluetooth with advanced Snapdragon Sound capabilities, FastConnect 7800 is simply the best client connectivity offering in the industry.”

Key Wi-Fi features include:

  • Peak speed: 5.8Gbps (via single 320MHz or paired 160MHz channels) or 4.3Gbps where 6GHz spectrum may not be available.
  • Sustained low latency: less than 2ms
  • Key Wi-Fi Features:
  • HBS Multi-Link
  • 4-Stream DBS extended into the high bands
  • Full Wi-Fi 7 feature support, expected to be the first Wi-Fi 7 solution to ship in commercial products
  • Spectrum support: 5GHz, 6GHz, as well as 2.4GHz
  • Battery life: system enhancements drive 30-50% power savings** for the most demanding sustained Wi-Fi use cases
  • Modulation: 4K QAM
  • Standards: 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7 – certification expected upon program launch), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6), 802.11ac Wave 2, 802.11a/b/g/n), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6), 802.11ac Wave 2, 802.11a/b/g/n.

Key Bluetooth features include:

  • Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio and ANT+ support
  • Dual Bluetooth support
  • Snapdragon Sound technology to deliver:
  • 16-bit 44.1khz CD Lossless Bluetooth audio quality
  • 24-bit 96kHz high resolution Bluetooth audio quality 
  • 32kHz super wideband voice support for crystal clear calls
  • Gaming mode, with 68ms low latency audio for lag-free gaming and a voice channel for in game chat
  • Stereo recording for creators, enabling recorded content with stereo sound
  • Robust connectivity even in very busy RF environments
  • LE Audio for personal audio sharing and broadcast for listeners to share streams or join others