WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:02.919 Imagine this. You're on a plane right thirty thousand feet 2 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:06.599 up and there's this little kid, maybe four years old, 3 00:00:06.679 --> 00:00:09.880 gaming device in hand, turns to their mom and asks, mom, 4 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:11.080 does the plane have Wi Fi? 5 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:12.080 Yeah? 6 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:15.640 That moment, it just perfectly sums up how well, how 7 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:17.960 completely essential Wi Fi is. Now. It's just part of 8 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:18.800 the fabric of life. 9 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:20.920 It really is. The kid isn't thinking about the tech 10 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.120 behind it, just yeah, does my world work? Yeah? 11 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:27.679 Or not exactly. And today we're doing a deep dive 12 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:31.399 into what's next for that invisible essential tech Wi Fi 13 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:35.359 seven also known technically as the eight h two point 14 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:38.000 one to one BB protocol. And look, this isn't just 15 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:40.960 about you know, faster Netflix streams. It's a pretty fundamental 16 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:44.119 shift in how our devices connect and well interact. 17 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:44.920 Yeah, big shift. 18 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:48.520 So our mission today, drawing from this really comprehensive guide 19 00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:50.960 Wi Fi seven in Depth, is basically to give you 20 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:54.240 the inside track all the important stuff, the surprising bits 21 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:56.600 about what's coming for wireless fast tract. 22 00:00:56.439 --> 00:00:58.079 For you, distilling it down right. 23 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:01.000 So what's the big promise here, Well, WiFi seven is 24 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:04.920 designed for way more capacity, some really new ways to 25 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:09.200 handle interference, better reliability, definitely and maybe the biggest thing 26 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:12.760 more predictable lower latency connections. 27 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:15.239 That predictability piece is key, it really is. 28 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:18.319 It's like way more than just a speed bump. It's 29 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:20.000 a foundational evolution. 30 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:24.079 It's striking how quickly the demands on Wi Fi just exploded. Yeah, 31 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:26.120 you know that's what pushed us here. Yeah, we went 32 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:29.599 from just needing to connect like more devices to suddenly 33 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:32.640 needing to connect countless devices and not just connect them, 34 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:35.799 but connect them with really specific demanding needs. 35 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.439 You're absolutely right. I mean Wi Fi six that was 36 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:41.200 eight hone two point of an X that was all 37 00:01:41.239 --> 00:01:43.519 about high efficiency for high density. 38 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:44.760 Wasn't it high efficiency? Yeah? 39 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:47.799 It brought in clever stuff like OFDMA, which I guess 40 00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:49.640 you could think of it like letting lots of cars 41 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:52.040 share one highway lane at the exact same time, each 42 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:54.159 in its own little slot instead of lining up. 43 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:55.400 That's a decent analogy. Yeah. 44 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:59.239 It slices up the channel and BSS coloring too, like 45 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:01.719 giving different now works unique color code, so your device 46 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:06.280 ignores the neighbors noise. Right, reducing that digital shouting mac right. 47 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:08.800 Helped sort out the signals and crowded areas. There's a 48 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:13.000 big step for supporting more clients per network, per BSS, 49 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:17.199 and yet still not enough, not even close. The demand 50 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:20.960 just kept skyrocketing. This densification thing wasn't just you know, 51 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.439 more laptops and phones. It was this huge wave of 52 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:29.759 IoT devices, surveillance cameras, industrial robots, all the smart home 53 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:33.680 stuff like door bells, watches, even connected scales and treadmills. 54 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:35.879 Huh, everything's connected pretty much. 55 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.759 And beyond that there was the rise of mission critical 56 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:43.479 operational technology OT stuff that didn't just need a connection, 57 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:47.000 it needed rock solid reliability, deterministic performance. 58 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:49.000 Okay, that makes sense, and that ties into the other 59 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:52.560 huge driver, right, this massive shift towards real time interactions exactly. 60 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:55.039 We're way past the days where you know, waiting half 61 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:56.599 a second for a video buffer. 62 00:02:56.319 --> 00:02:57.919 Was fine, totally acceptable back then. 63 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:02.520 Now it's all about real time, day, high volume, super 64 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:07.039 strict latency, think video conferencing. It became totally essential, didn't it. 65 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:09.159 Oh absolutely, Pandemics sealed that deal. 66 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:12.520 And if the throughput wasn't consistent, you got that awful 67 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:16.520 pixelization or the resolution dropping over those little audio clicks 68 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:19.120 and drops drives you nuts. 69 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:22.960 And in dense places you had that really annoying headline 70 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:26.120 blocking issue, right, explain that. So imagine like a kid 71 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:29.439 starts up an online game, uses a lot of bandwidth suddenly, 72 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:33.199 and bam, their parents really important video calls starts stuttering 73 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.960 or freezing. That new high demand traffic could just clabber 74 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:38.479 the existing connection quality. 75 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:40.680 Yeah, I think we've all been there, But. 76 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:44.680 Even that pales compared to the demands of extended reality xrs. 77 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:47.120 That's ARVR, mixed reality headsets. 78 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:47.840 Right, the immersive stuff. 79 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:51.240 Yeah, those need a huge throughput, but with incredibly low 80 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:54.840 and incredibly consistent delays. We're talking four K even eight 81 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:58.360 K stereo video at one hundred and twenty frames per second. Wow. 82 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:00.879 And the guide it really spells up the consequences if 83 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:04.039 the network hiccups. There. It's not just annoying pixelation. 84 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:07.439 No, it's serious. It says the user may lose their 85 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:10.400 balance and fall or lose the object of focus. 86 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:11.039 WHOA. 87 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:14.639 Yeah, a network glitch isn't just irritating. It can be 88 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:20.040 physically disorienting or even dangerous. That kind of delay is 89 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:23.240 just totally unacceptable for XR. It breaks the whole experience. 90 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:27.000 Okay, so the demands just kept piling up. More devices, 91 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:31.720 more real time needs, mission critical stuff, crazy XR demands. 92 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:33.759 Wi Fi was getting stretched. 93 00:04:33.399 --> 00:04:34.480 Thin fris to its limits. 94 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:37.800 Absolutely, it became clear faster wasn't the only answer. We 95 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:41.160 needed predictable, We needed reliable, especially under all that pressure. 96 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:43.959 Exactly, and that's really the core problem wi Fi seven 97 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:47.680 was designed to solve, which leads us to its really 98 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:48.879 game changing innovations. 99 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:51.040 Okay, let's get into those. What's the first big one? 100 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:55.160 Okay, so number one has to be multi link operation MLO. Now, 101 00:04:55.160 --> 00:04:58.360 before MLO, your access point, your AP, it would basically 102 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:01.240 advertise each radio band two point four gig of five gig, 103 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:04.040 six gig as kind of separate network, separate aps. 104 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:05.839 Right, and your phone or laptop, but just pick one. 105 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:07.519 Yeah, pick one to connect to you, usually based on 106 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:09.120 just like the signal strength. 107 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:12.040 It'saw first, which okay, I know this one that led 108 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:15.680 to the dreaded sticky client problem. Right then go exactly, 109 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:19.160 your device hangs onto that slower two point four gigglehertz 110 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:22.079 connection for dear life, even if there's a perfectly good, 111 00:05:22.199 --> 00:05:25.560 much faster five or six gigahertz signal right there from the. 112 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:30.120 Same router, super common, super frustrating, it congested the slow 113 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:33.199 bands left the fast bands underused and just gave you 114 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:34.639 a worse experience overall. 115 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:37.079 So how does MLO fix that? 116 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:40.959 Okay, So MLO flips the script completely. It lifts a 117 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:44.879 single client device now called a multilink device or MLD, 118 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:48.680 connect to multiple radios or links on an APMLD at 119 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:50.839 the same time simultaneously. 120 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:53.160 Ah okay, multiple links at once, right. 121 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:56.839 And the whole connection process authentication association that now happens 122 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:00.639 at this MLD level using something called a basic mL element. 123 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:03.120 It basically simplifies the whole thing for the user. You 124 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.120 just connect to one network entity. 125 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:08.920 Gotcha. So the big insight here is like a double benefit. 126 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:12.519 You get more speed because you're using multiple lanes, multiple. 127 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:14.079 Ban aggregate throughput. Yeah, that's a big. 128 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:16.279 Part and also much better robustness. Like if one link 129 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:19.079 gets crowded or hits interference, exactly. 130 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:21.519 Your device can dynamically shift some or even all of 131 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:25.959 its traffic over to another clearer link instantly without needing 132 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:27.920 to drop the connection and completely reconnect. 133 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:30.759 Okay, that's huge, especially for businesses. Right, Like if an 134 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:33.399 AP needs a reboot or a software update, or just 135 00:06:33.399 --> 00:06:34.439 needs to balance. 136 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:38.240 The load, MLO allows for that dynamic reconfiguration, adding or 137 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:41.639 removing links on the fly without that disruptive reassociation process. 138 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:43.199 It's vital in enterprise settings. 139 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:45.079 Cool, So MLO is a big one. What else is 140 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:46.639 fundamental in Wi Fi seven? 141 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:49.920 Well, moving down to the physical layer, the phy layer, 142 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:53.079 there's some really serious upgrades there too. Wider channels. We're 143 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:55.680 talking at three hundred and twenty middles wide channels now 144 00:06:56.240 --> 00:07:00.000 mostly available up in that nice roomy six gigahertz band. 145 00:07:00.600 --> 00:07:03.360 That just massively increases the highway size for data. 146 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:05.720 Double the width of the widest Wi Fi six channels 147 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:06.480 right exactly. 148 00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:11.360 And they've also cranked up the modulation density significantly. 149 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:14.240 Okay, modulation density, that's like how much data you pack 150 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:15.759 into each signal Precisely. 151 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:18.560 Wi Fi six topped out at one in twenty four QM, 152 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:21.879 Wi Fi seven leaps to forty ninety six QAM. 153 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:24.680 Four times the points. I remember seeing that comparison. It's 154 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.040 like an artist having way more colors to paint with. 155 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:29.560 That's a great way to put it. Yeah, forty ninety 156 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:33.399 six distinct signal states compared to ten twenty four. Each 157 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:36.199 little signal pulse can carry twelve bits of data instead 158 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:37.160 of ten so that's. 159 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:39.480 A twenty percent increase in raw data rate just from 160 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:40.079 the modulation. 161 00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:43.800 Yep, a straight twenty percent bump. But there's a. 162 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:45.399 Catch, always a cat it. 163 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:48.680 Needs a really clean signal, very strong, very low noise. 164 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:51.920 You won't get forty ninety six qam speeds unless the 165 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:53.439 connection is basically pristine. 166 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:56.800 Makes sense. Higher fidelity needs better conditions. What about that 167 00:07:56.839 --> 00:07:59.199 six giga HITZ band itself. You mentioned it's key for 168 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:00.399 the wide channels. 169 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:02.480 Right, So important to note it has two main power levels. 170 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:06.639 There's low Power Indoor LPI for typical home and office use, okay, 171 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:09.560 and then there's standard power sp which allows for higher 172 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:12.759 power crucially for outdoor use or larger venues. 173 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.720 But don't hire power signals risk interfering with other things 174 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:19.519 already using that six gig HURT spectrum, like satellite links 175 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:21.079 or point to point microwave. 176 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:24.600 Good question, Yes they do. That's where the Automated Frequency 177 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:28.079 Coordinator or ASC system comes in. It's mandatory for standard 178 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:29.560 power operation AFC. 179 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:30.279 What does that do? 180 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:33.440 It's basically a database system that tells the outdoor Wi 181 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:37.200 Fi seven aps which specific frequencies they can use in 182 00:08:37.240 --> 00:08:41.039 their exact location and what power level to avoid interfering 183 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:45.840 with those existing incumbent users. It ensures peaceful coexistence. 184 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:50.480 Clever. Okay. One feature in the guide that really jumped 185 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:54.360 out at me was preamble puncturing. Sounds painful but useful. 186 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:57.120 Huh. Yeah, the name's a bit traumatic, but the concept 187 00:08:57.159 --> 00:09:00.159 is actually really smart and intuitive. Like you said, so, 188 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:02.480 how's it work? Okay, So imagine you want to use 189 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:06.159 a nice wide eighty megahertz channel before Wi Fi seven. 190 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:08.159 If even a small chunk of that channel, say just 191 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:10.639 twenty megaherds of it, was busy with some other signal 192 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:12.200 or interference, the whole. 193 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:14.559 Eighty megaherts channel was basically unusable. You had to drop 194 00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:15.759 down to something much narrower. 195 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:18.879 Exactly, You'd be forced down to maybe just twenty megahertz, 196 00:09:19.080 --> 00:09:22.200 losing a ton of potential speed. Preamble puncturing, let's the 197 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:25.559 device say, Okay, that little twenty megoherd slice is busy, fine, 198 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.559 I'll just puncture it, basically ignore it, and I'll transmit 199 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:30.039 on the rest of the eighty mega huts channel to 200 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:30.679 clear parts. 201 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:33.799 Ah, so you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. 202 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:36.879 It's like, uh, finding a small pothole on a highway 203 00:09:36.919 --> 00:09:39.639 lane and just steering around it instead of closing the 204 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:40.240 whole lane. 205 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:43.960 Perfect analogy, that's exactly it. You utilize the spectrum much 206 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:46.600 more efficiently even when there's minor interference. 207 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:49.440 Okay, that makes total sense. So the core insight here 208 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:52.039 is really that Wi Fi seven isn't just making the 209 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:55.039 pipe wider with three hundred and twenty megahertz channels, it's 210 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:58.000 also packing way more data in with forty ninety six 211 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:01.399 QAM and getting much smarter about using the bandwidth has 212 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:03.960 even navigating around interference with puncturing. 213 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:07.000 The combination is key. Yeah, it's what unlocks the capacity 214 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:11.200 for those really demanding high fidelity real time experiences, especially 215 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:12.559 when things get crowded. 216 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:14.600 Right, and speaking of real time, that brings us to 217 00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:17.799 quality of service QoS, making performance predictable. 218 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:21.799 Yes, and this was another area needing a serious overhaul. 219 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:25.679 Remember we mentioned how critical predictable latency is. Well, the 220 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:28.919 old standard for QoS a POH two point one one 221 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:33.120 Ease Traffic Specification or TSPEC. It's just way too complicated. 222 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:36.600 How so, it required applications to specify something like fifteen 223 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:40.559 different traffic parameters to describe their needs. Minimum this maximum 224 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:43.720 that averaged something else. It was so complex that almost 225 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:45.639 nobody actually implemented or used it. 226 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:49.240 So applications needing reliable performance were basically just what shouting 227 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:51.159 their needs into the void and hoping for the best. 228 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:53.840 Pretty much. Yeah, there wasn't a practical way for say, 229 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:57.399 your video call app to tell the Wi Fi network, hey, 230 00:10:57.639 --> 00:11:01.639 I need this much bandwidth consistently with this maximum delay. 231 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:03.919 So Wi Fi seven fixes this. 232 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:06.600 It introduces something much simpler. It's called the Stream Classification 233 00:11:06.679 --> 00:11:10.840 Service SCS uses a quality of Service Characteristics element or QC. 234 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:12.000 Much easier. 235 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:12.840 How much easier. 236 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:16.080 It boils it down to just four key parameters minimum 237 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:20.120 maximum service interval, minimum data rate, and crucially delay bound. 238 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:22.960 Oh just four okay, much more practical. 239 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:26.360 Now applications can actually signal their real time needs to 240 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:29.320 the network in a standardized way. So your video call 241 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:33.120 can say I need xmbps with less than y milliseconds delay, 242 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:35.879 and the Wi Fi seven network can actually understand and 243 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:36.639 try to deliver that. 244 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:39.159 Which should drastically cut down on those annoying drops and 245 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:40.759 glitches for real time stuff. 246 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:44.679 That's the goal, and to really help nail that predictable latency, 247 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.399 there's another feature called restricted TWT. 248 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:48.440 R T T TT. 249 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.279 It was target wake time right for saving battery. 250 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:54.679 Right, but RTWT builds on that. It provides enhanced channel 251 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:59.600 access protection and basically lets the AP reserve specific scheduled 252 00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:02.399 times slots on the airwaves for critical traffic. 253 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:05.320 Like reserving a private, guaranteed fast lane on the highway 254 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:06.559 for your important. 255 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:11.000 Data exactly like that scheduled dedicated airtime. And there's also 256 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:15.200 EPCs Priority Access, which lets the AP fine tune channel 257 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:18.600 access rules the EDCA parameters to give even more priority 258 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:21.360 to certain types of traffic, ensuring the really critical stuff 259 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:24.639 gets through first. Okay, so Wi Fi seven is tackling 260 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:29.200 reliability and predictability head on. But the evolution doesn't stop there, right, 261 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:31.879 what's cooking for Wi Fi eight and beyond? 262 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:35.360 Yeah, the roadmap keeps going. Two really interesting areas are 263 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:38.960 localization figuring out where devices are and RF sensing. 264 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:42.039 Okay, localization, we've had some form of that for a while, 265 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:43.919 haven't we based on signal strength? 266 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:47.679 We have, yeah, the old RSSI based method, but it 267 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:51.000 was pretty crude. Accuracy was maybe ten to twenty meters 268 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:55.720 and easily confused. How so, Well, things like walls block 269 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:58.360 Wi Fi signals. Right, a simple wall might knock the 270 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:01.440 signal down by six decibels to the system that looked 271 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:03.759 like the device that suddenly doubled its distance from the AP. 272 00:13:04.679 --> 00:13:06.200 Not very reliable, right. 273 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:07.600 Not great for pinpointing things. 274 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.559 No, that's why fine timing measurement or FtM, introduced back 275 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:13.840 in eight oh two point one V was a big 276 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:14.840 step up FtM. 277 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:15.799 How does that work? 278 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:18.240 It's much smarter. It actually measures the time it takes 279 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:20.600 for the radio signal to travel between the device and 280 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:23.320 the AP, back and forth. Since we know the speed 281 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:25.399 of light, you can calculate the distance much more accurately. 282 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:28.120 Okay, speed of light timing? What kind of accuracy? Did 283 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:29.000 FtM get. 284 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:31.759 Us down to? Maybe two to four meters? Much better 285 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:33.919 useful for general location within a building. 286 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:35.440 But things are getting even more precise. 287 00:13:35.639 --> 00:13:38.600 Oh yeah, the upcoming amendments eight hundred two point one 288 00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:41.200 to one AS and eight to two point one one AKK. 289 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:45.120 They're aiming for submeter accuracy first maybe one two meters, 290 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:47.360 then pushing down to less than a one meters, less. 291 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:49.279 Than a meter. Wow, what's the use case for that 292 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:50.399 level of precision? 293 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:54.399 Well, the guide gives examples like imagine a warehouse worker 294 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:56.360 scanner knowing if it's in their left hand. 295 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:58.320 Or right hand seriously, yeah. 296 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:00.519 Or finding a specific small box of as on a 297 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:03.240 store shelf telling you it's, you know, thirty centimeters to 298 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:07.120 your right. The kind of fine grained location awareness that's incredible. 299 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:10.000 But you also mentioned are up sensing That sounds different. 300 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:13.080 It is different and maybe even more profound. This is 301 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:15.559 coming with eight ohto two point one point one BF. 302 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:19.639 The idea here is using the Wi Fi signals themselves, almost. 303 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:22.600 Like radar radar to see thing, to detect. 304 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:25.480 The presence or absence and even the movement of people 305 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:27.919 or objects in the environment, even if those people or 306 00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:30.120 objects aren't carrying a Wi Fi device themselves. 307 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:34.960 WHOA Okay, that is mind bending. How how detailed can 308 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:37.600 that sensing get? What kind of movement are we talking? 309 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:40.039 It depends heavily on the bandwidth of the Wi Fi 310 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:43.200 signal being used, So like a standard twenty meyor Hurtz channel, 311 00:14:43.559 --> 00:14:46.559 it can probably detect course movements, maybe someone walking around 312 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:49.600 within seven point five meters or so, but jump up 313 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:51.480 to a three hundred and twenty menti hertz channel in 314 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:54.919 the six gigahertz band like Wi Fi seven uses, the 315 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:58.720 resolution improves dramatically down to maybe fifty centimeters half a meter. 316 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:01.320 You could detect someone shift position in a chair, get 317 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:03.759 them pretty precise. And then if you move up into 318 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:06.879 the millimeter wave bands like fifty seven to seventy one gigahertz, 319 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:09.879 where you can get channel bandwidths of say one point 320 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:13.159 seven six gigaherts, Okay, the potential resolution gets down about 321 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:14.159 seventeen centimeters. 322 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:17.320 Seventeen centimeters, that's tiny. What can you see with that? 323 00:15:17.639 --> 00:15:21.879 Potentially really subtle movements like detecting hand gestures in the air, 324 00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:25.720 finger movements, maybe even breathing patterns. 325 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:29.440 Wow, that opens up completely new ways to interact with technology, 326 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.960 doesn't It Like controlling things with gestures without needing a 327 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.480 camera or systems responding just to your presence exactly. 328 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:39.320 The environment itself becomes interactive. It's a huge paradigm shift potentially. 329 00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:42.919 Okay, with all this incredibly precise location tracking and now 330 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:46.919 sensing people's movements, even breathing price the alarms are going 331 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:47.360 off in my. 332 00:15:47.320 --> 00:15:49.919 Head, and they should be. It's a massive consideration. We've 333 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:54.200 already seen steps taken with things like randomized MN addresses 334 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:56.240 RCM on our devices today. 335 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:58.960 Right, the MD address randomization. Why did that become a thing. 336 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:01.919 Well, there's the dote about the j Loo effect, the idea, 337 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:06.879 maybe apocryphal, that celebrities were being tracked through stores by 338 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:12.159 their phones unique may addresses, pinging the store Wi fi ah. 339 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:15.559 So randomization was to stop that kind of tracking by 340 00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:17.960 making your device look different each time it connects, or. 341 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:22.000 Probe exactly, to prevent easy tracking of individuals across different 342 00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:25.120 locations or even within your own home network by outside 343 00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:27.360 observers breaking that linkability. 344 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:29.559 But that creates a new problem, doesn't it. If your 345 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:32.879 device always looks new, how does your own network recognize 346 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.200 you for things like I don't know parental controls or 347 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:37.559 troubleshooting or giving you the right access. 348 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:40.240 That's the core challenge eight poh two point one to 349 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:43.120 one d buy is trying to tackle. It's this balancing 350 00:16:43.159 --> 00:16:48.159 act between user privacy not being easily trackable, and necessary 351 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:49.159 network operability. 352 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:50.480 How does it try to solve that. 353 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:53.519 It's looking at ways to sort of obviously skate the 354 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:58.000 tracking elements while still allowing network's mechanisms to recognize returning 355 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:01.759 devices for legitimate purposes. It's complex, and it might even 356 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:05.400 mean breaking backward compatibility with older devices that don't support 357 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:07.200 these new privacy methods. 358 00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:09.599 It sounds like a really tricky tightrope to walk. 359 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:13.559 It absolutely is, because if you connect this sensing capability back, 360 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:17.440 the potential utility is amazing, but the privacy implications are 361 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:20.640 equally significant. The standard's bodies are trying to grapple with 362 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:23.279 this proactively, but it's an ongoing challenge. 363 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:26.680 Okay, And looking even further ahead Wi Fi eight, are 364 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:28.240 there other big directions emerging? 365 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:32.440 Yeah? A couple other areas mentioned are MULTIAP coordination or MAPC. 366 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:35.920 MULTIAP like multiple access points working together better. 367 00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:39.680 Exactly, especially really dense environments like stadiums are large offices. 368 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:42.799 Instead of each AP just managing its own little bubble, 369 00:17:43.160 --> 00:17:47.079 MAPC aims for them to coordinate much more intelligently, almost 370 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:50.920 like a single distributed brain, optimizing the whole network. Think 371 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:53.319 of it like a real time dynamic bandwidth system for 372 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:54.279 the entire venue. 373 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:58.000 More efficiency, more deterministic performance in those tough spots. 374 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:00.880 Right. And another one is adapting an IET standard called 375 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:04.519 L four S Low latency, low loss, scalable throughput for 376 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:06.319 Wi Fi L fours. 377 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:07.279 What's the focus there? 378 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:10.599 It's all about aggressively reducing network delay and jitter. That 379 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:14.680 variation in delay especially critical for those super delay sensitive 380 00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:17.599 ARVR x our applications we talked about. It tries to 381 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:21.000 bring some Layer three congestion control principles down into the 382 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:23.480 Layer two Wi Fi interaction between the AP and the 383 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:24.000 device and. 384 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:26.359 Making sure that critical data gets there exactly when it 385 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:28.640 needs to, reliably precisely. 386 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:30.200 Every millisecond counts for those applications. 387 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:34.079 The implications here are just huge. Yeah, it feels like 388 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:37.079 the future of Wi Fi isn't just about faster downloads anymore. 389 00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:41.559 It's about the network understanding its environment, understanding application needs, 390 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:43.160 and responding in real time. 391 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:46.079 It's becoming much more intelligent, much more context to wear 392 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:47.680 a truly transformative vision. 393 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:51.319 So okay, let's wrap up this deep dive. It's really 394 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:54.720 clear that Wi Fi seven is way, way more than 395 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:58.279 just another speed bump. What's more, it's this really sophisticated 396 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:03.000 leap forward in efficiency, in reliability, and responsiveness. It feels 397 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:05.880 like it's truly engineered to meet these intense demands of 398 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:09.680 our modern world. All the IoT clutter, the real time interactions, 399 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:12.240 the immersive XR stuff. It's not just trying to keep 400 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.920 up anymore. It feels like it's actually getting ahead of the. 401 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:17.359