WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.680 Have you ever tried to clutch a 1v5 in Counter-Strike only to lag out because your room mate is 00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:09.120 torrenting over 1,000 episodes of One Piece? 00:00:09.120 --> 00:00:15.760 Well, Wi-Fi 7 is supposed to fix this with a feature called Multi-Link Operation, or MLO. 00:00:15.760 --> 00:00:20.280 It promises a massive speed upgrade and an end to lag spikes. 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:25.880 But before you run out and buy a shiny new Wi-Fi 7 router, you should know that the Wi-Fi 00:00:25.880 --> 00:00:29.480 7 label doesn't guarantee you actually get MLO. 00:00:29.960 --> 00:00:34.760 Let's get into why that is, why your devices probably can't even fully use MLO yet, 00:00:34.760 --> 00:00:38.280 and whether upgrading your Wi-Fi is even worth it. 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:46.280 Think of Wi-Fi like a highway. Your router and device are connected by multiple lanes, 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz. 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:50.680 In prior Wi-Fi generations, your data could travel in one lane at a time. 00:00:50.680 --> 00:00:58.680 And that's fine until you hit traffic. Maybe your neighbor's smart fridge or your roommate's massive downloads are hogging the lane. 00:00:58.760 --> 00:01:02.520 That's fine, you know, you can switch to a different lane. Or can you? 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:06.600 In theory, your devices should switch to the best band automatically, 00:01:06.600 --> 00:01:10.200 but band steering in practice is a bit of a mess. 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:13.640 So your options are stay in the slow lane and deal with it, 00:01:13.640 --> 00:01:16.920 or manually switch and hope your device cooperates. 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:22.760 Regardless, that gap where you're in between lanes, or fighting to get into one at all, 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:30.680 is what causes a lag spike. MLO changes the rules by allowing your data to drive in every lane simultaneously. 00:01:30.680 --> 00:01:34.040 It's no longer bound by the laws of time and space. 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:41.960 No more picking between 5 or 6 GHz. You can use both at once for massive wireless speeds and zero handoff delay. 00:01:41.960 --> 00:01:46.360 For cloud gaming and VR, that's the difference between a buttery smooth experience 00:01:46.360 --> 00:01:50.680 and explaining a fist-shaped hole in the drywall to your landlord. 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:53.880 Don't worry though, he'll forget all about the property damage 00:01:53.880 --> 00:01:57.880 once you tell him about our sponsor. Now here's where it gets messy. 00:01:57.880 --> 00:02:03.560 Not all routers that claim to be Wi-Fi 7 are actually Wi-Fi certified 7. 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:08.120 To make sure a laptop from brand A works with a router from brand B, 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:15.000 companies rely on standards. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or simply IEEE, 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:20.520 writes the rulebook, outlining the technical specs of each new generation of Wi-Fi. 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:27.960 Then a coalition of over 900 major tech companies called the Wi-Fi Alliance acts as the referee, 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:33.640 certifying that devices actually follow those rules and have the specified required features. 00:02:33.640 --> 00:02:39.800 Only devices that pass certification can earn the official trademarked Wi-Fi 7 logo. 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:43.960 Unfortunately, if you're not paying attention, you could accidentally buy a 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:49.400 pretty sus quote-unquote Wi-Fi 7 router where the most important feature, 00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:53.960 MLO, is either incomplete, broken, or missing entirely. 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:59.560 And even among certified routers, features like 320MHz channels and 4KQAM, 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:03.240 the stuff responsible for those massive advertised speed numbers, 00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:06.680 aren't a requirement for certification. And that's just the router. 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:12.040 Your personal devices have their own problems stemming from how Wi-Fi fundamentally works. 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:16.440 Unlike cellular networks, where the network actively guides your phone, 00:03:16.440 --> 00:03:21.640 instructing it which band to use, when to hand off, and how to manage interference, 00:03:21.640 --> 00:03:29.400 Wi-Fi puts your devices in charge. Personal devices have to balance networking with cramped antenna space, thermal constraints, 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:34.360 not to mention interference from everything else that's trying to use the 2.4GHz band, 00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:38.200 baby monitors, microwaves, garage door openers, your neighbor's security cameras, 00:03:38.200 --> 00:03:45.080 and basically anything else that's using Bluetooth. Come on! Because their manufacturers prioritize battery life over raw power, 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:50.120 most client devices only support a light mode of MLO called MLSR, 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:57.320 or Enhanced Multilink Single Radio. It can listen on two bands, but it only talks on one at a time. 00:03:57.320 --> 00:04:01.400 So while it does switch lanes fast enough to dodge lag, 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:06.520 it won't actually give you that massive speed boost you see advertised on router boxes. 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:11.240 The full power mode, STR, or simultaneous transmit and receive, 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:14.680 is what actually delivers those multi-band speeds. 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:18.760 And while your certified router will almost certainly support STR, 00:04:18.760 --> 00:04:22.920 almost no client device on the market right now has the hardware to actually use it. 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:27.560 So between the label traps, the limited base features, and the device bottleneck, 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:31.800 the whole Wi-Fi 7 ecosystem is a bit of a mess right now. 00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:37.080 That shiny new Wi-Fi certified 7 router is selling you a promise it can't keep, 00:04:37.080 --> 00:04:43.720 because your devices just aren't ready for it. If your Wi-Fi 6 or 6e setup is working, 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:49.000 the best upgrade you can make right now is you being a little more patient. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:55.080 But if you do need a router today, check the Wi-Fi Alliance certification list before you buy. 00:04:55.080 --> 00:04:59.320 And no, you won't be getting the full MLO experience just yet. 00:04:59.320 --> 00:05:02.360 That's a promise Wi-Fi 8 will have to keep. 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:06.920 And if you want to know if mesh Wi-Fi is actually the answer to your coverage woes, 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:10.280 check out this video here. I think it's pretty good.