1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,400 Have you ever tried to clutch a one-v-five in Counter-Strike only to lag 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:11,880 out because your roommate is torrenting over 1,000 episodes of One Piece? Well, 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:17,840 Wi-Fi 7 is supposed to fix this with a feature called multi-link operation or 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:21,080 MLO. It promises a massive speed upgrade 5 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:23,520 and an end to lag spikes. But before you 6 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:29,080 run out and buy a shiny new Wi-Fi 7 router, you should know that the Wi-Fi 7 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:33,480 label doesn't guarantee you actually get MLO. Let's get into why that is, why 8 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:39,400 your devices probably can't even fully use MLO yet, and whether upgrading your 9 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:42,160 Wi-Fi is even worth it. Think of Wi-Fi 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:48,080 like a highway. Your router and device are connected by multiple lanes, 2.4, 5, 11 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:50,280 and 6 GHz. In prior Wi-Fi generations, 12 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:54,600 your data could travel in one lane at a time, and that's fine until you hit 13 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:59,000 traffic. Maybe your neighbor's smart fridge or your roommate's massive 14 00:00:56,520 --> 00:01:03,360 downloads are hogging the lane. That's fine, you know, you can switch to a 15 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:08,240 different lane. Or can you? In theory, your devices should switch to the best 16 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:12,960 band automatically, but band steering in practice is a bit of a mess. So, your 17 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:17,480 options are stay in the slow lane and deal with it, or manually switch and 18 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:22,960 hope your device cooperates. Regardless, that gap where you're in between lanes 19 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:28,520 or fighting to get into one at all is what causes a lag spike. MLO changes the 20 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:32,880 rules by allowing your data to drive in every lane simultaneously. 21 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:38,560 It's no longer bound by the laws of time and space. No more picking between 5 or 22 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:43,880 6 GHz, you can use both at once for massive wireless speeds and zero handoff 23 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:48,520 delay. For cloud gaming and VR, that's the difference between a buttery smooth 24 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:52,480 experience and explaining a fist-shaped hole in the drywall to your landlord. 25 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:56,680 Don't worry, though, he'll forget all about the property damage once you tell 26 00:01:54,440 --> 00:02:00,120 him about our sponsor, Odoo. There's a lot of aspects to running a business, 27 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:03,840 things like accounting, project management, inventory tracking, and 28 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:07,200 sure, there are applications and services you can use to assist you, 29 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:11,880 except you end up cycling between a dozen different tabs and Windows. It's 30 00:02:09,399 --> 00:02:16,840 too easy to get LOST IN THE SAUCE. HOWEVER, Odoo keeps your business all in 31 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:20,480 one platform with dozens of applications that cover just about everything you 32 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:24,440 might need. It's got tools for CRM, sales, accounting, inventory, invoicing, 33 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:28,160 marketing, point of sale, employee scheduling, and I could go on and on, 34 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:31,520 but I'm running out of breath. Also, we need to get back to the video. So, get 35 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:36,600 started with Odoo using our link for free, no credit card required, or book a 36 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:43,240 demo today. Now, here's where it gets messy. Not all routers that claim to be 37 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:45,760 Wi-Fi 7 are actually Wi-Fi certified 7. 38 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:50,720 To make sure a laptop from brand A works with a router from brand B, companies 39 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:56,200 rely on standards. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or 40 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:58,440 simply IEEE, writes the rulebook 41 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:03,160 outlining the technical specs of each new generation of Wi-Fi. Then, a 42 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:09,000 coalition of over 900 major tech companies called the Wi-Fi Alliance acts 43 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:13,480 as the referee, certifying that devices actually follow those rules and have the 44 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:19,320 specified required features. Only devices that pass certification can earn 45 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:21,000 the official trademarked Wi-Fi 7 logo. 46 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:26,680 Unfortunately, if you're not paying attention, you could accidentally buy a 47 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:28,920 pretty sus {quote unquote} Wi-Fi 7 48 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:34,240 router where the most important feature, MLO, is either incomplete, broken, or 49 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:39,560 missing entirely. And even among certified routers, features like 320 MHz 50 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:44,440 channels and 4K QAM, the stuff responsible for those massive advertised 51 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:47,800 speed numbers, aren't a requirement for certification. And that's just the 52 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:52,720 router. Your personal devices have their own problems, stemming from how Wi-Fi 53 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:56,960 fundamentally works. Unlike cellular networks, where the network actively 54 00:03:54,680 --> 00:04:02,480 guides your phone, instructing it which band to use, when to hand off, and how 55 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:06,880 to manage interference, Wi-Fi puts your devices in charge. Personal devices have 56 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:11,240 to balance networking with cramped antenna space, thermal constraints, not 57 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:15,640 to mention interference from everything else that's trying to use the 2.4 GHz 58 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:18,680 band, baby monitors, microwaves, garage door openers, your neighbor's security 59 00:04:17,239 --> 00:04:22,960 cameras, and basically anything else that's using Bluetooth. Come on. Because 60 00:04:20,840 --> 00:04:29,000 their manufacturers prioritize battery life over raw power, most client devices 61 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:32,560 only support a light mode of MLO called 62 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:35,000 MLSR, or enhanced multi-link radio. It 63 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:40,120 can listen on two bands, but it only talks on one at a time. So, while it 64 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:44,720 does switch lanes fast enough to dodge lag, it won't actually give you that 65 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:50,120 massive speed boost you see advertised on router boxes. The full power mode, 66 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:55,040 STR, or simultaneous transmit and receive, is what actually delivers those 67 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:59,800 multi-band speeds. And while your certified router will almost certainly 68 00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:03,680 support STR, almost no client device on the market right now has the hardware to 69 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:08,560 actually use it. So, between the label traps, the limited base features, and 70 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:14,000 the device bottleneck, the whole Wi-Fi 7 ecosystem is a bit of a mess right now. 71 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:18,520 That shiny new Wi-Fi certified 7 router is selling you a promise it can't keep 72 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:24,800 because your devices just aren't ready for it. If your Wi-Fi 6 or 6E setup is 73 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:29,920 working, the best upgrade you can make right now is you being a little more 74 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:34,880 patient. But if you do need a router today, check the Wi-Fi Alliance 75 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:39,600 certification list before you buy. And no, you won't be getting the full MLO 76 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:44,560 experience just yet. That's a promise Wi-Fi 8 will have to keep. And if you 77 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:48,480 want to know if mesh Wi-Fi is actually the answer to your coverage woes, check 78 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:52,000 out this video here. I think it's pretty good.