WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.400 Have you ever tried to clutch a one-v-five in Counter-Strike only to lag 00:00:04.120 --> 00:00:11.880 out because your roommate is torrenting over 1,000 episodes of One Piece? Well, 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:17.840 Wi-Fi 7 is supposed to fix this with a feature called multi-link operation or 00:00:14.760 --> 00:00:21.080 MLO. It promises a massive speed upgrade 00:00:17.840 --> 00:00:23.520 and an end to lag spikes. But before you 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 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:33.480 label doesn't guarantee you actually get MLO. Let's get into why that is, why 00:00:31.680 --> 00:00:39.400 your devices probably can't even fully use MLO yet, and whether upgrading your 00:00:36.160 --> 00:00:42.160 Wi-Fi is even worth it. Think of Wi-Fi 00:00:39.400 --> 00:00:48.080 like a highway. Your router and device are connected by multiple lanes, 2.4, 5, 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:50.280 and 6 GHz. In prior Wi-Fi generations, 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 00:00:52.680 --> 00:00:59.000 traffic. Maybe your neighbor's smart fridge or your roommate's massive 00:00:56.520 --> 00:01:03.360 downloads are hogging the lane. That's fine, you know, you can switch to a 00:01:00.480 --> 00:01:08.240 different lane. Or can you? In theory, your devices should switch to the best 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:12.960 band automatically, but band steering in practice is a bit of a mess. So, your 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:17.480 options are stay in the slow lane and deal with it, or manually switch and 00:01:15.320 --> 00:01:22.960 hope your device cooperates. Regardless, that gap where you're in between lanes 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 00:01:26.160 --> 00:01:32.880 rules by allowing your data to drive in every lane simultaneously. 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 00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:43.880 6 GHz, you can use both at once for massive wireless speeds and zero handoff 00:01:41.520 --> 00:01:48.520 delay. For cloud gaming and VR, that's the difference between a buttery smooth 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:52.480 experience and explaining a fist-shaped hole in the drywall to your landlord. 00:01:50.720 --> 00:01:56.680 Don't worry, though, he'll forget all about the property damage once you tell 00:01:54.440 --> 00:02:00.120 him about our sponsor, Odoo. There's a lot of aspects to running a business, 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:03.840 things like accounting, project management, inventory tracking, and 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:07.200 sure, there are applications and services you can use to assist you, 00:02:05.600 --> 00:02:11.880 except you end up cycling between a dozen different tabs and Windows. It's 00:02:09.399 --> 00:02:16.840 too easy to get LOST IN THE SAUCE. HOWEVER, Odoo keeps your business all in 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:20.480 one platform with dozens of applications that cover just about everything you 00:02:18.440 --> 00:02:24.440 might need. It's got tools for CRM, sales, accounting, inventory, invoicing, 00:02:22.480 --> 00:02:28.160 marketing, point of sale, employee scheduling, and I could go on and on, 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 00:02:29.760 --> 00:02:36.600 started with Odoo using our link for free, no credit card required, or book a 00:02:33.920 --> 00:02:43.240 demo today. Now, here's where it gets messy. Not all routers that claim to be 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:45.760 Wi-Fi 7 are actually Wi-Fi certified 7. 00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:50.720 To make sure a laptop from brand A works with a router from brand B, companies 00:02:48.160 --> 00:02:56.200 rely on standards. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:58.440 simply IEEE, writes the rulebook 00:02:56.200 --> 00:03:03.160 outlining the technical specs of each new generation of Wi-Fi. Then, a 00:03:00.760 --> 00:03:09.000 coalition of over 900 major tech companies called the Wi-Fi Alliance acts 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:13.480 as the referee, certifying that devices actually follow those rules and have the 00:03:11.160 --> 00:03:19.320 specified required features. Only devices that pass certification can earn 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:21.000 the official trademarked Wi-Fi 7 logo. 00:03:19.320 --> 00:03:26.680 Unfortunately, if you're not paying attention, you could accidentally buy a 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:28.920 pretty sus {quote unquote} Wi-Fi 7 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:34.240 router where the most important feature, MLO, is either incomplete, broken, or 00:03:32.320 --> 00:03:39.560 missing entirely. And even among certified routers, features like 320 MHz 00:03:37.160 --> 00:03:44.440 channels and 4K QAM, the stuff responsible for those massive advertised 00:03:41.800 --> 00:03:47.800 speed numbers, aren't a requirement for certification. And that's just the 00:03:45.880 --> 00:03:52.720 router. Your personal devices have their own problems, stemming from how Wi-Fi 00:03:50.160 --> 00:03:56.960 fundamentally works. Unlike cellular networks, where the network actively 00:03:54.680 --> 00:04:02.480 guides your phone, instructing it which band to use, when to hand off, and how 00:03:59.720 --> 00:04:06.880 to manage interference, Wi-Fi puts your devices in charge. Personal devices have 00:04:04.880 --> 00:04:11.240 to balance networking with cramped antenna space, thermal constraints, not 00:04:09.160 --> 00:04:15.640 to mention interference from everything else that's trying to use the 2.4 GHz 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:18.680 band, baby monitors, microwaves, garage door openers, your neighbor's security 00:04:17.239 --> 00:04:22.960 cameras, and basically anything else that's using Bluetooth. Come on. Because 00:04:20.840 --> 00:04:29.000 their manufacturers prioritize battery life over raw power, most client devices 00:04:25.960 --> 00:04:32.560 only support a light mode of MLO called 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:35.000 MLSR, or enhanced multi-link radio. It 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 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:44.720 does switch lanes fast enough to dodge lag, it won't actually give you that 00:04:42.640 --> 00:04:50.120 massive speed boost you see advertised on router boxes. The full power mode, 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:55.040 STR, or simultaneous transmit and receive, is what actually delivers those 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:59.800 multi-band speeds. And while your certified router will almost certainly 00:04:56.840 --> 00:05:03.680 support STR, almost no client device on the market right now has the hardware to 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:08.560 actually use it. So, between the label traps, the limited base features, and 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. 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 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 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:29.920 working, the best upgrade you can make right now is you being a little more 00:05:27.760 --> 00:05:34.880 patient. But if you do need a router today, check the Wi-Fi Alliance 00:05:32.320 --> 00:05:39.600 certification list before you buy. And no, you won't be getting the full MLO 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 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:48.480 want to know if mesh Wi-Fi is actually the answer to your coverage woes, check 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:52.000 out this video here. I think it's pretty good.