Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi 7 Access Points

[ThinkPad]

When will be available Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi 7 Access Points? Other vendors has Wi-Fi 7 Access Points.

[alemabrahao]

I don't think even Wifi is widespread. So we still have a long way to go until Wifi 7. Take into account that not even the devices are yet ready for Wifi 7.

[alemabrahao]

Take a look at this article.

https://blogs.cisco.com/networking/how-wi-fi-7-is-about-to-transform-business-as-we-know-it

[alemabrahao]

And this discussion.

https://community.meraki.com/t5/Temas-en-Espa%C3%B1ol/Van-a-sacar-alg%C3%BAn-modelo-de-AP-Wifi-7/m-p...

[KarstenI]

It seems that Cisco is not hurrying to enter the Wi-Fi 7 market. Always remember that 6GHz is the game changer, and this is available with a powerful line of APs (916x).

For the enterprise environment, Wi-Fi 7 still has to show if there are real benefits. MLO? Perhaps. 320 MHz? Never ever! 16 Spacial Streams? No AP will show up with that. 4096QAM? Only if you are directly standing under the AP.

For sure, when Wi-Fi 7 APs are released and you want the most modern device, it is the way to go. But I would not halt any deployment and wait for them.

[rhbirkelund]

I've heard hearsay, that even though Aruba is about to release WiFi7 APs they believe WiFi7 is going to be "skipped".

Last I heard, WiFi7 hasn't even been ratified, and there are absolutely no clients out there that support WiFi7. Lets just start with actually getting WiFi6/6E moving, before considering the next evolution.

[KarstenI]

Samsung and Píxel phones are already Wi-Fi 7, most new windows notebooks will likely soon be be200 based. I am pretty sure that Cisco can not skip it. And the Wi-Fi 7 certification is rarified. Only the standard is not ready yet. 

[GIdenJoe]

Other vendors like Ubiquity you mean.  Those vendors are more consumer grade.
Enterprise always takes somewhat longer to implement a new range.

Also consider that when new ranges are introduced older generations are made EOS soon after.  And I wouldn't want the MR36/46/56 range being EOS'd so soon.

People are thinking MLO will be the new big thing but the people behind the standards know that MLO will most likely NOT be an endpoint thing but rather a mesh AP thing.

Deploying on 6 GHz is most important today and 6E will do great for the time being.