WiFi 7 vs. WiFi 5-QCN9274 and QCA9880 technical introduction

yiyi2024

With the continuous development of wireless network technology, WiFi standards have also evolved, from the early WiFi 4 (802.11n), to the widely used WiFi 5 (802.11ac), and then to the latest WiFi 7 (802.11be). Each generation of WiFi standards has brought higher transmission rates, lower latency, and greater signal coverage. This article will compare the performance of WiFi 7 and WiFi 5 in detail, especially through the two wireless network cards QCN9274 and QCA9880.

### WiFi 5 (802.11ac)
#### Technical introduction
WiFi 5 (802.11ac) was released in 2013 and is the successor to WiFi 4. It operates primarily in the 5GHz band, providing higher bandwidth and faster data transfer rates.


#### QCA9880 Technical specifications
QCA9880 is a WiFi 5 wireless card launched by Qualcomm, and its main technical parameters are as follows:
- ** Frequency band ** : 5GHz
- ** Maximum throughput ** : 1.3Gbps
- ** Channel bandwidth ** : 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz
- **MIMO** : 3x3 MIMO
- ** Modulation Technology ** : 256-QAM
- ** Number of antennas ** : 3

#### Performance Characteristics
1. ** High speed ** : QCA9880 supports up to 1.3Gbps transmission rate, suitable for applications with high bandwidth requirements.
2. ** Low latency ** : Because it works in the 5GHz band, it has less interference and provides low network latency.
3. ** Stability ** : 3x3 MIMO technology and Beamforming technology improve signal coverage and stability.

### WiFi 7 (802.11be)
#### Technical introduction
WiFi 7 (802.11be) is the next generation WiFi standard and is expected to be officially launched in 2024. Compared to WiFi 5, WiFi 7 offers higher bandwidth, faster transfer rates and lower latency.

#### QCN9274 Technical specifications
QCN9274 is a WiFi 7 wireless network card launched by Qualcomm, and its main technical parameters are as follows:
- ** Frequency band ** : 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
- ** Maximum throughput ** : 30 Gbps
- ** Channel bandwidth ** : 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 320MHz
- **MIMO** : 8x8 MIMO
- ** Modulation Technology ** : 4096-QAM
- ** Number of antennas ** : 8

#### Performance Characteristics
1. ** Ultra-high speed ** : QCN9274 supports transmission rates of up to 30 Gbps, which is more than ten times that of WiFi 5.
2. ** Multi-band support ** : Support 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands, providing more spectrum resources and better signal coverage.
3. ** Lower latency ** : Thanks to multi-band and wider channel bandwidth, WiFi 7 provides extremely low network latency, which is suitable for applications with high real-time requirements.
4. ** Enhanced MIMO technology ** : 8x8 MIMO and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology, support more devices simultaneously connected, improve network capacity and efficiency.
5. ** High order modulation technology ** : 4096-QAM provides higher data density and transmission efficiency.

### WiFi 7 vs. WiFi 5 performance comparison
1. ** Transmission rate ** :
WiFi 5 (QCA9880) : up to 1.3Gbps
WiFi 7 (QCN9274) : up to 30 Gbps

2. ** Channel bandwidth ** :
- WiFi 5 (QCA9880) : Max. 80MHz
- WiFi 7 (QCN9274) : Max. 320MHz

3. ** Frequency band support ** :
- WiFi 5 (QCA9880) : 5GHz
- WiFi 7 (QCN9274) : 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz

4. **MIMO Technology ** :
- WiFi 5 (QCA9880) : 3x3 MIMO
- WiFi 7 (QCN9274) : 8x8 MIMO

5. ** Modulation technology ** :
- WiFi 5 (QCA9880) : 256-QAM
- WiFi 7 (QCN9274) : 4096-QAM

### Application scenario
#### WiFi 5 Application scenarios
Home network: Supports HD video streaming, online games and large file transfers.
- Small business: for daily office and video conferencing needs.

#### WiFi 7 Application scenarios
Smart Home: Supports 8K video streaming, virtual reality and augmented reality applications.
Enterprise-class networks: meet the needs of large number of device access and high-bandwidth applications, such as big data transmission and cloud computing.
Industrial iot: provides ultra-low latency and high reliability connectivity for automated control and real-time monitoring.

### Conclusion
WiFi 7, as the latest generation WiFi standard, offers significant performance improvements compared to WiFi 5. The comparison of QCN9274 and QCA9880 shows that WiFi 7 has significant improvements in transmission rate, channel bandwidth, band support, MIMO technology and modulation technology. With the popularity of WiFi 7, we can expect a more high-speed, stable and reliable wireless network experience, driving the development of more emerging applications.

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The above is a detailed technical introduction and performance comparison of WiFi 7 and WiFi 5 as well as QCN9274 and QCA9880, hoping to help your understanding. If you have any further questions or needs, please feel free to consult.