Planning a new network upgrade for my core network backbone (router & access points).
I'm planning on using a spare Dell R620 that I have sitting around to act as the primary router, and then I'm looking at using two seperate access points for WiFi.
Currently, I'm using a WRT3200, and it works GREAT! Never had any issues, just want the speed increases, and plus my job is no work from home, and I have a budget to upgrade my home lab. Sooooo...I need a new Access point.
Should I look at 802.11ax or wait until 802.11be? I know that if I am an early adopter of a WiFi 7 router, that I may be stuck running stockOS for a while, assuming the router can work in the long run. If WiFi 7 is something that can be done in the long run, what are some of the things to look for?
a) 802.11BE hasn't been ratified, yet.
b) If history was anything to go by, the first generation of draft-be devices won't meet the final requirements and tends to be plagued by other early adopter's bugs.
c) You can only buy what's actually on the market
d) and you can only run OpenWrt on devices where other have already gone through the blood, sweat and tears to get them supported (which may take years, e.g. ipq807x has been on the market since 2019)
MT7988 upstream support from MTK has already began. That’s mediatek’s first Wi-Fi 7 A73 chip. Looks promising. Personally, im staying far away from QCA and waiting for the first 7988 chip.
First 802.11be gen will probably be pre-draft and not certifiable per final spec which I doubt is gonna get raritified before end of 2023.
Considering how long it took MTK to get a 802.11ax A53 SoC on the market and there are pretty much in CN only models so far I am not expecting it soon.
QCA is crap when it comes to OSS but they already have products shipping with IPQ9574 which is pre-draft 802.11be.
So it sounds like I should be looking at 802.11ax more so than 802.11be. I have noticed that the 802.11ax adoption has been slow, but I know that isn't due to the lack of trying from this community. Hopefully things change with some of the chip suppliers and they will release better support for these two standards.
Thanks for the clarification of 802.11be. I could have sworn I read somewhere that it was already approved, but looking at the actual spec, it does appear it hasn't been ratified just yet. So thank you for the clarification with that standard too.