Throughput, latency and gaming performance all scored well in trials between Türk Telekom, HPE Aruba Networking and Intel
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), together with Türk Telekom, HPE Aruba Networking and Intel, has released detailed findings from residential Wi-Fi 7 field trials, showing the new standard unsurprisingly delivers substantial gains in throughput, latency, and stability compared to Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 5.
The trials were designed to replicate real-world household conditions, with moderate levels of interference, and were conducted using an Aruba AP-755 access point. Client devices included laptops with Intel’s BE200 Wi-Fi 7 chipset, the AX211 Wi-Fi 6E chipset and the AC9560 Wi-Fi 5 chipset.
Performance was measured with iPerf3 across a range of scenarios including maximum throughput at close range, throughput versus range testing at distances up to eight metres, and cloud gaming performance on Türk Telekom’s Metaverse Campus platform under simulated network load. Wi-Fi 7 operated on the 6GHz band with 320 MHz channels, compared with 160 MHz for Wi-Fi 6E and 80 MHz for Wi-Fi 5.
Peak speeds
The results showed Wi-Fi 7 achieving peak uplink and downlink speeds of 4.2 Gbps, more than 2.5 times faster than Wi-Fi 6E and six times faster than Wi-Fi 5. In rate versus range testing, Wi-Fi 7 sustained throughput above 3 Gbps at distances of up to six metres, while Wi-Fi 6E dropped below 1 Gbps by eight metres and Wi-Fi 5 degraded more rapidly. Signal strength for Wi-Fi 7 remained between -27 dBm and -54 dBm, providing a stable connection throughout the test area.
Cloud gaming trials highlighted further benefits according to the report. Wi-Fi 7 consistently achieved sub-1ms latency, even under 2Gbps of simulated traffic, whereas Wi-Fi 6E latency rose above 10ms under the same load. Jitter was also significantly reduced, staying below 1ms for Wi-Fi 7 while Wi-Fi 6E fluctuated, resulting in frame rate instability.
During gameplay, Wi-Fi 7 maintained a stable 60 frames per second, while Wi-Fi 6E dropped to 55 fps at times. These improvements directly enhance responsiveness, aiming accuracy and visual stability in demanding gaming and VR/AR environments.
New benchmark
According to the WBA, these results underline the value of Wi-Fi 7’s advanced feature set, including Multi-Link Operation (MLO), 4K QAM, Multi-User Resource Units (MU-RU) and 320 MHz channel bandwidth in the 6GHz spectrum. Together, these enhancements provide higher throughput, lower latency and more efficient performance in dense multi-user environments.
“Wi-Fi 7 is setting a new benchmark for home connectivity,” said Tiago Rodrigues, president and CEO of the WBA. “These trials prove that it can deliver the ultra-fast, low-latency, and reliable performance needed to unlock immersive gaming, streaming, and smart home applications.”
Dr Eldad Perahia, fellow at HPE Aruba Networking, noted that the benefits extend beyond households: “With the ability to support dense device deployments, cloud-driven workflows, and AI-powered IoT applications, Wi-Fi 7 is set to become a foundational technology for future-ready workplaces, healthcare, education, and smart cities.”
Dr Necati Canpolat, project leader at Intel, added that the trials confirm Wi-Fi 7’s readiness to support real-time applications: “From reduced latency to stable high frame rates, Intel-powered devices with Wi-Fi 7 capabilities are ready to support the most demanding real-time applications in homes worldwide.”
Türk Telekom sees the technology as central to its broadband strategy. Dr Mehmet Özdem, innovation & product and services director, said: “These Wi-Fi 7 trials show how we can transform everyday experiences for our customers, from flawless cloud gaming to high-quality streaming and reliable connectivity across modern homes. Wi-Fi 7 is not just a technology upgrade – it’s the foundation of tomorrow’s connected lifestyle.”
The WBA said the results demonstrate that Wi-Fi 7 is now ready for consumer adoption – a few mobile network operators will be raising their collective eyebrows given their desires to have 6 GHz – and will also play a critical role in enterprise and public-sector deployments.
The alliance said it will continue working with operators, device manufacturers and ecosystem partners to accelerate adoption, refine deployment strategies and optimise spectrum usage in the 6GHz band.
