The 2021 data has been released, and if you have any doubts about the vital role Wi-Fi plays in modern life, consider these statistics: Every person on Earth now has at least two Wi-Fi devices. The global population is currently close to 7.9 billion, but the Wi-Fi Alliance reports that 16.4 billion Wi-Fi devices were in use last year.
The next generation of Wi-Fi is growing rapidly.
The Wi-Fi Alliance also reported on device shipments in 2021, with impressively rapid growth in shipments of the latest generation of Wi-Fi. Total Wi-Fi device shipments reached 4.2 billion units in 2021, of which Wi-Fi 6 accounted for 2.2 billion units (52%) and Wi-Fi 6E accounted for 338 million units (8%).
In other words, just two years after its release in 2019, Wi-Fi 6 has become a recognized standard, accounting for more than half of new Wi-Fi devices, and Wi-Fi 6E devices began shipping in large quantities just a few months after the launch of the 6 GHz band used by Wi-Fi 6E.
Wi-Fi 6/6E is a transformative technology.
It's easy to understand why Wi-Fi 6 is booming. Enhanced overall performance, including faster speeds and better management of dense, congested networks, combined with new spectrum, is a powerful combination. This means familiar experiences like video streaming and gaming will be improved, and a new generation of impressive applications requiring high bandwidth and low latency are now within reach.
The deployment of 5G mobile communications is another factor driving the growth of Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 6 and 5G are complementary technologies, using many of the same techniques, including OFDMA and MU-MIMO transmission. When 5G mobile devices enter indoor environments with weak signals, they can switch to Wi-Fi 6 without interrupting the signal. This capability is essential for demanding 5G applications such as autonomous vehicles, medical monitoring, and smart manufacturing, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity both indoors and outdoors for seamless operation. The Wi-Fi Alliance reports that 63% of mobile traffic was offloaded to Wi-Fi in 2021, indicating that nearly two-thirds of mobile communication sessions utilize Wi-Fi hotspots to maintain mobile device connectivity. This figure will only rise as 5G continues to expand.
Wi-Fi 6/6E presents a greater challenge for designers.
From a design perspective, the addition of features comes at the cost of increased complexity, making the transition from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 a challenging one for any engineer. For example, MU-MIMO functionality was upgraded in Wi-Fi 6, changing from unidirectional to bidirectional operation, requiring designers to handle both uplink and downlink capabilities. Similarly, while Wi-Fi 5 used single-user Orthogonal Frequency Division (OFDM), Wi-Fi 6 upgrades it to a multi-user format (OFDMA), which can be more difficult to manage effectively.
However, for mobile system designers, the biggest challenge may be upgrading to higher-order quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and bandwidth. The transition from Wi-Fi 5's 256 QAM to Wi-Fi 6's 1024 QAM offers higher throughput, a 25% increase in capacity, and 10 bits per symbol instead of 8. Coupled with the increase in maximum channel bandwidth from 80 MHz to 160 MHz and the expansion of the frequency band to 7.125 GHz, this places higher performance demands on the system's radio frequency (RF) section. Achieving the appropriate performance level may require greater technical expertise.
Even under favorable conditions, RF optimization is notoriously difficult, but the stringent requirements of Wi-Fi 6 make it even more challenging. It has much smaller tolerances, so even minor tweaks can significantly alter the Wi-Fi signal, performance, and energy efficiency across the entire series.
To avoid getting bogged down in complex RF optimization issues, the design team used a pre-integrated RF product called a front-end module (FEM) to save time and effort. The FEM is a solution specifically built to complete the RF chain. Located between the antenna and the wireless system's system-on-chip (SoC), the FEM is a specially designed solution that completes the RF chain and improves overall performance. In high-end mobile Wi-Fi 6/6E systems, it is a crucial component of the design.
Advantages of front-end modules
Front-end modules save time and enable better design. All products are offered as highly integrated, small solutions, allowing for faster design. The placement flexibility of individual front-end module components means that every segment of the RF chain can be fully optimized. Integrated RF amplifiers amplify weak input signals without significantly impacting noise performance, making the RF chain more sensitive and better able to select from multiple input signals. On the transmit (TX) side, NXP FEMS efficiently enhances the power level of the transmitted signal, thus significantly improving performance and extending transmission range in the uplink.
NXP was the first to migrate from a dual-front-end module to a single-front-end module.
The first batch of front-end modules for Wi-Fi 6/6E, including those supplied by NXP, are dual-front-end modules. Each front-end module is equipped with two monolithic front-end ICs. For example, we launched the WLAN8101x series in mid-2020, which houses two front-end ICs in a 3 x 4 mm QFN package.
However, RF design doesn't stand still, and our engineers are constantly striving to surpass themselves. Just eight months after the launch of the WLAN8101x series, we achieved a new breakthrough by introducing a single-channel Wi-Fi 6E front-end module. Designed specifically for smartphones, the WLAN7205C is one of the industry's first single-channel Wi-Fi 6 solutions, offering a monolithic integrated power amplifier (PA), switch, and low-noise amplifier (LNA) in a 2 x 2 mm QFN package.
Compared to the dual-IC WLAN8101x, which requires a larger package, the single-IC WLAN7205C can be placed closer to the antenna. This reduces trace loss after the front-end module and improves performance. Low loss after the PA provides superior transmit efficiency, while low loss before the LNA maximizes receive sensitivity. The closer position to the antenna also increases range, extends battery life, and enables faster data transmission.
Another achievement that NXP pioneered.
NXP has now introduced the WLAN7207C (5-7 GHz) and WLAN7207H (2.4 GHz and Bluetooth), taking single front-end modules to a new level. These fully integrated front-end modules are optimized for new smartphones, offering extremely high linearity and supporting low-power modes. They require no external matching components, resulting in a more compact, economical, and easier-to-implement design. They offer three Tx operating modes for each band for better power tuning and two Rx operating modes for gain stepping between LNA and bypass modes. More importantly, they come in tiny packages. The WLAN7207C is housed in a 2 x 2 mm HWFLGA16 package, while the WLAN7207H is in an HFCPLGA18 package, measuring only 2.4 x 2.0 mm.
Like other Wi-Fi front-end modules from NXP, the WLAN7207x series is manufactured using industry-leading Qubic SiGe:C BiCMOS technology, which is highly efficient and helps ensure that Wi-Fi signal attenuation is minimized in terms of noise, distortion, and spurious signals.
A better smartphone experience
Smartphones integrating the WLAN7207x series will improve Wi-Fi performance with minimal impact on battery life. The signal remains linear and easily managed, resulting in higher data rates and extended coverage. This translates to a more continuous experience, as video calls while on the move require a more reliable connection. Meanwhile, the high efficiency of the RF chain means the performance improvements have virtually no impact on battery life.
Wi-Fi 7 Outlook
The WLAN7207x series reflects the latest capabilities in high-performance RF design, while also preparing developers for future development. The IEEE is already researching Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), and the Wi-Fi Alliance predicts Wi-Fi 7 will be available as early as 2023. Wi-Fi 7 is expected to build upon the success of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, utilizing three frequency bands in a more advanced manner (2.4/5/6 GHz). Therefore, the WLAN7207 series, supporting Wi-Fi 6/6E, is a natural bridge for the rapid transition to Wi-Fi 7 designs.
Take the next step
For more information on NXP's Wi-Fi 6/6E solutions, especially the WLAN7207x, please visit the dedicated page for WLAN front-end ICs and modules.
Rick is the Marketing Manager for NXP's Smart Antenna Solutions product portfolio, responsible for NXP's highly integrated 5G and Wi-Fi 6 RF front-end IC portfolio serving the infrastructure and mobile markets.
