Unlock the full potential of your smart home and office with a rock-solid internet connection! In this video, I'll show you my personal dual broadband setup, explaining how load balancing and strategic hardware choices create an uninterrupted, low-latency network perfect for work-from-home, streaming, and all your IoT devices.
Learn the difference between broadband and leased lines, and discover why a dual broadband approach is the cost-effective solution for ultimate reliability. We'll cover:
The benefits of IoT for automating and securing your home and office.
A detailed breakdown of my network architecture, including fiber routers, load balancers, unmanaged gigabit switches, and high-end Wi-Fi 6 routers.
Why wired connections are still king for critical devices.
Recommended devices for load balancers, unmanaged switches, and Wi-Fi 6 routers suitable for homes and small businesses (50-100 users).
This is the first step to a truly smart and secure environment. Stay tuned for my next video, where we'll dive into specific home automation projects using this stable internet foundation!
WiFi 6, 7, and 8: Is the End of the Ethernet Cable Near?
We've all seen the numbers—WiFi 6, WiFi 7—but what do these generations of wireless technology actually mean for our daily lives? With each new release, the question looms larger: is wireless finally ready to replace that trusty old Ethernet cable for good?
In this article, we'll break down the key differences between WiFi 6, 7, and the upcoming WiFi 8, exploring their benefits, drawbacks, and what the future of wireless connectivity looks like.
What is WiFi 6? (802.11ax)
The WiFi 6 standard, also known as 802.11ax, represented a massive leap forward in wireless connectivity. Its primary focus wasn't just on raw speed, but on a more efficient and reliable experience, especially in crowded environments with many connected devices.
Key Features of WiFi 6:
OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access): This technology revolutionized how data is transmitted. Unlike older WiFi generations where a single data packet was sent to one device at a time, OFDMA allows a single transmission to carry data for multiple devices simultaneously. This makes the network far more efficient for small data packets, reducing latency and providing a smoother experience.
MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output): Improved in WiFi 6, this technology enables a router to communicate with multiple devices at once. A WiFi 6 router can have simultaneous conversations with up to eight devices, eliminating the need for devices to wait their turn.
Target Wake Time (TWT): TWT is a crucial feature for power saving. It allows devices and the router to schedule communication times, so a device can "sleep" and save battery power when it's not actively transmitting or receiving data. This is particularly beneficial for smartphones and smart home gadgets.
Pros and Cons:
Pros: Significantly better performance in dense, crowded networks, improved battery life for connected devices, and theoretical speeds up to 9.6 Gbps.
Drawbacks: To fully utilize the benefits of WiFi 6, you must have both a WiFi 6 router and compatible devices.
Enter WiFi 7 (802.11be)
Now, we're entering the era of WiFi 7, or 802.11be. This is where wireless technology takes an even more exciting turn, with a focus on "Extremely High Throughput" that could make the argument against wired connections much harder to make.
Key Features of WiFi 7:
320 MHz Channels: WiFi 7 doubles the maximum channel width from WiFi 6, expanding it to a massive 320 MHz. This wider bandwidth allows for a significantly higher volume of data to flow at once, leading to faster speeds.
4K QAM (4096-QAM): This technology increases the data density of the wireless signal. By packing more information into each radio wave, it provides a 20% increase in transmission rates compared to WiFi 6.
Multi-Link Operation (MLO): A true game-changer, MLO allows a single device to use two different frequency bands (like 5 GHz and 6 GHz) at the same time for a single connection. This creates a more robust, faster, and lower-latency link, ideal for demanding applications like VR, AR, and cloud gaming.
Preamble Puncturing: This is a clever solution to a common problem. If a portion of a channel is blocked by interference, WiFi 7 can "puncture" that small part and continue using the rest of the channel, ensuring the connection remains stable.
Pros and Cons:
Pros: Unprecedented theoretical speeds up to 46 Gbps, incredibly low latency, and superior performance in dense, high-demand environments.
Drawbacks: As a new standard, devices and routers are just starting to become available and can be expensive. The faster 320 MHz channels require the 6 GHz band, which has a shorter range and struggles with walls.
A Glimpse into the Future: WiFi 8 (802.11bn)
If you thought WiFi 7 was fast, get ready for what's next. The future is already being planned under the codename 802.11bn, which will likely be called WiFi 8. The direction is clear: moving beyond just peak speed to focus on ultra-reliability and coordination.
Expected Features of WiFi 8:
Multi-AP Coordination: This will allow multiple access points in a network to work together seamlessly, creating a mesh system with zero dropped connections as you move throughout a large area.
Lower Latency and Better QoS: WiFi 8 will prioritize mission-critical data to an even greater degree, making it ideal for applications like industrial automation, self-driving cars, and other sensitive, real-time systems.
Even Higher Modulation Schemes: We can expect a jump to 8192-QAM to further increase data density and throughput.
Pros and Cons:
Pros: Unprecedented reliability, near-lossless connectivity, and the ability to manage massive, high-density networks with flawless performance, bringing it closer than ever to wired stability.
Drawbacks: This is a future standard with no products yet available. It will likely require a complete overhaul of current wireless infrastructure and is still several years away.
So, Will Wireless Replace Cables?
With all these incredible advancements, does this mean the end for the Ethernet cable?
The short answer is: probably not entirely, especially for power users and specific applications.
Reliability and Latency: For the most critical tasks—competitive gaming, video editing, or running a server—a wired connection is still king. A physical cable provides a direct, uninterrupted path for data, ensuring zero packet loss and the lowest possible latency.
Speed: While the theoretical speeds of WiFi 7 are amazing, they are often shared among all connected devices. A dedicated Ethernet port can consistently deliver the full, advertised speed of your internet plan to a single device.
Security: A wired connection is physically secure and much harder to intercept than a wireless signal.
That said, wireless technology is rapidly closing the gap. For the average user—streaming, browsing, and remote work—the speed and reliability of WiFi 7 and future standards will provide an experience so fast and dependable that the need for a physical cable will become a distant memory. The future isn't about one replacing the other, but rather each playing a specialized and critical role in a fully connected world.
Today's IT industry, on July 30, 2025, is in a state of rapid evolution, primarily driven by advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its widespread integration. Generative AI and agentic AI are transforming how enterprises operate, leading to significant automation and changes in workforce structures. While there's robust growth projected in areas like software spending and IT exports, particularly in India, the industry is also grappling with challenges like margin pressures and a shift towards specialized skills over broad-based hiring.
Emerging technologies like Quantum Computing, 5G expansion, Edge Computing, and Extended Reality (XR - including Virtual and Augmented Reality) are also gaining significant traction. Cybersecurity remains a critical concern, with AI playing a crucial role in both enhancing defenses and presenting new threats. The focus is increasingly on sustainable technology and responsible innovation. To keep pace, stay informed by watching our latest video and subscribe!
