34 n COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING June 2024 www.drivesncontrols.com What does Wi-Fi 7 mean for you? According to a recent report from the Wireless Broadband Alliance, more than 41% of companies surveyed are planning to deploy advanced Wi-Fi technologies by the end of 2024, with Wi-Fi 7, 6E and 6 at the top of their lists. The biggest driver for adopting the Wi-Fi 6 and 6E technologies is digitalisation initiatives. Wi-Fi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput EHT, marks the next phase in the evolution of wireless communications technology. It ensures faster speeds, improved stability and enhanced security, as well as supporting WiFi Protected Access (WPA4). WPA4 builds upon the foundations laid by its predecessor, WPA3, which implemented substantial improvements in encryption and authentication methods. Wi-Fi 7’s security certification further bolsters wireless network security, protecting against digital threats that are becoming more frequent and increasingly sophisticated. Manufacturers have been implementing pre-certified Wi-Fi 7 chipsets in devices since 2022, so let’s explore how manufacturers can benefit from Wi-Fi 7, or at least start the upgrading process, even if they’re a wireless standard or two behind the latest iteration. Scaling up Plant managers know better than most how important a reliable Internet connection is for productivity, efficiency and business performance. They need to know exactly how the new Wi-Fi update will impact their processes. The improved data transmission speeds and reduced latency will enhance the capabilities of IoT devices, as well as the acquisition of data from smart devices. Enhanced data transmission will allow cloudbased processes to work faster and support bigger capacities. Wi-Fi 7’s reduced latency also ensures that workers across sites remain connected, with fewer outages. The new system’s high throughput and lower latency will be particularly useful for applications such as robotics. The specification supports more connections per access point than previous iterations, making it ideal for modern factories with thousands of devices. Cybersecurity In a recent report, the cybersecurity company Guardz analysed SMEs (small and medium enterprises), and found that 57% of them have experienced a cybersecurity breach. The survey also found that 31% of these businesses had been targeted by a breach in the past 12 months. With manufacturers wanting to secure their operations, Wi-Fi 7 integrates a significant security function, called Multi-Link Operation (MLO). This allows multiple radios inside a device to talk to another device at the same time, but across different radio bands. In an industrial setting, Internet of Things (IoT) devices often have limited processing power and memory, making traditional security measures challenging to implement directly on the devices. MLO allows security controls to be implemented across various layers of the IoT ecosystem, including network gateways, cloud platforms and edge computing devices. For example, firewalls, multi-factor authentication and data encryption can be implemented to protect production data against cyber-threats. This approach ensures that security measures are distributed throughout the IoT infrastructure, providing in-depth defence against potential threats. n The latest Wi-Fi standard – Wi-Fi 7 – promises to boost the speed and stability of wireless connections, with enhanced capacity and lower latencies. Tom Cash, director of the automation parts supplier, Foxmere, explores some of the implications for industrial users. The new Wi-Fi standard promises faster speed, more stable wireless connections with enhanced capacities and lower latency
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