TP-Link has announced that it’s putting several Wi-Fi 7 products on the market, claiming that it is the “world’s first” vendor to do so.
The company revealed the new product line during a product launch in November 2022. The revamp includes the flagship Archer line of routers, and the Archer GE800, which the company has specced for gaming networks, but admits may be useful for network attached storage (NAS) configurations due to the low latency made possible by the Wi-Fi 7 specification.
However, the new access point products in the Omada line will be the most interesting to small business and enterprise customers, offering “higher throughput, lower latency, and less interference” in a variety of business settings.
Wi-Fi 7 capabilities
While cost and availability for the Omada products is currently unknown, pricing for the consumer-grade Archer router and Deco mesh Wi-Fi products, available for pre-order on December 31, 2022, offer a clue as to how much enterprises can expect to pay.
The Archer BE900 router is set to be priced at $699.99, while the DecoBE85 Tri-band Mesh Wi-Fi 7 System will be priced at $999.99, and the Deco BE95 Quad-band Mesh Wi-Fi 7 System will be priced at $1199.99.
TP-Link may want to bring Wi-Fi 7 to as many devices as possible, covering use cases from multi-gig Ethernet, Fiber, DSL and mobile access but it’s unlikely to revolutionize the way we use the internet.
However, promises of reduced latency and increased speeds were also realized with Wi-Fi 6, and, with these prices in the midst of a recession, businesses may want to ask whether the upgrade is absolutely necessary.
While Wi-Fi 7 would make gigabit speeds more accessible, some enterprises may already have access to them, while consumers are limited by infrastructure and plans offered by internet service providers.
Businesses already using TP-Link products benefit from the Omada software platform, which integrates access points, switches and routers to provide centralized cloud management to IT admins.
- Check out our list of the best wireless access points for small businesses
