Registration closes on 1 June 2025 at 5:00pm EDT

Note: The timing will be different on the third day of the course, and will end a half hour earlier.

Online via Zoom

CEU Credits: 1.0 CEUs

Course Description

This course offers up-to-date insights into the next generation of Wi-Fi. As the key features of Wi-Fi 7 are being finalized, the emergence of the 802.11bn Study Group heralds a new set of functionalities for the upcoming Wi-Fi 8 products. Throughout this course, participants will explore Wi-Fi’s evolution: its past, present, and what lies ahead. The curriculum includes a diverse range of topics, such as ongoing standardization, certification, and spectrum allocation. We will examine the key features of Wi-Fi 6/6E and Wi-Fi 7, as well as the emerging use cases driving the need for Wi-Fi’s continued evolution. The course will also cover the prospective, disruptive upgrades of Wi-Fi 8, along with the challenges and opportunities they present. For the most critical features, we will discuss novel system-level performance results to understand their benefits and the challenges they face. By the end of the course, attendees will be well-equipped with the knowledge to comprehend the trajectory of Wi-Fi technology, its essential features and operations, and the exciting developments on the horizon.

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Student Discount
Students use promo code STUDENT25 during checkout to save 15% on your registration fee.*

*This promotion is only available to student members and cannot be combined with other course promotions or discounts.

Who Should Attend

The course is for anyone interested in the fundamentals of Wi-Fi technology and its most recent and foreseen advancement. 

The audience for this course is extremely wide, including but not limited to:

1. engineers working for semiconductor companies, telecom equipment vendors, end-device manufacturers, network operators, and more;
2. professionals working in the IPR sector, such as firms managing patent portfolios;
3. researchers at all levels, including graduate students, PhD candidates, and professors in wireless communications and networking.

Instruction level: Intermediate

Prerequisites: The course is designed to teach a basic understanding of Wi-Fi and its main features without an extensive background in wireless communications. The instructor plans to recall the main fundamental principles behind each feature as these are introduced. Even so, many of the attendees are expected to possess a wireless background owing to their professional position and could be recommended to take other relevant courses offered by ComSoc (e.g., "Fundamentals of Wireless Communication"). A wireless background will allow an even deeper understanding of the underlying tradeoffs of the technical features introduced.

Learning Objectives

After this course, participants will be understand:

• How Wi-Fi standardization, certification, and the spectrum allocation processes work.
• The key features of the IEEE 802.11ax standard (Wi-Fi 6/6E).
• The key features of the IEEE 802.11be standard (Wi-Fi 7), with special emphasis on multi-link operation and its performance tradeoffs.
• The emerging use cases driving the need for Wi-Fi’s continued evolution.
• The key features envisioned in the IEEE 802.11bn standard (Wi-Fi 8), with special emphasis on multi-AP coordination and its performance tradeoffs.
• Parallel ongoing standardization efforts on Wi-Fi mmWave operations, Wi-Fi sensing, and AI/ML for Wi-Fi.

Course Content

The course consists of four main parts:
Part 1 = 1 hour of instruction (day 1)
Part 2 = 4 hours of instruction (day 1 and day 2)
Part 3 = 2 hours of instruction (day 2)
Part 4 = 3 hours of instruction (day 3)

Day 1 Agenda:

• Part 1. Introduction to Wi-Fi
  • The value of Wi-Fi, 802.11 standards
• Part 2. IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
  • Evolution and technical highlights
  • Symbol time and subcarrier spacing
  • Increased modulation order
  • New PPDU formats
  • OFDMA
  • Multi-user MIMO
  • Capacity gains

Day 2 Agenda:

• Part 2. IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
  • Medium access control
  • Energy efficiency
  • Channel bonding
  • 6 GHz band
• Part 3. IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7)
  • Objectives: Extremely High Throughput
  • 320 MHz channels and 4096-QAM modulation
  • Multiple resource units per station
  • Enhanced QoS management
  • Multi-link operation (MLO)

Day 3 Agenda:

• Part 4. IEEE 802.11bn and beyond (Wi-Fi 8)
  • Objectives: Ultra High Reliability
  • Postponed features: MIMO enhancements, hybrid ARQ
  • Distributed MLO and PHY/MAC enhancements
  • Multi-AP coordination (MAPC)
  • Complementary features: mmWave operations, AI/ML, Wi-Fi sensing

Course Materials

A copy of the instructor's PowerPoint slides is included. Access to the streaming video recording is provided for 20 business days after the course has been taught. Earn 1.0 IEEE Continuing Education Units for participating and completing the post-course evaluation.

The web conference invitation is sent to each participant upon registration,  Course materials will be emailed to participants at least one business day in advance of the course date.

Course Cancellation and Refund Policy: Requests for online course cancellations must be received 3 business days prior to the course date for a full refund. Once course materials have been shared with a course participant cancellation and refund requests cannot be accommodated.

Contact Us

For general inquiries and technical support, contact Tara McNally, Certification and Professional Education Manager.