New advantages for developing Wi-Fi 6/6E mobile devices

The 2021 numbers are in, and if you have any doubts about the vital role Wi-Fi plays in modern life, consider this stat: There are now at least two Wi-Fi devices for every person on the planet. The global population is currently approaching 7.9 billion, but the Wi-Fi Alliance reports that there were 16.4 billion Wi-Fi devices in use last year.

The next generation of Wi-Fi is growing rapidly

The Wi-Fi Alliance also reported device shipments for 2021, and the latest generation of Wi-Fi shipments are increasing at an impressive pace. In 2021, total Wi-Fi device shipments were 4.2 billion, of which Wi-Fi 6 accounted for 2.2 billion (52%) and Wi-Fi 6E accounted for 338 million (8%).

In other words, just two years after its 2019 release, Wi-Fi 6 has become an accepted standard, accounting for more than half of new Wi-Fi devices, while Wi-Fi 6E devices began shipping in large quantities just a few months after the 6 GHz band used by Wi-Fi 6E became available.

The global value of Wi-Fi is growing rapidly

Wi-Fi 6/6E is a transformative technology

It’s easy to see why Wi-Fi 6 is gaining momentum. Enhanced overall performance, including faster high-speeds and better management of dense, crowded networks, is paired with new spectrum to make a powerful difference. This means familiar experiences like video streaming and gaming will be enhanced, and a new generation of impressive applications that require high bandwidth and low latency are now within reach.

The deployment of 5G mobile communications is another factor in the growth of Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 6 and 5G are complementary technologies that use many of the same techniques, including OFDMA and MU-MIMO transmission. When a 5G mobile device enters an indoor location where the signal is weak, it can switch to Wi-Fi 6 without interrupting the signal. This capability is essential for demanding 5G applications such as self-driving cars, medical monitoring, and smart manufacturing, which must ensure uninterrupted connectivity 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 keep mobile devices connected. This number will only rise as 5G continues to be promoted.

Wi-Fi 6/6E is more challenging for designers

From a design perspective, the increase in functionality comes at the cost of increased complexity, and upgrading from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 is a difficult transition for any engineer. For example, the MU-MIMO feature has been upgraded in Wi-Fi 6, moving from one-way operation to two-way operation, so designers must deal with both uplink and downlink functions. 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.

But for mobile system designers, the biggest challenge may be the upgrade to higher-order quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and bandwidth. The switch from 256 QAM in Wi-Fi 5 to 1024 QAM in Wi-Fi 6 provides higher throughput and 25% more capacity, with 10 bits per symbol instead of 8 bits. This, coupled with an increase in maximum channel bandwidth from 80 MHz to 160 MHz and an extension of the frequency band to 7.125 GHz, places higher performance demands on the RF portion of the system. Achieving the right level of performance may require greater technical expertise.

Wi-Fi 6 wireless high-speed Internet connection

RF optimization is notoriously difficult even under good conditions, but it’s made even more challenging by the stringent requirements of Wi-Fi 6. They have narrower tolerances, so even small tweaks can significantly change Wi-Fi signals, performance, and power efficiency across the board.

To avoid getting bogged down in the intricacies of RF optimization, design teams save time and effort by using pre-integrated RF products called front-end modules (FEMs). Front-end modules are solutions built specifically to complete the RF chain. Located between the antenna and the connecting system-on-chip (SoC) of the wireless system, the front-end module is a purpose-built solution that completes the RF chain and improves overall performance. In high-end mobile Wi-Fi 6/6E systems, it is a more important part of the design.

Advantages of front-end modules

Front-end modules save time while enabling better designs. All products are available in highly integrated, small solutions, so designs are faster. The flexibility of placement of individual front-end module components means that each segment of the RF chain can be fully optimized. Integrated RF amplifiers boost weak input signals without significantly affecting noise performance, so the RF chain is more sensitive and better able to select from multiple input signals. On the transmit (TX) side, NXP FEMS increases the power level of the signal being transmitted in an efficient manner, so performance is also significantly improved in the uplink and the transmission range is extended.

A group of students experience Wi-Fi 6/6E on portable devices

NXP pioneers migration from dual front-end modules to single front-end modules

The first front-end modules for Wi-Fi 6/6E, including those provided by NXP, are dual front-end modules. Each front-end module is equipped with two monolithic front-end ICs. For example, our WLAN8101x series, which was launched in mid-2020, puts two front-end ICs into a QFN package with a size of 3 x 4 mm.

However, RF design doesn’t stand still for long, and our engineers are constantly striving to outdo themselves. Just eight months after the launch of the WLAN8101x series, we have broken new ground by being the first to introduce 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.

The single-IC WLAN7205C can be placed closer to the antenna than the dual-IC WLAN8101x, which requires a larger package. This reduces routing losses after the front-end module and improves performance. Low losses after the PA provide excellent transmit efficiency, and low losses before the LNA maximize receive sensitivity. A closer location to the antenna also improves range, extends battery life, and enables faster data transmission.

Another NXP first

Now, NXP has taken single front-end modules to the next level with the WLAN7207C (5-7 GHz) and WLAN7207H (2.4 GHz and Bluetooth). Optimized for new smartphones, these fully integrated front-end modules offer extremely high linearity and support low-power modes. They require no external matching components, making designs more compact, economical, and easier to implement. They offer three Tx operating modes for each band for better power efficiency fine-tuning, and two Rx operating modes with gain steps between LNA mode and bypass mode. More importantly, they come in tiny packages. The WLAN7207C is available in a 2 x 2 mm HWFLGA16 package, while the WLAN7207H is available in a HFCPLGA18 package measuring just 2.4 x 2.0 mm.

Like NXP’s other Wi-Fi front-end modules, the WLAN7207x family is manufactured using industry-leading Qubic SiGe:C BiCMOS technology, which operates at very high efficiency, helping to ensure that Wi-Fi signals are minimally degraded in terms of noise, distortion and spurious signals.

Enhancing Wi-Fi 6/6E performance in mobile applications using NXP WLAN7207C and WLAN7207H products

A better smartphone experience

Smartphones integrating the WLAN7207x series will improve Wi-Fi performance with little impact on battery life. Signals remain linear and manageable, increasing data rates and extending coverage. This translates into a more continuous experience, as video calls while moving around require a more reliable connection. At the same time, the high efficiency of the RF chain means that the performance improvement has little impact on battery life.

Wi-Fi 7 Outlook

The WLAN7207x series reflects the latest capabilities of high-performance RF design, but also prepares developers for the future. The IEEE is already working on Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), and the Wi-Fi Alliance predicts that Wi-Fi 7 will be available as early as 2023. Wi-Fi 7 is expected to build on the success of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, using three frequency bands in a more advanced way (2.4/5/6 GHz). Therefore, the WLAN7207 series supporting Wi-Fi 6/6E is a natural bridge to transition to Wi-Fi 7 designs soon.

Take the next step

To learn more about NXP’s Wi-Fi 6/6E solutions, especially the WLAN7207x, visit the dedicated page for WLAN Front-End ICs and Modules.

author:

Rick van Kemenade

Marketing Manager, NXP Semiconductors

As Marketing Manager for NXP’s Smart Antenna Solutions product line, Rick is responsible for NXP’s highly integrated 5G and Wi-Fi 6 RF front-end IC portfolio serving the infrastructure and mobile markets.