In today’s hyper-connected world, reliable and high-speed wireless connectivity is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. WiFi standards have evolved rapidly. WiFi 6, which has been around for only a few years, is now being replaced by WiFi 7 or IEEE 802.11be. Equipment manufacturers are now rushing to phase in WiFi 7 products.
Compex has released its latest WiFi 7 module WLE7002E25 to help shorten time to market. The Compex WLE7002E25 is a dual-band concurrent 2×2 2.4GHz and 2×2 5GHz radio based on Qualcomm’s Waikiki high-performance WiFi 7 chipset which is capable of over 10Gbps raw data rate. It is in a standard mini PCIe form factor.
WiFi 7 in a Standard Mini PCIe Form Factor
The standard mini PCIe footprint means that WLE7002E25 is readily compatible with existing systems and designs, particularly customers whose devices have been using WiFi 4 or WiFi 5 standard mini PCIe modules. This simplifies integration since device manufacturers do not need to make modifications to their hardware to support a new generation WiFi module, thus reducing development costs and accelerating time-to-market.
The diagram below shows the dimensions differences between Qualcomm’s high-performance Waikiki M.2 E-key reference design and Compex’s standard-size mini PCIe module using the same Waikiki chipset.
Lower Power Consumption, Impressive Transmit Power
Compex’s RF engineers set themselves the twin targets of condensing the Qualcomm reference design by about 50% to an industrial standard form factor, as well as reducing its power consumption significantly. Compared with the high-performance Qualcomm reference design, Compex managed to achieve the size and consumption targets with a little loss in performance. The following is a comparison of the RF power outputs and consumption between the Compex WLE7002E25 mini PCIe module and the Qualcomm WK03.2 reference board.
| 2.4GHz Max. Transmit Power (dBm) | 5GHz Max. Transmit Power (dBm) | Max. Power Consumption (W) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compex WLE7002E25 | 22 | 21 | 8.0 |
| Qualcomm WK03.2 | 23 | 21 | 13.3 |
Multi-Link Operation (MLO)
An important differentiator between WiFi 7 and WiFi 6 is MLO (Multi Link Operation). This allows a client to connect to the AP through multiple bands simultaneously. This has a significant advantage in reducing latency. Latency is of critical importance to interactive applications such as games, robotics, real-time translation, teleconferencing, etc…
The Compex WLE7002E25 supports MLO between its 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It also implements MLO signals between adapters to support MLO between the WLE7002E25 and other WiFi 7 modules such as the Compex WLE7000E6 4×4 6GHz module.
Open-source Ath12k driver support
Compex Systems recognize the importance of supporting customers’ product integration with the open-source ath12k driver. Ath12k integration support for non-Qualcomm platforms such as x86 embedded boards is also available.
Competitive Pricing
The Compex WLE7002E25 is only marginally more expensive than WiFi 6 products of similar configurations. This is to encourage direct migration from WiFi 4 and WiFi 5 to WiFi 7, skipping the WiFi 6 development time and costs.
Investing in the Future
The Compex WLE7002E25 represents more than just a WiFi 7 mini PCIe module; it’s an investment in the future. With its cutting-edge technology, comprehensive features, and diverse application potential, the Compex WLE7002E25 stands poised to rewrite the rules of wireless connectivity. Contact Compex here.
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they only sell it pairs (2x) for 310$ – no thanks !