FIGURE 4: Visualization of multi-link single-radio (MLSR) technology, showing an AP with concurrent dual radio communicating with a single 1x1 radio device across two distinct channels (Channel 1 and Channel 2). Source: NetAlly
FIGURE 6: Simultaneous transmit & receive (STR) demonstrating multi-link multi-radio (MLMR) functionality, where an AP and a device, both equipped with concurrent dual radios, communicate simultaneously across multiple channels (Channel 1 and Channel 2), improving throughput. Source: NetAlly
Multi-Link Operations (MLO) While legacy Wi-Fi provides access to multiple wireless bands, devices typically only transmit on one band. With MLO, Wi-Fi 7 devices can simultaneously connect on two bands, which allows them to make the most out of all the available frequencies (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) by using one of three methods: • Multi-Link Single Radio (MLSR) – When using MLSR, a device with a single 1x1 radio can transmit or receive on one band at any given time (Figure 4). The device switches dynamically between bands based on congestion or interference, improving reliability without needing multiple radios. This would be similar
to changing lanes while driving along a busy highway if one lane were congested with traffic.
Multi Resource Units (RU) and Puncturing With legacy Wi-Fi, when any part of a channel (20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz channel widths) is being used by another device, the entire channel is unavailable. Because of this, any additional data transmissions must wait, or a different channel must be used to prevent interference. With multi RU and puncturing (blocking), Wi-Fi 7 devices will be able to make use of the parts of the channel that are not in use. This is done by segmenting a wide channel into smaller resource units, plus puncturing resource units that are not available. The goal is to improve data transmission efficiency, which helps increase speeds (Figure 7).
• Enhanced Multi-Link Single-Radio (EMLSR) – This is an improved version of MLSR. When using EMLSR, a device with a single 2x2 radio can listen in two bands simultaneously while transmitting or receiving on just one, which boosts responsiveness as the device can quickly react to traffic or interference across bands (Figure 5). This is achieved by monitoring real-time conditions on each band and automatically changing between them to avoid congestion. Similar to changing lanes while driving along a busy highway, this example would equate to selecting the lane with the least traffic.
• Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STR) – When using STR, both bands can be used to transmit and receive data at the same time (Figure 6). This allows Wi-Fi 7 to reduce latency and achieve higher throughput by not having to switch between transmitting and receiving. In terms of a shipping analogy, this is like making package deliveries more efficient by using two trucks instead of one (one for receiving and one for delivery). In simple terms, MLO is designed to ensure data is delivered at maximum speed by aggregating data, reducing latency, and improving reliability.
FIGURE 7: Channel allocation and aggregation within an 80 MHz channel showcasing how different 20 MHz sub-channels are assigned to multiple clients using varying resource unit (RU) sizes (e.g., 26, 52, 106, 242) to optimize spectrum utilization and support multi-link operation. Source: NetAlly
FIGURE 5: The image illustrates EMLSR by showing an AP (concurrent dual radio) and a device (single 2x2 radio) communicating across two channels. Source: NetAlly
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October/November/December 2025
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