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Earlier this week, on September 18, 2023, Intel quietly made available the specs for the all-new Intel Wi-Fi 7 Series chipsets that include two variants named BE200 and BE202. There were no news events or press releases; I accidentally stumbled on these product pages.
Unlike other Wi-Fi 7 products you've heard, including those I've recently covered, these chips are made for the receiving end. Specifically, they will be integrated into motherboards so that future computers—laptops and desktops—will have Wi-Fi 7 capability built-in.
And that's when Wi-Fi 7 becomes a real reality.
Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 and BE202: The other end of the Wi-Fi 7 equation
So far, all Wi-Fi 7 clients have been smartphones. While that's great, it's impossible to see the standard's true potential since handheld devices generally require modest bandwidth.
Intel's new chips will likely be the first made-for-computer to become available—an easy educated guess considering the case of the previous Intel AX210 and its variants, which have been the mainstay for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E devices.
It's worth noting that currently, the Wi-Fi 7 standard (IEEE 802.11be) is not yet ratified, which is expected to happen sometime in 2024. And these new Intel BE chips are released as Pre-Certified. Likely, they will support the final stats of the standard via driver or firmware updates.
Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 vs. BE202: Specification
According to Intel, these two chips are identical in physical design and most other specs. The BE200, however, supports the 320MHz channel width to deliver up to 5Gbps connection speed, whereas the BE202 only supports 160MHz and will have half of the bandwidth.
Like all things Wi-Fi, their sustained real-world standard will be significantly slower, depending on the environment, distance, and the broadcaster.
| Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 | Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE202 | |
|---|---|---|
| Product Family | Intel Wi-Fi 7 Series | Intel Wi-Fi 7 Series |
| From Factor | M.2 2230 or M.2 1216 | M.2 2230 or M.2 1216 |
| Interfaces | M.2: PCIe, USB | M.2: PCIe, USB |
| Weight (in grams) | M.2 2230: 3.07+/-0.15G M.2 1216: 0.75+/-0.04G | M.2 2230: 3.07+/-0.15G M.2 1216: 0.75+/-0.04G |
| Operating Temperature Range | 0 °C to 80 °C (32 °F to 176 °F) | 0 °C to 80 °C (32 °F to 176 °F) |
| Wi-Fi Stream (Antenna) | Dual-stream (2x2) | Dual-stream (2x2) |
| Wi-Fi Bands (channel width) | 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz (20/40/80/160/320MHz) | 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz (20/40/80/160MHz) |
| Max Speed (up to) | 5Gbps (6GHz @ 320MHz) | 2.5Gbps (6GHz @160MHz) |
| Wi-Fi CERTIFIED | Wi-Fi 7 Pre-certified | Wi-Fi 7 Pre-certified |
| Compliance | FIPS | FIPS |
| MU-MIMO | Yes | Yes |
| Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) | Yes | Yes |
| Intel Smart Connect Technology | No | No |
| Intel vPro Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Platform Support | Windows 11, Windows 10, Linux | Windows 11, Windows 10, Linux |
| Launch Date | Q3'23 | Q3'23 |
The fact these chips are both dual-stream suggests 5Gbps is likely the max ceiling speed we can get from a Wi-Fi 7 connection, similar to the fact that 2.4Gbps has been the fast real-world connection of Wi-Fi 6 or 6E, despite the standards' much higher bandwidths.
It's unclear if any of these two will support special features of Wi-Fi 7, including Multi-Link Operation, where the 5GHz and 6GHz bands are combined into a single link. But that needs to wait until the standard is certified.
Availability
The new Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 vs. BE202 chipsets will be integrated into some motherboards for Intel's 13th generation CPU, such as Gigabyte's upcoming Z790 AORUS MASTER X, and most motherboard featuring Intel's upcoming 14th Gen CPU.
Likely, you'll also be able to buy these chips as standalone adapters to add to select existing computers, like the case of Intel 200/210 Wi-Fi 6 and 6E chips. Eventually, there will also be USB-based adapters like the Netgear A8000, which is an easy way to add Wi-Fi 6E to a computer.
The takeaway
It's safe to say 2023 is the year of Wi-Fi 7. If not already, you'll soon get tired of hearing about new Wi-Fi 7 routers, mesh systems, or gateways—all with heavy dosages of superlatives on their bandwidth and capacities.
Truth be told, these Wi-Fi 7 broadcasters don't mean much by themselves. Like a tango, a Wi-Fi connection takes two. And that makes these Intel Wi-Fi 7 chipsets the most significant to date. They complete the Wi-Fi 7 experience. At this rate, Wi-Fi 7 is on track to be adopted the fastest compared to previous Wi-Fi revisions, and it makes Wi-Fi 6E a short stop-gap bridge between it and Wi-Fi 6.
Update: Since late 2023, the new chips have been available for manual update.
Ok, but what are the requirements for these adapters? For the older ones, he wanted an example Intel processor from the 12th generation. The manufacturer’s website is silent on this matter, and on the website of my motherboard, the data for similar modules is from 2 years ago and it is not known, apart from the few on the list, which others are compatible. My motherboard is: Asrock B660M Pro RS, I know it supports up to AX411. I’m with Windows 10 Pro and processor i3-13100F.
Check out this post, Ivan.
Will BE200 work on HP OMEN 45L?
Read this post, Sandeep.
It’s my understanding that these will not work with AMD motherboards. Will there be another option for this? Also, will there be some other option for A+E key?
I actually got two machines with AMD CPUs to try out, Charles, and, behold, neither worked. So, your understanding is correct.
So, far, there’s no option, yet.
Did you install the latest drivers as of Dec 5th? The latest wifi and BT drivers support the BE200 and BE202 chipsets.
Yes, Eric. More here.
The BE200 is on eBay or AliExpress, shipped from China. The ASUS RT-BE96U is listed on Amazon.com at the moment also.
What is the purpose of the BE202 vs the BE200? Why would someone buy the BE202?
It’s likely a cheaper option, Charles.
So essentially the same redundant circle, new wi-fi but no clients and when clients adopt it we will have wi-fi 8 or 9. Apple is just now adopting wi-fi 6e as are other companies. Seems to be just another way to get people to spend money trying to keep systems on the cutting edge.
You’re not wrong there, George.
It’s just the beginning and end that are “out of date.”
Wifi 7 320MHz will let you enjoy multi gig network at far distance. Try and see 🙂
Not super far. I already tried. 🙂