## 3 WiFi 7 for Industrial Communications  
IEEE 802.11 be, also referred to as WiFi 7, is the latest wireless local area network (WLAN) technology that supports the connectivity requirements of smart manufacturing in the Industry 4.0 and beyond era. The technology offers several key features that make it a suitable choice for industrial environments, where real-time communication, security, and high-speed data transfer are critical. Some of the key technological features of WiFi 7 [43], along with their applicability in smart manufacturing, are as follows:  
* **High Modulation Order:** WiFi 7 utilizes Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a modulation order of up to 4096-QAM [44], allowing it to transmit at very high data rates within a given bandwidth, such as for vision-based applications. In the context of smart manufacturing, the significance of high data rates extends beyond the transmission of large volumes of data, as it also enables the ultra-low-latency transmission of small data packets within short timeframes, which is desirable \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Use Case**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Reliability**} & **Device** & **Device** & **Low** & **Band-** & **Flexibility** & **Ubiquity** & **Location-** \\  & & **Costs** & **Density** & **Latency** & **Width** & **Flexibility** & **Ubiquity** & **Awareness** \\ \hline Advanced predictive Maintenance & ✓ & ✓ & ✓ & & & & & \\ \hline Precision Monitoring & & & & ✓ & & & & \\ \& Control & & & ✓ & & & & \\ \hline Augmented Reality & & & & & ✓ & & & \\ \& Remote expert & & & & ✓ & & & \\ \hline Remote Robot & & & & ✓ & & & & \\ Control & & & & ✓ & & & & \\ \hline Manufacturing-as-a & & ✓ & & & ✓ & ✓ & & \\ Service & & & & ✓ & & & & ✓ \\ \hline Automated Guided & & & & ✓ & & & & ✓ \\ Vehicle & & & ✓ & & & & ✓ \\ \hline Drone Inspections & ✓ & & & ✓ & & & ✓ \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Manufacturing use cases enabled by 5G [40; 41; 42]. in many industrial applications. Industrial processes that benefit from high data rate services include machine-to-machine communication, real-time monitoring, and production optimization, where the ability to swiftly transmit data is critical. It is worth noting that a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of approximately 40 dB is required at the receiver end to accurately decode a 4096-QAM signal, a threshold that may not always be attainable in many environments [43]. However, antenna beamforming can help alleviate this problem by increasing the channel gain. * **Multi-Link Operation:** WiFi 7 has an additional characteristic called multi-link operation, which allows the access point and end devices to function concurrently over 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands, thereby providing multiple channels for data transmission [45; 46]. This feature aims to enhance network performance by increasing peak throughput, minimizing latency and jitter, and augmenting network reliability. It ensures that even if one connection fails, essential data will still be delivered, making WiFi 7 networks more dependable [47]. Additionally, link aggregation can be performed to significantly increase network throughput. In the industrial domain, these features are especially useful for processes such as machine-to-machine communication and real-time inventory control, where a dependable network is essential for proper and effective performance. * **Wider Bandwidth:** A distinguishing characteristic of WiFi 7 is its expanded bandwidth. After the initial adoption of 802.11 ax, the WiFi industry is increasingly utilizing the 6 GHz band to swiftly enhance the peak throughput of WiFi, which will have a significant impact on industrial use cases. Consequently, discussions have arisen about the most optimal methods for utilizing the available unlicensed spectrum, ranging up to 1.2 GHz between 5.925 and 7.125 GHz, which more than doubles the bandwidth compared to the 5 GHz band alone [18].