Wi-Fi 7 in the enterprise: what matured in 2026

On 10 September 2026 Dell'Oro Group reported that Wi-Fi 7 accounted for more than half of the enterprise WLAN market in the second quarter, in a quarter when vendors shipped a record of over 10 million enterprise access points. Three months earlier the figure had been 37 per cent of indoor access points shipped, with Cisco, Ubiquiti and Huawei leading Wi-Fi 7. Dell'Oro now expects Wi-Fi 7 adoption to keep rising into 2028, with the first Wi-Fi 8 revenue possible from 2027. For buyers, that means Wi-Fi 7 is the default choice for new deployments rather than an early-adopter option.

What has settled down

The first thing that has matured is the wired side. Dell'Oro reported that vendors shipped more multigigabit and 10 Gbps access points than ever, and noted in June that this is adding demand on campus switches. A Wi-Fi 7 refresh is therefore, in most buildings, also an access-switch question.

The second is power. Cisco's access point power guide, updated in October 2026, gives maximum draws of 47 W for the CW9178I, 41 W for the CW9172H, 39 W for the CW9176 and 32 W for the CW9172I. On 802.3at (30 W) the larger models still run, but with reduced radio chains, a slower multigigabit port and the USB port disabled; the CW9176, for example, keeps 4x4 on 5 GHz and 6 GHz but drops to 2.5 Gbps. Software has narrowed the gap: Cisco now supports multi-link operation in low and medium power modes on the 9176 and 9178 from recent IOS XE releases, although the guide quotes different minimum versions in different places.

The third is portfolio coverage. Outdoor models are now available, including Cisco's CW9177 announced in June, and Dell'Oro says outdoor AP revenue has outgrown the overall market in seven of the last eight quarters.

What has not settled is price. In June Dell'Oro reported that several vendors had raised WLAN list prices because memory costs had climbed with AI infrastructure demand; in September it said average selling prices had risen only moderately so far but were expected to keep rising, that enterprises had ordered early to get ahead of increases, and that lead times remain variable.

What it means for buyers

Specify Wi-Fi 7 for new projects and budget the switch ports with it: count how many APs need 2.5G, 5G or 10G uplinks and full 802.3bt power, because running them on 30 W PoE+ ports gives up radio chains and uplink speed. Name the exact AP model and mounting (internal or external antennas, indoor or outdoor), the management mode and the licence term. Quotations are likely to move with memory prices, so ask for validity dates and consider placing orders for committed phases early. InTechnologies can quote Wi-Fi 7 access points together with the PoE switching to run them.