How Wi-Fi 7 Enhances Healthcare Operations and Patient Care
Levin says that Wi-Fi 7 delivers greater performance and efficiency to decrease operational costs while supporting bandwidth-intensive healthcare applications such as telehealth, medical imaging and real-time patient monitoring.
“Its higher capacity and lower latency also improve connectivity for mobile clinical workstations, AI-assisted diagnostics and smart hospital systems that rely on continuous data, as well as enhanced security to lower the risk of cyberattacks,” she says.
Lynne Dunbrack, group vice president for public sector at IDC, says the faster, more reliable and lower-latency connectivity provided by Wi-Fi 7 is essential for mission-critical healthcare applications, high-density device environments, and advanced technologies such as AI, robotics and virtual reality.
“Improved network capabilities will enable the reimagination of the delivery of healthcare services that are digital-first through the deployment of enhanced telemedicine, videoconferencing and connected health technologies,” she says.
Considerations for a Wi-Fi 7 Deployment in Healthcare
Levin says healthcare organizations should consider growth due to AI, IoT and patient connectivity related to the increasing number of connected medical devices, smart hospital systems and digital health applications that rely on high-performance wireless networks.
“When deploying Wi-Fi 7, healthcare environments may need to upgrade the campus switching to support multigig and higher PoE to accommodate advanced medical equipment, clinical workstations and real-time monitoring systems to support higher speeds and throughputs,” she says.
Butler says it’s critical to factor in the total cost of ownership, including hardware, software and ongoing support.
He suggests considering Network as Service consumption models that offer subscription-based pricing that includes hardware, software and services.
“Find a reliable partner,” he adds. “Pick a vendor whose strategy aligns with your organization’s ethos, use cases and sustainability goals.”
LEARN MORE: Why should healthcare organizations undergo a networking health check.
Future Proof Your Network: When and Whether to Upgrade to Wi-Fi 7
Butler notes that Wi-Fi 6E delivers excellent performance and security at a slightly lower price point than Wi-Fi 7, in general.
“Some organizations prefer to deploy the latest Wi-Fi standard to future proof their network investments,” he says. “Generally, we see organizations upgrading their wireless networks every three to five years.”
He adds that many organizations also do “rolling” upgrades, in which a portion of the network is upgraded annually.
Levin says she agrees that Wi-Fi 6E can be more cost-effective and a good choice for healthcare organizations that are looking to gain more bandwidth with 6GHz but are not ready to move to Wi-Fi 7.
“However, Wi-Fi 7 is a better fit for healthcare organizations who want to take advantage of some of the new features that increase performance, security and efficiency critical for supporting AI-driven diagnostics, smart hospital systems and real-time clinical workflows,” she says.
