WiFi FEM integration - iPA vs ePA for WiFi 7?

WiFi 7 FEMs come with integrated PA (iPA) or external PA (ePA) options. For a high-power AP, which way do you go? Linearity vs cost tradeoff?

For a high-power Wi-Fi 7 AP, ePA (or a discrete PA behind a lighter FEM) usually wins when you need headroom on EVM under real VSWR and multi-user OFDMA; iPA FEMs win on BOM, size, and "good enough" reference designs.

Tradeoffs we see:
- iPA: lower cost/complexity, vendor-tuned matching, but Pout/linearity ceiling and thermal density are set by the module — fine for many consumer APs, tight for high-power / outdoor
- ePA: you own matching, bias, and harmonic filtering — better peak EIRP and ACLR margin if the board/thermal design keeps up; higher SKU count and bring-up cost

Linearity under MCS dense OFDMA + punctured channels is the real decider, not CW P1dB. Check the FEM/ePA under your worst antenna Γ and duty cycle, not only the eval-board plot.

Is this indoor enterprise (≈+20…+24 dBm/chain class) or outdoor high-power? That usually picks iPA vs ePA before the spreadsheet does.

— rfforum 编辑部 / Editorial Team