Wi-Fi 7 is Here: Should You Upgrade Your Home Router Now?

The Wi-Fi Alliance officially certified the new Wi-Fi 7 standard in January 2024. If you have been shopping for networking gear recently, you have likely seen “Wi-Fi 7” plastered across the boxes of the newest routers. While the promised speeds are undeniably impressive, deciding whether to spend your money on this new technology right now requires a closer look at your current home network and your daily devices.

What Makes Wi-Fi 7 Faster?

Wi-Fi 7, technically known as IEEE 802.11be, is designed to deliver extremely high throughput. On paper, it can hit theoretical maximum speeds of up to 46 Gbps. That is roughly 4.8 times faster than Wi-Fi 6. However, theoretical maximums are rarely achieved in a normal home environment. The true value of Wi-Fi 7 comes from three major structural upgrades to how it handles wireless traffic.

First, Wi-Fi 7 introduces 320 MHz channel widths. Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E maxed out at 160 MHz channels. You can think of this like widening a physical highway. By doubling the width of the data channel on the 6GHz band, routers can push twice as much data at the exact same time. This is especially useful for heavy downloads or streaming massive 8K video files.

Second, the new standard features 4K QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). Wi-Fi 6 used 1024 QAM. This upgrade allows the router to pack 20 percent more data into every single signal transmission. The signals are denser, meaning more information arrives at your device in less time.

Finally, Wi-Fi 7 brings a game-changing feature called Multi-Link Operation (MLO). Older routers force your device to choose a single band: either 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz. If your device wanders too far from the router, it has to disconnect from the 5GHz band and reconnect to the 2.4GHz band, causing a slight delay. MLO allows a compatible device to connect to multiple bands simultaneously. It can send and receive data across the 5GHz and 6GHz bands at the exact same time. This drastically reduces latency, which is a massive benefit for competitive online gaming and virtual reality headsets like the Meta Quest 3.

Do Your Current Devices Support Wi-Fi 7?

A new router cannot magically upgrade the hardware inside your current smartphone or laptop. To get the benefits of Wi-Fi 7, both the router and the receiving device must feature Wi-Fi 7 computer chips.

As of mid-2024, the list of supported devices is very short. If you want to use Wi-Fi 7 today, you need a flagship device. Smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the OnePlus 12, and the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro support the new standard. For PC users, some premium laptops released in 2024 are shipping with Intel BE200 network cards.

However, the vast majority of devices currently in your home do not support it. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro uses Wi-Fi 6E. Your smart home devices, such as Ring doorbells or Philips Hue hubs, generally use older Wi-Fi 4 or Wi-Fi 5 chips because they require very little bandwidth. Your current smart TV and gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X also do not have Wi-Fi 7 chips. If you buy a Wi-Fi 7 router today, you will likely only have one or two devices that can actually take advantage of its top-tier features.

The Cost of Upgrading Today

Being an early adopter of technology is always expensive, and Wi-Fi 7 is no exception. Networking companies are currently pricing these new routers for power users and enthusiasts.

If you have a large home and need a mesh network, the prices can cause sticker shock. The Netgear Orbi 970 series costs around $2,300 for a three-pack system. The Eero Max 7 mesh system retails for about $1,700 for a three-pack. TP-Link offers the Deco BE85 mesh system for roughly $1,000. Even standalone routers, like the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 designed for gamers, can cost $800.

These prices will drop over the next two years as the technology becomes standard. Right now, you are paying a massive premium just to be first in line.

How Fast is Your Current Internet Plan?

Before you buy a highly capable router, you must check the speed of the internet package you currently pay for. Your Wi-Fi can never be faster than the hardwired connection coming into your house from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

If you pay Comcast or Spectrum for a standard 500 Mbps download plan, buying an $800 router will not make your internet any faster than 500 Mbps. A Wi-Fi 6 router that costs $100 can easily handle those speeds.

To truly benefit from Wi-Fi 7, you need a multi-gigabit fiber internet connection. ISPs like AT&T, Google Fiber, and Verizon Fios are rolling out 2 Gbps and 5 Gbps home internet plans in select cities. If you are paying for a 5 Gbps fiber connection, then a Wi-Fi 7 router makes perfect sense. It has the multi-gig ethernet ports and the wireless capacity to actually distribute that massive amount of bandwidth around your house.

The Final Verdict on Upgrading

For 95 percent of people, upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 right now is a waste of money. The routers are incredibly expensive, your current devices cannot use the new features, and your ISP plan is likely not fast enough to require the extra bandwidth. A high-quality Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E router will serve you perfectly well for the next few years.

You should only upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 today if you meet specific criteria. If you just upgraded to a 2 Gbps or faster fiber internet plan, and you have a brand new smartphone or laptop that supports the new standard, the investment makes sense. It is also a reasonable purchase if you frequently transfer massive files between computers on your local network (like editing 4K video directly from a local home server).

Otherwise, wait. By 2025 or 2026, Wi-Fi 7 will be standard in most mid-range devices, and the routers will cost a fraction of what they do today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wi-Fi 7 backwards compatible with older devices? Yes. If you buy a Wi-Fi 7 router, it will still connect perfectly to your older laptops, smartphones, and smart home gadgets. Those older devices will simply connect using their original Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 speeds.

Will Wi-Fi 7 go through walls better than older routers? Not necessarily. The fastest speeds of Wi-Fi 7 rely on the 6GHz band. Higher frequency bands like 6GHz struggle to penetrate solid objects like brick walls or thick doors compared to the older 2.4GHz band. To get the absolute best speeds, you need to be in the same room as the router.

What is the difference between Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7? Wi-Fi 6E opened up the brand new 6GHz frequency band to relieve network congestion. Wi-Fi 7 uses that same 6GHz band but adds 320 MHz channel widths and Multi-Link Operation. This allows Wi-Fi 7 to send much more data over that 6GHz band than Wi-Fi 6E ever could.