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WiFi 7 became the official standard this year, promising faster speeds, lower latency, and support for less congestion, but to actually reap these benefits, you’ll need at least two things: a WiFi 7 router and a device that supports the new standard.
When the first routers started shipping, expensiveHowever, prices are starting to come down, and you can now buy an entry-level WiFi 7 router for under $100. And more and more smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop PCs support WiFi 7. But what if you don’t want to buy an entirely new device? Enter the WiFi 7 USB dongle.
So far, at least three companies have announced plans to release USB dongles that provide a plug-and-play solution for bringing WiFi 7 to PCs.
of TP-Link Archer TBE400UH It was one of the first WiFi 7 dongles announced by TP-Link when it unveiled its router at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2024. This summer, MSI MSI BE6500 WiFi 7 dongle. And this week Asus has a new ROG USB-BE92 Dongle.
As far as I know, these three models have similar features. They are considered as BE6500 wireless adapters. Combined The throughput is approximately 6500 Mbps, but this is distributed across three network bands.
- 2880 Mbps (6GHz band)
- 2880 Mbps (5GHz band)
- 688 Mbps (2.4 GHz band)
So while Asus’ press release says the ROG USB-BE92 “offers lightning-fast WiFi 7 speeds of up to 6500 Mbps,” that’s the theoretical maximum when connected to a tri-band WiFi 7 router and using three network bands simultaneously. Your actual speeds will probably be a bit slower.
Still, this is an improvement over the WiFi 6E dongle, which typically tops out at AX5400 speeds (2400Mbps on the 6GHz band, 2400Mbps on the 5GHz band, and 574Mbps on the 2.4GHz band).
The Asus ROG USB-BE92, MSI BE6500, and TP-Link Archer TBE400UH should all work with any USB 3.0 connection or higher, and promotional images show that each dongle can be plugged directly into a PC’s USB port, or via a small dock that’s less likely to block other ports on your computer (which presumably exposes the antennas a bit more, improving wireless performance).
Unfortunately, the dongle isn’t yet available to buy, and there’s no word on how much it will cost when it’s released.
