WiFi 7 is here, but routers are expensive. Do you still need it?

As WiFi technology evolves, so do your home networks. For those of you who use your own router rather than your internet provider’s hardware, there comes a time when you have to make a decision about whether it’s worth upgrading to the latest and greatest.

We’re currently in one of those stages, as the powers that be have given their blessing to the new WiFi protocol 802.11be, or more familiarly known as WiFi 7, this month. We’re working with the Austin-based WiFi Alliance. The consortium of high-tech companies developing the standard began certifying devices that work with it on January 8th. The alliance predicts that by the end of 2024, there will be 233 million WiFi 7-enabled devices in the world.

WiFi 7 offers great benefits for users on congested networks who need the best performance. Also, both the WiFi router and the device that communicates with the router must support his WiFi 7, which means purchasing new hardware.

And at this point, that also means your pockets need to be deep.

Routers sold as WiFi 7-enabled started appearing after last year’s CES Technology Show, but they were very expensive. At the same time, a tweaked version of WiFi 6 (802.11ax), known as WiFi 6E, is becoming mainstream. Now that WiFi 7 is official and devices are being certified, those shopping for high-end wireless hardware are faced with a dilemma.

Should you spend your money on the current mainstream standard, or should you spend it more (perhaps significantly) in the name of future-proofing, speed, and reliability? In other words, your true What are your needs and how much are you willing to pay for them?

It helps you take a step back and look at the entire ecosystem surrounding your home internet, from your internet connection and its provider, to your router and the devices it relies on, to your online behavior.

For the past 18 months or so, WiFi 6 has been the dominant feature in most home routers, both those purchased by users and those provided by internet providers. This product released in 2019 has two radio bands. 5 GHz is faster, but it doesn’t go very far. 2.4 GHz is not as fast, but it covers a wider range. WiFi 6 is a huge improvement over the previous generation, and the total network speed can be triple that of WiFi 5.

WiFi 6E was approved in 2021 and added a third radio band, 6 GHz, to the existing standard. It’s capable of even faster speeds and is on a less crowded frequency than 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, so there’s less interference. This 6 GHz band makes a big difference. With the Amazon eero WiFi 6E router, download speeds on a 6E-enabled iPhone 15 Pro Max are close to 1.2 Gbit/s. With a WiFi 6 router, the maximum I got was around 800-900 Mbit/s.

Early 6E routers were expensive, but with more smartphones, tablets, and PCs adopting 6E routers in 2022 (Apple finally joined the 6E crowd last September with the iPhone 15 series), there are more options. has increased and prices have decreased.

Additionally, internet providers have started offering 6E gateways. Comcast ran a marketing campaign in 2022 that included billboards, centered around the XB8 modem and router combination. I reviewed it in April 2022 and said it was fast but had some bugs that have since been fixed (see houstonchronicle.com/xb8).

AT&T is still using WiFi 6 in the top-tier gateways it provides to customers on its fiber-optic network, said Josh Goodell, the company’s vice president of broadband products. Goodell said AT&T has chosen to skip WiFi 6E and plans to jump to it at some point, adding that he considers 6E to be a “half step” in WiFi development.

“When deciding to adopt a new WiFi protocol, we take into account many things, including what our customers are doing online and what devices they have,” he said. Currently, WiFi 6 is the mainstream. Also, AT&T offers its own WiFi extenders, security and monitoring services, and support apps based on its own hardware, so switching to the new WiFi protocol isn’t easy.

Comcast declined to answer questions about how it decided to move to next-generation WiFi in its gateways.

As mentioned earlier, WiFi 7 routers have been available for about a year, but they are sold with a standard draft version installed and may or may not receive formal certification. . Prices approach $1,000 in some cases, and while that cost is coming down, it’s still more expensive than most WiFi 6E routers.

Why is WiFi 7 worth considering?

Like the 6E, WiFi 7 supports 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands. The radio band is divided into channels, and if there are seven, those channels are wider and can carry more data. For example, 6E supports 160 MHz channels, while 7 doubles that to 320 MHz.

One of 7’s biggest advances is called Multilink Operations (MLO). This allows devices to connect to multiple channels and bands simultaneously. This means that if you move with your smartphone, for example, your router may use multiple links to maintain connection quality. It also helps reduce lag and lag, which is important for gaming and virtual reality.

Of course, you’ll need a WiFi 7 compatible device to get these benefits. There are already smartphones that support WiFi 7. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series of smartphones, announced last week, supports WiFi 7, as does the upcoming OnePlus 12 lineup. And while Apple typically delays adoption of the latest WiFi standards by a year or two, there are already rumors circulating that WiFi 7 will be included in this year’s iPhone 16 phones. .

If you have a home with multiple heavy internet users, people playing games, watching 4K or 8K video, or enjoying virtual or mixed reality, you’re probably using WiFi, especially if you’re going to be using your router for a while. 7 should be considered. People tend to update their mobile phones, PCs, and other devices frequently. Multi-gigabit internet service is also required.

Everyone else: Hold on to your wallet until prices come down and more WiFi 7 devices become available.