Connectivity
What is Wi-Fi 7, and is it worth it?
Wi-Fi 7 is the seventh generation of Wi-Fi (the IEEE 802.11be standard). Compared with Wi-Fi 6, it adds wider channels of up to 320 MHz, denser modulation (4096-QAM), and Multi-Link Operation, which uses several bands at once for more speed and stability. Both the router and the device must support Wi-Fi 7.
What is new
320 MHz channels in the 6 GHz band: twice the maximum width of Wi-Fi 6, for more speed at short range. Availability of the 6 GHz band depends on each country's regulations.
Multi-Link Operation (MLO): the device connects over two or more bands at the same time, which reduces dropouts and latency when one band is congested.
When you will notice it
If your internet plan is modest, Wi-Fi 7 will not make it faster: the bottleneck is the connection, not the Wi-Fi.
It shows most on networks with many devices, on transfers inside the home (for example, to a network drive), and in games or video calls, where lower latency helps.
What to check before you buy
- To use it you need a Wi-Fi 7 router and a Wi-Fi 7 phone or laptop.
- If your internet is slow, a good Wi-Fi 6 router performs almost the same.
- Wi-Fi 7 devices also connect to Wi-Fi 6 and older networks.
Guides to help you choose
Frequently asked questions
It does not raise the speed you pay your provider for. It improves your home network: more capacity, less interference, and lower latency.