I did not assume I wanted a Wi-Fi 7 router till this occurred

It is uncommon for commentators like myself to publicly acknowledge altering their minds, however should you care concerning the reality, it is necessary to remain sincere and versatile. Info shift, particularly within the tech business. A lot of our information has to come back from leaks, since corporations aren’t prepared to say a lot publicly — and tendencies that have been as soon as set in stone can immediately swing the opposite method. Simply ask Disney how assured it is feeling about Disney+ subscriptions lately.

Because the headline suggests, I’ve turned from recommending towards Wi-Fi 7routers somewhat over a yr in the past into being a robust proponent in the present day. It is not the craziest shift — a yr is a very long time when it comes to tech cycles — however I really feel it is necessary to get the phrase on the market, since I do not need anybody appearing on my previous recommendation once they’re seeking to improve their home network. I will clarify my rationale as finest I can.

Why the change of coronary heart on Wi-Fi 7?

A shocking push

As you’d anticipate, the principle issue is value. A yr in the past, Wi-Fi 7 was just a few months previous, and router makers have been charging a premium that simply wasn’t price it for the variety of suitable units available on the market. You possibly can find yourself spending properly over $200 for a standalone router, or frankly obscene quantities for a multi-unit mesh system. It was most likely price it for patrons with ample money and a necessity for futureproofing, however there was no rush for the remainder of us when Wi-Fi 6 and 6E have been functioning simply tremendous. Actually I am nonetheless utilizing a mesh system I purchased in 2022 (the Eero Professional 6E) with none main complaints.

In current instances, the costs for WI-Fi 7 routers have dropped significantly. You continue to get what you pay for, nevertheless it’s not onerous in any respect to discover a respectable standalone router for lower than $200, and even $150. I would advocate spending upwards of $500 if you are going to decide up a mesh bundle, however that is really a fairly whole lot for one thing that may blanket a three-story home. I paid much more for my very own gear.

I have been genuinely shocked at how aggressive costs have turn out to be. You may already discover a barebones Wi-Fi 7 router for lower than $100, which can be tremendous should you’re in an house with only one or two folks. By the point the vacation 2025 purchasing season rolls round, I would anticipate extra routers to slide underneath that barrier, at the very least if excessive US tariffs do not get in the best way. Chalk it as much as economies of scale — it is most likely more and more low-cost to fabricate Wi-Fi 7 parts.

Concurrently, cellphone, pill, and pc makers have been ramping up the variety of suitable merchandise. Aside from the 16e, all of Apple’s newest iPhones assist Wi-Fi 7, and it is seemingly that the majority Macs and iPads will comply with go well with the following time they get a refresh. In the meantime, the tech has more and more turn out to be de facto for Home windows computer systems, to the purpose that I’d robotically transfer on if I noticed 6E talked about in a brand new PC’s specs. As I hinted a second in the past, 6E stays tremendous to make use of in 2025 — however until your finances is tight, there is no sense limiting your self with new purchases when higher tech is so extensively accessible. You may very well find yourself spending extra ultimately in case your Wi-Fi begins holding you again.

Why Wi-Fi 7 issues a lot

A basic leap ahead

Though Wi-Fi 6 was a major enchancment over Wi-Fi 5 — significantly when you have numerous smart home equipment — Wi-Fi 6E was an incremental development. It added a sooner 6GHz radio, however that was about it. In lots of circumstances, the 6GHz band is not even that helpful. Its vary is so quick that it may not prolong far past the room a router is in. Most 6E site visitors nonetheless operates over the two.4 and 5GHz bands.

Wi-Fi 7 can doubtlessly make an enormous distinction. For one factor, it expands the overall bandwidth of your community from 9.6Gbps to a whopping 46Gbps. And because of enhancements like Mult-Hyperlink Operation, particular person units can obtain speeds close to 5.8Gbps. Over Wi-Fi 6E, you are fortunate if a tool reaches 1 or 2Gbps. Actual-world outcomes are typically a lot decrease. Over my very own 6E community, my iPhone 16 Professional will get about 440Mbps when linked to gigabit fiber web, albeit with a streaming service or two operating within the background.

Wi Fi 7 is so highly effective that it is really overkill for many functions. You do not want that sort of throughput to browse the net, play video games, or stream video — 50Mbps is lots for a 4K film. Most landline web connections aren’t over the 1Gbps mark but, so there’s not often something like 5.8Gbps to separate over a community, not to mention 46Gbps.

The place the tech actually issues is with device-to-device connections in your personal residence. Contemplate {that a} 4K film you’ve got downloaded would possibly devour wherever between 5 and 60GB of storage, relying on its size and high quality. At 1Gbps, transferring a 60GB file from one system to a different would take about 8 minutes. However at 5.8Gbps, it could take rather less than a minute and a half, and with out placing a lot of a dent in Wi-Fi 7’s total capability.

That sort of bandwidth may turn out to be more and more necessary not only for native file sharing, however for augmented and digital actuality, that are poised to turn out to be extra mainstream within the subsequent few years because of glasses from Apple, Meta, and Google. It is one factor to push 4K video to your laptop computer — it is fairly one other to stream real-time 3D environments that mix in with the world round you, and infrequently combine different on-line providers in addition. Already, Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional customers can place persistent widgets round their residence, and setup large digital screens for his or her Macs.

In the long term, multi-gigabit web connections ought to turn out to be commonplace, at which level Wi-Fi 6 and 6E might flip into critical bottlenecks given total community masses. There is no rush to ditch your present router, nevertheless it’s positively price investing in Wi-Fi 7 in the present day in order for you a community that may maintain up by means of 2030, no matter which units you are fortunate sufficient to personal.

Protection

2500 sq ft

Variety of Gadgets Supported

200+

Pace

9.4 Gbps (wired), 4.3 Gbps (wi-fi)

Wi-Fi Protocols

Wi-Fi 7

Ports

2x 2.5GbE, 2x 10GbE

The Eero Max 7 is Amazon’s first mesh Wi-Fi system using Wi-Fi 7 know-how, delivering spectacular speeds of as much as 9.4 Gbps wired and 4.3 Gbps wirelessly, whereas supporting over 200 linked units and protecting properties as much as 7,500 sq. toes with a three-pack setup. Moreover, the Eero Max 7 serves as a wise residence hub suitable with Thread, Matter, and Zigbee units.