Are WiFi 7 routers worth having?

In the beginning, there was WiFi. And it was good.

When it debuted in 1999, wireless routers could transmit data at 2Mbps, even though average download rates were often barely a thousandth of that speed.

A global non-profit organisation known as the Wi-Fi Alliance (their hyphen, not ours) was formed to agree and implement future standards for wireless local area networks.

This Alliance drove generational improvements in WiFi, tackling issues as diverse as support for multiple devices and protection against wireless interference.

The recent news that ISP YouFibre has rolled out WiFi 7 technology in its latest residential and commercial broadband routers has taken some observers by surprise.

It also poses a question: does the seventh generation of WiFi represent a significant upgrade on the current industry-wide standard?

Six appeal

WiFi 6 arrived a few years ago, and many of its advances were only really of interest to technology geeks.

Its ability to increase maximum data transfer speeds from 6.9Gbps to 9.6Gbps made little impression on consumers, and nor did incorporation of the then-latest WPA3 security protocols.

Its introduction of simultaneous two-way communication capabilities and creation of wireless subchannels were equally technical, but these directly helped to reduce buffering and latency.

Ultimately, this is what broadband connections and wireless routers are judged on – their ability to provide stable connections amid multiple connections or network congestion.

Indeed, in the same way gigabit broadband connections far outstrip any uses we might typically place on them, WiFi 6 is also capable of far more than domestic consumers need.

Even a modest tri-band WiFi 6 router will be able to throughput data at 1Gbps across the ultrafast 6GHz frequency, which is fast enough to support almost any home network.

Until YouFibre’s announcement in August, ISPs only typically supplied WiFi 7 routers to people with line speeds in excess of gigabit connectivity – which is rare.

A WiFi 7 router can support throughput of 23Gbps, which is an order of magnitude greater than any consumer presently requires.

Nonetheless, when the final version of WiFi 7 is rolled out later this year, it will replace the short-lived sixth generation (launched as recently as 2022 after six years in development).

Seventh heaven?

As with previous evolutions in WiFi, consumers are less likely to notice significant improvements in theoretical performance than they are to simply enjoy a more reliable connection.

One benefit is the introduction of preamble puncturing – a highly technical concept which prevents WiFi channels being interfered with, by blocking off a portion of each channel.

In layman’s terms, that should mean wireless interference ceases to be much of an issue, especially alongside the ability to send and receive data over different bands and channels.

One reason not to upgrade your existing router is the cost and (in some cases) physical size of these new routers, while another is a relative lack of device compatibility.

If you have a Windows 11 or Android 13-powered device, it’ll be compatible with the new WiFi protocol, although Apple MacBooks aren’t supported; only the iPhone 16 and 17 are.

Compatibility issues will inevitably diminish over time as third-party hardware is engineered to the new standard, but right now, there seems little reason to upgrade.

Indeed, if your ISP offers you a WiFi 7 router, ensure all your home devices are compatible before signing up to the future standard of domestic broadband…