Jared
Mar 19, 2025
Do I Need Wi-Fi 7?
📶 Wi-Fi 5 vs Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 7
🧩 At a Glance
Feature | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) |
Release Year | 2014 | 2019 | 2024 (officially rolling out) |
Max Theoretical Speed | ~3.5 Gbps | ~9.6 Gbps | Up to 46 Gbps |
Frequency Bands | 5 GHz | 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz | 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz + 6 GHz |
Channel Width | 80 / 160 MHz | 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 MHz | Up to 320 MHz |
MIMO Support | MU-MIMO (Downlink only) | MU-MIMO (Uplink + Downlink) | Enhanced MU-MIMO (more streams) |
OFDMA Support | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ (Enhanced) |
Latency | Moderate | Low | Ultra-low |
Beamforming | ✅ | ✅ (More advanced) | ✅ (Refined & faster) |
Backward Compatible? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
🚀 Capabilities
✅ Wi-Fi 5
Good for HD streaming & basic gaming
Relies heavily on 5GHz only
Struggles with congestion in dense areas
✅ Wi-Fi 6
Handles multiple users/devices better
Improved speeds in crowded spaces
Longer battery life (Target Wake Time)
✅ Wi-Fi 7
Ideal for AR/VR, 8K streaming, cloud gaming
Ultra-fast multi-gig speeds
Extremely low latency
Multi-Link Operation (MLO): combines bands for better performance
⚠️ Limitations
❌ Wi-Fi 5
No support for 2.4GHz
Not efficient in multi-device environments
Older MU-MIMO (downlink only)
❌ Wi-Fi 6
Still limited to 160 MHz channels
Benefits only fully realized with Wi-Fi 6-compatible devices
❌ Wi-Fi 7
Expensive early adoption cost
Requires Wi-Fi 7-capable routers & devices to benefit
6GHz band may be restricted in some regions
📱 Device Compatibility
📡 Wi-Fi 5 Devices
Older laptops (2015–2019)
PS4, Xbox One
iPhone 6 to X
Most smart TVs pre-2020
📡 Wi-Fi 6 Devices
iPhone 11 and newer
Samsung Galaxy S10 and newer
PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Modern laptops with Intel AX200/201 chips
📡 Wi-Fi 7 Devices
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Xiaomi 14 Pro
Laptops with Intel BE200/BE202 chipsets
High-end 2024+ routers (e.g., TP-Link Archer BE800)
🧠 Choosing the Right One
Usage Scenario | Best Wi-Fi Version |
General browsing/streaming | Wi-Fi 5 or 6 |
Smart homes with many devices | Wi-Fi 6 |
4K/8K Streaming & gaming | Wi-Fi 6 or 7 |
VR/AR, AI apps, future-proofing | Wi-Fi 7 |
🔚 Bottom Line:
You Need… | Get… |
Basic performance on older devices | Wi-Fi 5 |
Balanced power, speed, and smart home handling | Wi-Fi 6 |
Top-tier performance for the future | Wi-Fi 7 |
If you'd like to look into options that will improve your Wi-Fi experience at your business, reach out by phone: 801-373-7779, email von@hello1983.com, or using this link:
Phone
801-373-7779