Are you ready to upgrade? Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 are here!
Are you ready to upgrade? Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 are here!
Hello, good evening. Wi-Fi 7 is becoming more common: it offers faster speeds, but does it also provide a longer range compared to Wi-Fi 6? What matters most to you about Wi-Fi 6 or 7? How do you typically use the network? Have you already made the switch? I look forward to your response. Best regards.
Perhaps in newer endpoint gadgets but not widely used by most router and AP owners. Little relevance. My wireless gadgets include smart devices, phones, tablets, and laptops. None of them require the bandwidth that Wi-Fi 6 provides. For critical devices, they’re all connected via cables.
I focus on wifi performance when typical internet rates surpass them. The main reason wifi speeds improve is to prevent industry stagnation and to give a few engineers more justification for their roles and earnings. This leads to situations where PCBs operate at 100x higher speeds without any devices using them.
This question explores Apple's approach to technology, specifically whether Wi-Fi 6 performance meets expectations.
WiFi 7 isn’t yet common... WiFi 6 is only just starting to spread. For humor, this includes all devices on my network—mostly IoT gadgets, with a few Wi-Fi 6 models like my iPhone and MacBook, plus the LG G3 TV. I don’t have any Wi-Fi 6 devices at the moment. My Macbook M3 is only 6e, which is considered cutting-edge since it launched earlier this year.
I don't rely on WiFi 6 or even WiFi 7 in my home. My setup is simple—no devices have those advanced antennas. The only ones with WiFi 6 are my phone, router, laptop, and desktop. The desktop uses a wired connection, so it doesn’t matter much. For the others, the signal is weak outside the same room, making WiFi 5 more than sufficient. It’s not worth the hassle unless I upgrade to a better antenna or a stronger access point. Right now, WiFi 6 feels unnecessary because my needs are mostly for streaming and browsing, not heavy data tasks.
I changed from three WiFi 5 routers/APs (AC-1200 to AC-1800) to four WiFi 6 ASUS ZenWifi AX mini APs in AP mode mainly because... I couldn't get my 5 GHz system to stay in AP only. I could buy three mini APs for around $100, but I needed a quicker 5 GHz backhaul for one of them. Why not WiFi 6E or 7? None of my devices support the 6 GHz band, none are WiFi 7, they're pricier, and I don't require high speeds (20-200 Mbps) or internal network needs. The signal performance is similar, maybe better, since my model handles QAM up to 1024 instead of just 256. This should improve coverage in the 2.4 GHz range too, considering one AP near a corner can stream a simple 720p YouTube video to a phone 250 feet away.
It’s not about the average—it’s about what works for you. My internet already runs faster than WiFi 6, just slightly. The provider plans to switch to 2Gbit, but there are still problems. My desktop boots up quicker than Gigabit on a stable wired connection, balancing between FTTP and 5G. Steam Deck struggles because its CPU bottlenecks performance, making WiFi speeds irrelevant. The MacBook Pro lags due to outdated chip technology, slowing file transfers even when connected.