Question do you recommend to buy a WiFi 7 router?

[thedighubs]

good day dear experts - hello dear friends,

do you recommend to buy a WiFi 7 router?

well the question is: What are the major differences.

and furthermore: Is it backward-compatible with older WiFi standards like 4 (802.11n) and so forth?
I’m planning on buying a Wifi 7router.

Also, is WiFi 7 more secure than older versions - older Wifi Versions?

 

[Muadib]

How many devices do you own that can use WiFi 7?
Read this for info on Wifi 7.

Wi-Fi 7 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[JackMDS]

In case of WIFI it is not really possible to give a good answer without knowing what are the computing Need, the network size and use, and the physical enviroment that the WIFI need to operate in..

If there is Not any really special Needs any, Router on this page that cost more than $200 is a waste money.

Routers Compare

 

[Muadib]

In case of WIFI it is not really possible to give a good answer without knowing what are the computing Need, the network size and use, and the physical enviroment that the WIFI need to operate in..

If there is Not any really special Needs any, Router on this page that cost more than $200 is a waste money.

Routers Compare

Money be damned!!! He's got the need, the need for speed!!!

 

[manly]

In case of WIFI it is not really possible to give a good answer without knowing what are the computing Need, the network size and use, and the physical enviroment that the WIFI need to operate in..

If there is Not any really special Needs any, Router on this page that cost more than $200 is a waste money.

Routers Compare

Almost certainly a waste of money at this time (but I'm pretty frugal). In the past, I like to buy slightly older WiFi gear and save money. I think my N router was about $22 back in the day, and performed admirably for years even though it had no external antennas.
My current WiFi 5 router was about $65ish a few years ago, which is kind of a splurge for me. No imminent plans to replace it.

WiFi gear has exploded in price at the top end IMO, and you see crazy stuff like "high end" WiFi 7 routers that look like UAPs for $400 or more.

With a lot of consumer tech, we've advanced into the diminishing returns category already. Can most people tell the difference between WiFi 5 and 7? Between 4K and 8K video? Between a "flagship" phone and a good mid-ranger? Between an iPad Air and an iPad Pro? Most consumers cannot tell the difference.
The (desktop) PC market itself has been stagnant for a while, outside of enthusiasts and content creators. There is little actual impetus for upgrading hardware except that MS is actively trying to kill off Win10.

It might be understandable if manufacturers didn't jack up the prices of WiFi 7 gear so much, so I'm definitely waiting it out. Note that the OP is running Linux on a Sandy Bridge era laptop and asked if a new WiFi 7 router is backwards compatible with wireless N. So the circumstantial evidence leads to a resounding "NO" to an expensive WiFi 7 router.

 

[Muadib]

Ubiquiti AP devices aren't priced too bad. That would be my upgrade path if I had any Wifi 7 devices.

Ubiquiti Store

Rethinking IT

store.ui.com

 

[dlerious]

Ubiquiti AP devices aren't priced too bad. That would be my upgrade path if I had any Wifi 7 devices.

Ubiquiti Store

Rethinking IT

store.ui.com

Currently having a sale on some items.
video for beginners

 

[DaaQ]

Currently having a sale on some items.
video for beginners

Just grabbed one, wife seems to have issues on her side of the room with the Wifi6 AP at other end of hallway. Granted she does have a 65" TV kinda of in the line of sight. So I though I would be good and put an AP in our room. She does have a wifi 7 device, I will soon with new AM5 mobo. Although I am going to try and get the spf the ethernet working again on the DMP.

 

[DaaQ]

I hate making terminations, HATE IT

 

[mindless1]

Meh, I'm good with a (2 actually) wifi 5 routers running DD-WRT.

If you have a high concurrent access with wifi 7 capable clients, or even wifi 6 then it can make sense. It is your money, what deficiency are you hoping to address????

It has nothing to do with security, that is all about the settings and whatever you buy, supports, not the wifi version.

Better question is what exactly are you hoping to address? What are the needs you have that aren't working well with ( what is it?) that you already have?

 

[DaaQ]

Meh, I'm good with a (2 actually) wifi 5 routers running DD-WRT.

If you have a high concurrent access with wifi 7 capable clients, or even wifi 6 then it can make sense. It is your money, what deficiency are you hoping to address????

It has nothing to do with security, that is all about the settings and whatever you buy, supports, not the wifi version.

Better question is what exactly are you hoping to address? What are the needs you have that aren't working well with ( what is it?) that you already have?

The wife's supposed dead zone where she sits on the bed. There is now no reason at all that she can complain her wifi drops off in that location. (sorry about the double spacing started after a windows update)

Anyway have a UA6 LR at the end of the hallway, 6 rooms total to the end of hallway where our room is. (she just had to have the 65" tv mounted on the wall directly in front of her side of bed) She doesn't believe that is blocking and of the wifi signal. I never have an issue but edge of my side of bed is where door opens into our bedroom. (I said I would switch sides, NOPE gotta have me in between the door opening and where she sleeps incase someone managed to make in all the way in and down the hallway to our room lmao)

Her phone is actually a wifi7 device, and my new PC im working on has a wifi 7 external antenna attaches to mobo. I usually use ethernet, new mobo has 5GB rj45 port on it. but all my gear is 1GB networking.
Won't matter ISP isn't past 1.2M down and still provisioned for 60 up, although the new stuff is coming south pretty quickly, our upstream currently can support I think capacity said 200M upload. OFDMA is stuck on low split. We are 9mhz to 40mhz on it. None of the line gear will pass 42mhz. We have alot of 40 and 42 mhz return EQ out in the field.

Crap I am rambling. Yea just addressing a complaint that her particular spot in bedroom drops wifi.

 

[mindless1]

When all else fails, nothing beats an ethernet run to a room, then a wifi access point there, assuming no other problems like wifi channel congestion from neighbors. Don't know what you've done or not, like a site survey for the wifi channels.

Additionally, you can go old school. The shorter wavelengths travel further. 2.4GHz working beats 5GHz not (working). Newer wifi standards are more about concurrent access for more than a few clients, "IF" all else were equal regarding the wifi (router/etc) quality.

Someone will surely tell you that they paid a lot for a mesh setup and that worked well for them too. Depends on the site, what is most cost effective. If cost isn't an issue, run an ethernet connection to the room even if an access point for wifi from that. A mesh setup is sort of a middle ground on cost, and if minimal effort is the goal, just buy it from a merchant with a good return policy to get your money back if it isn't enough.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Personally I would save you money and just get a cheap 802.11ac (Wifi 5). Wifi 6 didn't really add much other than easier built-in mesh networking (which you could still do under wifi 5, with proper firmware support, especially the open source firmwares like DD-WRT, and OpenWRT, but I never recommend this as any mesh network needs to use one or more of the limited wifi channels to communicate with the other mesh routers, thus ensuring you are even less likely to not be overlapping the limited channels you have available to use. A wire connection to a wifi access point is the way to go if you need to extend the range of your wifi network). There is a little more speed to be gained from Wifi 6e and Wifi 7 as it added the 6GHz frequency ranges, but only useful if all your devices are Wifi 6e or Wifi 7 with radio's that also can use the 6GHz (as many devices still only have 2.4GHz radios).

I also say if you live in any kind of congested area (i.e. condo, apartments, multi-family homes, duplexes, even single family homes that are 150 feet or less between the homes), you will almost never get the benefits of the faster networks. Wifi is a shared frequency block. If your radio and your neighbor's radio are within range of each other, in the 2.4GHz range, you will be overlapping channels if using dual channel or more (available from 802.11n (i.e. Wifi 4) and above). All devices and radio's will run at the speed of the slowest protocol wifi device communicating over that channel, so even if you have all Wifi 6 devices and using the 2.4GHz range, but a neighbor has a old 802.11b because they still like playing a Nintendo DS, well, everything will slow down to 802.11b speeds because of that one device that is communicating over the shared channel...

 

[thedighubs]

hi there - good day dear manly hello dear all ,



thank you for the reply and for the sharing of your ideas, thoughts and for all the considerations to this topic. Well to be frank; i am glad - to read your tipps since i am not too familiar with the differences of wifi6 and wifi7.

that said i am glad to hear from you - to get help. Many thanks also for the links to the tech documents! Very helpful. I will digg deeper there - and will read the docs

thank you manly:

With a lot of consumer tech, we've advanced into the diminishing returns category already. Can most people tell the difference between WiFi 5 and 7? Between 4K and 8K video? Between a "flagship" phone and a good mid-ranger? Between an iPad Air and an iPad Pro? Most consumers cannot tell the difference.
The (desktop) PC market itself has been stagnant for a while, outside of enthusiasts and content creators. There is little actual impetus for upgrading hardware except that MS is actively trying to kill off Win10.

okay - i understand. : Well as far as i understand - you think that the specific part of the wifi 7 is not tooo much neceessary here. In fact i am only a ordinary internet user - and i do not need too much the specific things that a wifi 7 might offer..

It might be understandable if manufacturers didn't jack up the prices of WiFi 7 gear so much, so I'm definitely waiting it out. Note that the OP is running Linux on a Sandy Bridge era laptop and asked if a new WiFi 7 router is backwards compatible with wireless N. So the circumstantial evidence leads to a resounding "NO" to an expensive WiFi 7 router.

Agreed - the wifi7 router - iot is a bit more expensive.

many thanks also to @Fallen Kell

Personally I would save you money and just get a cheap 802.11ac (Wifi 5). Wifi 6 didn't really add much other than easier built-in mesh networking (which you could still do under wifi 5, with proper firmware support, especially the open source firmwares like DD-WRT, and OpenWRT, but I never recommend this as any mesh network needs to use one or more of the limited wifi channels to communicate with the other mesh routers, thus ensuring you are even less likely to not be overlapping the limited channels you have available to use.

oookay - i undersand.
BTW: the mention of DD-WRT and also OpenWRT is very interesting i tink i should do some more readings and futher investigations here. Thanks alot!!!

A wire connection to a wifi access point is the way to go if you need to extend the range of your wifi network). There is a little more speed to be gained from Wifi 6e and Wifi 7 as it added the 6GHz frequency ranges, but only useful if all your devices are Wifi 6e or Wifi 7 with radio's that also can use the 6GHz (as many devices still only have 2.4GHz radios).

Thank you!

Also many thanks to Mindless1 and DaaQ

i am glad to be here in this forum. Its a true place of idea-exchange and knowledge transfer - and a big bit place of inspiration for me in all things tech!!!

thank you - keeep up the great place - it rocks

 

[DaaQ]

hi there - good day dear manly hello dear all ,



thank you for the reply and for the sharing of your ideas, thoughts and for all the considerations to this topic. Well to be frank; i am glad - to read your tipps since i am not too familiar with the differences of wifi6 and wifi7.

that said i am glad to hear from you - to get help. Many thanks also for the links to the tech documents! Very helpful. I will digg deeper there - and will read the docs

thank you manly:

okay - i understand. : Well as far as i understand - you think that the specific part of the wifi 7 is not tooo much neceessary here. In fact i am only a ordinary internet user - and i do not need too much the specific things that a wifi 7 might offer..



Agreed - the wifi7 router - iot is a bit more expensive.


many thanks also to @Fallen Kell




oookay - i undersand.
BTW: the mention of DD-WRT and also OpenWRT is very interesting i tink i should do some more readings and futher investigations here. Thanks alot!!!




Thank you!

Also many thanks to Mindless1 and DaaQ

i am glad to be here in this forum. Its a true place of idea-exchange and knowledge transfer - and a big bit place of inspiration for me in all things tech!!!

thank you - keeep up the great place - it rocks

I am running 38 concurrent devices, across 2 homes, with 3 APs, and am still not saturating a 1.2G dl 60 ul connection.

Although my modem has a 2.5 GB WAN port. I did recently switch to a negotiable SPF 1-10GB to RJ45 transceiver and now am able to achieve 1.7GB dl but I have not gotten my employee modem to be provisioned for 144MB ul to test. I hit constant 65 ul though. I am limited by my POE switch which is 1G. My pc has a 5GB ethernet port. I might be able to go higher with the WiFi 7, but don't want to deal with the RF interference.