Wi-Fi 7 was a luxury not too long ago; it is quickly becoming mainstream. As the faster wireless spec takes over and more routers come to market boasting Wi-Fi 7 technology, we’re also seeing attractive price drops. This makes Wi-Fi 7 more accessible than ever, giving homeowners the opportunity to upgrade their home Wi-Fi and enjoy its benefits.

What is Wi-Fi 7?

How does it differ from Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E?

First, let’s take a look at what Wi-Fi 7 is. Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E were introduced in 2019 and 2020, respectively, offering the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, Wi-Fi 6E adding the 6GHz as well. This ensures that your numerous connected devices can access the internet and perform their tasks more efficiently. It’s like changing from a single-lane highway to a double-lane one (three-lane with Wi-Fi 6E) to accommodate more cars (devices and activities) to flow through freely without congestion. Wi-Fi 7 entered the mix in 2024, offering faster speeds and more capacity.

This is achieved through the addition of the 320MHz channel bandwidth, 4K-QAM, and Multi-Link Operation (MLO). To use a similar analogy, it’s not just a multi-lane highway, but one with newly paved roads and soft, curving off-ramps for a smooth ride. They can be dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) or tri-band (including 6GHz). Thus, while Wi-Fi 6E is still pretty great and a worthwhile upgrade, there are additional benefits with Wi-Fi 7.

The real-world benefits of Wi-Fi 7

Faster, more reliable, less latency

With the upgrades that come with Wi-Fi 7, you get max speeds of 46Gbps and, as noted, up to 320MHz channel width.

QAM helps transmit data more efficiently at higher speeds, while OFDMA ensures lower latency as well, so you’ll experience less buffering while you’re downloading large files for work and your kids are streaming TV and gaming.

With MU-MIMO, the router uses multiple antennas to communicate with several devices simultaneously rather than serving them one at a time, so there are no issues when multiple people or devices try to connect at the same time. This could be anything from a laptop to a smart TV, a smart doorbell, appliances, and more. Using the same highway analogy, it basically helps efficiently direct traffic. Plus, there are security benefits to switching to Wi-Fi 7, including stronger protection against packet sniffing and potential enhancements in encryption.

Wi-Fi 7 is backward compatible with devices that don’t support it. While you can connect, you won’t be able to enjoy the benefits of faster speeds and lower latency. However, most products introduced from 2024 onwards (technically late 2023, but very few devices did), such as the Apple iPhone 16 and later, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and laptops, do support Wi-Fi 7.

There may still be features you can’t fully unlock, such as MLO, which allows compatible devices to connect across multiple bands simultaneously. But it’s a chicken-and-egg scenario that firmware updates and device support should correct in time.

Considering the low prices of Wi-Fi 7 routers, it still makes sense to upgrade now.

Wi-Fi 7 router pricing is finally coming down

It makes upgrading even more worthwhile

While the price drops may be designed to encourage upgrading older tech, not just your router, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do so right away. The attractive prices make upgrading worthwhile, especially if you have an end-of-life router that’s on its last legs. Your devices will still work, and once you do upgrade, you will have already future-proofed connectivity. But just how low are prices getting?

For larger homes, high-end premium models like the TP-Link Deco 7 Pro, which normally sells for $500, are $400 on Amazon at the time of writing. As a mesh system, it comes with three nodes that can be placed on various floors or in rooms of a larger home to ensure consistent coverage. But if you only need a single router, another prime example is the TP-Link Archer BE550, which regularly sells for about $250 on Amazon, but it’s down to just $150, marking 40 percent off, while the TP-Link BE6500 is down from $179.99 to $114.99.

The cheapest I have seen is the TP-Link Deco 7 BE23, which sells for $99.99, but you can now get it for $71.99. A Wi-Fi 7 router for under $100 was previously unheard of, so this is huge news.

The wider point is that as more Wi-Fi 7 routers come to market, we’re bound to see more downward pressure on prices, notwithstanding these deals.

Wi-Fi 7 isn’t the future — it’s already here

Best for heavy internet users

Of course, you’ll still find more advanced Wi-Fi 7 routers at higher prices, boasting features like AI to more intelligently manage and prioritize traffic, self-diagnose issues, and more. But if you’re looking to upgrade from a much older router, especially if you have an advanced smart home or multiple, bandwidth-heavy devices performing activities like downloads, streaming, and gaming, Wi-Fi 7 is no longer a luxury that you can’t afford. With these price drops, it’s more accessible than ever. Given all the benefits you’ll immediately realize with new devices, and those you’ll experience once you upgrade your gear, it’s worth it, especially with models that come in at under $100.

The one thing nobody told me before I finally upgraded my Wi-Fi.

Brand

TP-Link

Wi-Fi Bands

2.4GHz and 5GHz

MU-MIMO

2×2

Chipset/memory

1.1 GHz Quad-Core CPU / 512 MB RAM & 128 MB Flash

The TP-Link Deco 7 BE23 is an affordable dual-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh system delivering speeds up to 3.6 Gbps. It features two 2.5 Gbps ports for multi-gigabit internet and uses Multi-Link Operation (MLO) to lower latency.