When Apple added network specifications to the iPhone 16 series, it was certainly not the first company to launch a device that supports Wi-Fi 7. However, as millions of people upgrade to devices that support Wi-Fi 7, awareness and adoption of this network standard are about to reach a new high. People who pay more attention to the Internet have long known about the existence of Wi-Fi 7, but more people will want to know whether this standard will make wired networks obsolete for most homes. So, if you have the right Internet tariff package and hardware, can you give up the Internet line?
I already have a Wi-Fi 7 router and device, do I still need to keep a wired network?
The answer to whether we should give up on wired networks is complicated. Yes, Wi-Fi 7 offers theoretical speeds that exceed almost any home Ethernet solution, as they typically top out at 10Gb. If you have a fiber optic connection, a Wi-Fi 7 router, and a Wi-Fi 7-enabled device, under ideal conditions you’ll get speeds that match or exceed your wired connection. That being said, there are a lot of issues with wireless connections that Wi-Fi 7 can’t solve, such as congestion, interference, etc. Let’s break everything down.
Everything you need to take advantage of Wi-Fi 7
A Wi-Fi standard’s top speed represents the absolute best speed it can perform under ideal conditions. If you’re expecting this level of performance at home, you’re going to be in for a disappointing experience. Various bottlenecks and limitations can hinder the experience and cause obstacles, not just for Wi-Fi 7 but also for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, most importantly from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) network you’re using.
Assuming you have a super-fast internet plan, it’s worth exploring the world of Wi-Fi 7. With the right equipment, there are a growing number of routers and consumer devices that support Wi-Fi 7, including the iPhone 16 and some high-end gaming laptops. If your computers and mobile devices support Wi-Fi 7, it may be worth investing in router hardware. You should know that most wireless devices won’t support Wi-Fi 7 to begin with, and upgraded models may take years to become available. Furthermore, if a single part of the entire network connection cannot provide high-speed connectivity, then all the efforts will be wasted and pointless.
How fast is Wi-Fi 7?
The wireless network is fast, with a theoretical top rate of 46Gbps in the specs, and real-world performance will certainly deliver lower speeds, but still very fast for a wireless connection. Considering that the Wi-Fi 6 specification has a maximum speed of 9.6Gbps, Wi-Fi 7 represents a significant improvement and is nearly 5 times faster than Wi-Fi 6. Home users typically don’t get network speeds as fast as those found in data centers and large enterprise deployments.
Wi-Fi 7 can theoretically exceed wired speeds if you use the Cat-5 or Cat-6 cables most commonly found in homes. Support for 40Gbps Cat-8 cables will bring Ethernet speeds closer to Wi-Fi 7, but Cat-8 is still rare in homes.
No, you shouldn’t throw away the Ethernet line yet
The raw speeds offered by Wi-Fi 7 sound incredible, but Wi-Fi 7 still isn’t a standard that makes you ditch wired connections entirely. There are a few reasons for this, starting with the fact that only a small percentage of people have access to high-speed internet plans and are even able to take advantage of Wi-Fi 7 speeds remotely. So, for most people, a Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E router is just as good as a Wi-Fi 7 router. And, 10Gig wired connections will beat Wi-Fi 6E wireless connections.
However, this is only a relatively small detail in the great plan. More importantly, Wi-Fi 7 does not solve the problems of coverage, interference, and congestion. If you live in a home with IoT devices, smart home products, mobile devices, and PCs, there are likely over 100 devices on your home wireless network. All of these devices can bog down your network, significantly reducing Wi-Fi 7’s theoretical speeds, and there are still issues with interference from thick walls and coverage on large properties, which can also slow down speeds.
If you only need to connect one or two devices to an Ethernet cable, it helps reduce overall congestion on the network, which is why even if you have Wi-Fi 7, Ethernet cables aren’t going extinct anytime soon. The days of using Ethernet cables for faster gaming connections are over because Wi-Fi is more than up to the challenge, but because wired networks don’t have the congestion, dropouts, and other problems that are common with wireless networks, our usual advice remains the same if you want the speed and stability of your gaming experience: use a wired network if you can.
Source: KOCPC Chinese