Walk into any electronics store or take a look online these days, and you'll see Wi-Fi 7 labels everywhere. You might have even heard some whispers about Wi-Fi 8 already. It's easy to get carried away by these fancy labels, but what do they actually mean for your home network? Should you spend the money to upgrade right now? Here's my cheat sheet to help you make a smart decision.
The good news is that Wi-Fi 7 – the latest widely available standard – has finally hit affordable and justifiable prices in 2025. Earlier this year, you'd have had to pay $500 or more for entry-level systems. But now, you can get solid Wi-Fi 7 mesh routers for under $300, which makes an upgrade a lot more accessible.
Quick Picks: Our Favorite Wi-Fi 7 Routers
- Best for Most People: eero Pro 7
- Best on a Budget: TP-Link Deco BE63
- Best for Large Homes: TP-Link Deco BE95
- Best for Wi-Fi Gaming: Netgear Nighthawk RS600
- Best for Ethernet Gaming: TP-Link Archer GE800
What Makes Wi-Fi 7 Different?
Wi-Fi 7 brings three major improvements over the previous Wi-Fi 6 and 6E that you'll actually notice. To begin with, it supports speeds up to 46 Gbps, theoretically. In real-world use, you can expect more like 3 to 5 Gbps with a good and affordable home setup. Your service may not be that fast, but Wi-Fi 7's speed will help with transferring data between devices in your home, like streaming from your computer to your TV, backing up to a storage device, or moving large files.
The second big thing is multi-link operation, or MLO. This basically lets your devices connect across multiple frequency bands at once, instead of just picking one like they used to. That means the newer Wi-Fi 7-enabled devices you have will be able to get better speeds more efficiently. What that means for you is lower latency (or lag) and more stable connections overall. So you'll see fewer random Wi-Fi signal drops.
Third, Wi-Fi 7 uses bigger data "highways" and packs more information into each signal. Together, these improvements mean Wi-Fi 7 is about 2-3 times faster than Wi-Fi 6 in real-world use.
Read more: How to Get Better Wi-Fi
Who Should Upgrade Now
If your network is still running on Wi-Fi 5 or anything older, Wi-Fi 7 is going to be a massive upgrade for you, but only once you have Wi-Fi 7 devices like newer phones, laptops, or tablets. You'll see huge improvements in speed and reliability, and in how many devices your network can handle without choking. For homes with gigabit internet service or faster, Wi-Fi 7 makes a lot of sense.
Now, if you already have Wi-Fi 6E, the upgrade is less urgent. Wi-Fi 6E already uses the additional 6 GHz band, which provides less interference since older devices can't use it, keeping your speeds consistently fast. So you're not missing out on that part. You'll definitely get improved performance with Wi-Fi 7, but it's not going to be noticeable unless you've got a ton of devices fighting for internet access all the time.
Gamers and people who work from home with demanding video apps like Zoom will probably notice Wi-Fi 7's lower latency pretty quickly, with fewer delays or stutters. The same goes for smart home enthusiasts who are running dozens of connected devices at once and want that instant control over their smart home, and fewer delays from dropped connections.
What to Look for in a Wi-Fi 7 Router
The tri-band support is crucial. Some budget Wi-Fi 7 routers skip the 6 GHz band entirely, which defeats most of the purpose of upgrading. You want to look for routers that have all three bands: the older 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and the newer 6 GHz.
You should also check the wired ports. You'll want at least one 2.5 GbE port. If you have multi-gig internet service (1Gbps or above), 5 GbE or 10 GbE ports can come in handy. MIMO configuration is also important because it determines how many devices can connect at full speed simultaneously. Higher-end routers use 4x4 MIMO, which can handle way more simultaneous connections than the 2x2 MIMO setup you find on budget devices.
For smart homes, having built-in Matter, Thread, and Zigbee support can save you from having to buy separate hubs connecting those devices.
Read more: How to Stop an iPhone from Auto-Connecting to 'Known' Wi-Fi Networks
What's Coming in Wi-Fi 8
Wi-Fi 8 (officially 802.11bn) is expected to be finalized sometime in 2028, with devices starting to arrive that same year.
With Wi-Fi 8, the focus is on reliability instead of raw speed. Wi-Fi 8 is aiming for about 25% better real-world performance in challenging conditions. What this means is fewer dropped connections, lower latency, and less packet loss (which requires the network to re-send the data) when you're far from the router or dealing with a crowded network. Overall, it promises a much better Wi-Fi connection.
Wi-Fi 8 will keep the same 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands as Wi-Fi 7. But it's going to add some mouthful new features like "coordinated spatial reuse" and "dynamic sub-channel operation" to make networks more efficient overall.
Our Recommended Wi-Fi 7 Routers
When shopping for a Wi-Fi 7 router, you'll see router speeds listed as AC (Wi-Fi 5), AX (Wi-Fi 6), AXE (Wi-Fi 6E), or BE (Wi-Fi 7), followed by numbers. The numbers indicate the theoretical maximum throughput across all router bands. So AC750 would be 750 Mbps, AXE3000 would be 3,000 Mbps, and BE6500 would be 6,500 Mbps.
For Wi-Fi 7, we recommend looking for at least BE6500 or higher for most homes. Keep in mind these are theoretical maximums. Real-world speeds will be lower, but it helps set a baseline for what you can aim for based on your requirements. The more devices you have in your home, the higher the number you should aim for, but anything supporting at least 6,500 Mbps should work fine for most folks.
Best for Most People
Amazon eero Pro 7
For most homes, we think the Amazon eero Pro 7 offers the best balance of performance and price right now. At $299.99 for a single unit, it delivers tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with speeds up to 3.9 Gbps (BE10800) and includes built-in support for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee smart home device networks. A three-pack will cover 6,000 sq. ft. and runs $699.99. We recommend the three-pack if you have a larger home.
Best on a Budget
TP-Link Deco BE63
If you're more budget-conscious, consider the TP-Link Deco BE63. At $254.98 for a two-pack (which is down from $299.99), it delivers pretty strong performance with tri-band support and covers up to 5,800 sq. ft.
Best for Large Homes
TP-Link Deco BE95
For large homes or if you're a real power user, the TP-Link Deco BE95 is one of the fastest mesh systems you can get right now. It uses tri-band Wi-Fi 7 (with BE10000) and delivers impressive real-world speeds that can easily handle multiple 4K video streams, online gaming, and dozens of connected devices simultaneously. It's definitely pricier, currently $999.99 (usually $1,499.99), but it delivers exceptional performance. This is a three-pack which promises to cover a 9,600 sq. ft. house.
Best for Wi-Fi Gaming
Netgear Nighthawk RS600
The Netgear Nighthawk RS600 is another solid choice, offering a theoretical maximum wireless speed of 18 Gbps (BE18000). It works especially well if you game in a different room from your router, because it performs well at medium distances where many other Wi-Fi 7 routers tend to struggle. It sells for $399.99 (usually $499.99).
Best for Ethernet Gaming
TP-Link Archer GE800
Gamers should take a look at the TP-Link Archer GE800. It supports BE33000 and provides two 10 GbE ports. It has RGB LEDs that can be adjusted to match your gaming PC’s lighting, and a bunch of gaming-focused features. It currently sells for $351.48 (usually $599.99)
Bottom Line
Wi-Fi 7 has matured into a solid upgrade choice for most homes at this point. Prices have dropped to reasonable levels, and the performance gains are noticeable. If you're still on Wi-Fi 5 or older, upgrading now makes a lot of sense. If you've already got Wi-Fi 6E, you can wait for Wi-Fi 8 unless you find your network choking with a lot of devices connected.
Wi-Fi 8 is still three years away, which is a pretty long time in tech. By the time it actually arrives, and the prices come down, your Wi-Fi 7 router will have paid for itself. The focus on reliability rather than just speed suggests that Wi-Fi 8 will be more about refinement than revolution, so you likely won't need an upgrade from your Wi-Fi 7 setup. For now, Wi-Fi 7 offers the best combination of performance and futureproofing you can get.
[Image credits: Amazon, Wi-Fi Alliance, composite by Palash Volvoikar/Techlicious, TP-Link, Netgear]
