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Wi-Fi 7 is the next iteration of the wireless standard, formally called IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput. As the name suggests, it promises to enhance Wi-Fi connectivity mainly by allowing for more stable connections and faster speeds. Multi-Link Operation (MLO) is a huge part of that upgrade, allowing simultaneous usage of the three primary bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which you're likely familiar with, and the 6GHz band. But instead of utilizing these bands separately and treating them as exclusive channels, Wi-Fi 7 devices can use all bands to vastly improve the experience — in theory. The real world applications may turn out a little differently, and we'll explore why in a bit.

Simultaneous use of multiple bands could improve performance. High-bandwidth and latency-affected applications like media streaming or playing games will benefit from the increased opportunities, with more bandwidth to work with. Moreover, large downloads and uploads should work better and see a speed boost. And on networks with lots of devices connected through the usual 2.4GHz band, crowding should be less of a concern with the other bands available. It all sounds fantastic, and we should be looking at hugely improved performance across the board if it works as promised. However, there are some disadvantages with the technology you'll want to know about. Before you go upgrading to a Wi-Fi 7 router this year, you'll want to catch on to these drawbacks.

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Wi-Fi 7, much like Wi-Fi 6 before it, requires compatible devices to take advantage of the new protocols and features. In other words, not only do you need a Wi-Fi 7 router, but also Wi-Fi 7 capable devices — or clients — including phones, media players, smart home tech, and beyond. Your standard devices will continue working just fine, as the 2.4GHz band that most devices require is still available with Wi-Fi 7. So, if you upgrade, you won't lose any functionality you already have because the routers are backwards compatible. However, you won't realize the increased speeds and performance because your devices weren't engineered to utilize the standard. Most devices aren't and that won't be the case for a while.

Client devices are being manufactured with the Wi-Fi 7 standard, so it's not like they don't exist. But with new technologies like this, it simply takes a while for the greater market to adopt the new solutions. Moreover, the theoretical and advertised speed of Wi-Fi 7, up to 46Gbps, won't be possible for most devices. You'll see much lower day-to-day speeds, and even then they'll be capped by your internet service provider's limits.

Not to mention, there is a wave of bans on foreign-made routers that could interfere with future software support. The popular brand Netgear received an exemption from the FCC, and the U.S. government walked back the firmware support ban for routers and drones, the expiration is now 2028, but it's still something to think about when considering an upgrade.

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MLO should allow devices to leverage all available bands simultaneously to increase throughput, boosting bandwidth, reducing latency, freeing up congestion and just generally providing a much more streamlined experience. "Should" is the key word there. To meet the Wi-Fi 7 specification, device manufacturers have to support MLO in some way, but that doesn't always equate to verifiable speed changes. Through rigorous testing, as reported by sites like RTINGs and Tom's Hardware, MLO is frequently advertised but rarely supported in full.

In the real world, Wi-Fi 7 routers aren't configured for Enhanced Multi-Link Multi-Radio (EMLMR) which is the true simultaneous use of all bands. Instead, most employ alternating MLO, which is fast-switching between the bands with only one active at a time, choosing the best band as needed. In short, the current iteration of Wi-Fi 7 routers available on the market aren't leveraging the newest technologies in the way they should, which translates to lower real-world performance for network users.

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Wi-Fi 6E routers make use of the new-ish 6Ghz band and offer increased speeds because of that. While its theoretical max speed is 9.6Gbps, the same as standard Wi-Fi 6, these routers and subsequent client devices can achieve higher day-to-day speeds thanks to the new frequency band and smart functionality.

The speed boost is more than plenty for the average home network, and with most home internet plans seeing caps around 1Gbps, upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 early if you already own a Wi-Fi 6E router would be nonsensical. Honestly, if your router supports the base Wi-Fi 6 standard, you might want to hold off on an upgrade even then. The difference between base Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E is that the latter fixes some of the original standard's biggest problems, and it's a big enough leap in performance to warrant an upgrade. Wi-Fi 7 isn't quite there yet. Of course, if you're coming from a system older than Wi-Fi 6, you certainly will see speed boosts because the technology has much improved.

From a cost standpoint, Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6E routers are on an even keel, more so if you can find great deals and discounts. But Wi-Fi 7 mesh routers are much more expensive, meaning a budget option might be the better bet, especially since you won't see the increased performance.

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Wi-Fi 6 made way for the release of Wi-Fi 6E, which led to Wi-Fi 7. This is a natural progression of technology, and Wi-Fi 8 is already on the way, promising measurable improvements over everything else that's available. That's not to hail it as an absolute game-changer, but it's also designed to provide new features and functionality engineered to fix modern network concerns. It's fixing some of Wi-Fi 7's biggest problems before they're widespread. For example, Wi-Fi 8 should handle network congestion a lot better because of new protocols. It will also vastly expand performance at the edge of a network, hopefully, allowing you to get better range all across your home or property where you might not have before.

Because new Wi-Fi standards are backwards compatible, when it arrives, Wi-Fi 8 should work fine with all of your existing equipment. The same performance concerns will apply to it — you'll want Wi-Fi 8-ready clients — but by that time there will be a lot of Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 devices leveraging the higher speeds. Basically, the consumer product world will have caught up by the time Wi-Fi 8 is readily available. We're really not that far off from final ratification, so it might be worth holding off on an upgrade, unless you're still living in the dark ages.