Every new Wi-Fi generation arrives with impressive theoretical speeds, often printed large on the box. In practice, the speed you get depends on the devices you use, distance, walls and your neighbours' networks. Understanding what really changes between Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7 helps you decide whether and when to upgrade, and what to expect.
Names and standards
The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced numeric names in place of the technical designations:
| Marketing name | IEEE standard | Bands |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi 4 | 802.11n | 2.4 and 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 5 | 802.11ac | 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 6 | 802.11ax | 2.4 and 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 6E | 802.11ax | 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 7 | 802.11be | 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz |
Each generation is backward compatible: a Wi-Fi 7 router works with an old Wi-Fi 5 laptop, which will however keep communicating with the rules and speeds of its own standard.
Wi-Fi 6: more efficiency with many devices
The main novelty of Wi-Fi 6 is not peak speed but handling many devices at once:
- OFDMA: the channel is split into sub-portions assigned to different devices at the same moment. Lots of small packets (messages, sensors, home automation) no longer queue up one at a time.
- Improved MU-MIMO, uplink included: the access point talks to several devices simultaneously using different spatial streams.
- Target Wake Time: devices agree when to wake up to receive data, saving battery; useful for phones and sensors.
- BSS Colouring: helps tell your own traffic apart from neighbouring networks on the same channel, reducing needless waiting.
Wi-Fi 6 certification also requires WPA3 support.
Wi-Fi 6E: the 6 GHz band
Wi-Fi 6E uses the same technology as Wi-Fi 6 but adds the 6 GHz band. That is the real change: new spectrum, free of older devices and of neighbouring networks that do not use it yet.
Advantages and limits:
- more wide channels available and less interference, hence more stable performance;
- only 6E or later devices can use it;
- higher frequencies pass through walls and floors less well: coverage is shorter than at 5 GHz;
- the amount of spectrum available varies by country. In Europe the authorised portion is narrower than, for example, in the United States, so the widest channels are few.
In practice 6 GHz performs best in the same room as the access point or the one next to it.
Wi-Fi 7: wider channels and multiple links
Wi-Fi 7 introduces several new features:
- channels up to 320 MHz in the 6 GHz band, double the 160 MHz of Wi-Fi 6;
- 4096-QAM, a denser modulation that carries more bits per symbol, but only with an excellent signal, hence at short range;
- MLO (Multi-Link Operation): a device can use several bands at once, for example 5 and 6 GHz, or switch between them instantly. Latency and stability benefit most when one band is congested;
- more flexible handling of interfered portions of a channel, which can be excluded without giving up the rest of the channel.
The advertised theoretical speeds are the sum of all bands and all spatial streams, under ideal conditions. A phone with two antennas will use only a fraction of them.
What matters more than the generation
- Client devices: if your laptops and phones are Wi-Fi 5, a Wi-Fi 7 router will not make them much faster, though it may improve overall network management.
- Upstream cabling: a Wi-Fi 7 access point connected to a 1 Gbit/s port cannot exceed that limit towards the rest of the network. To exploit higher speeds you need 2.5 Gbit/s ports or faster.
- Coverage: a single powerful device in one corner of the house delivers less than two simpler devices placed well.
- Environment: in an apartment block with dozens of networks, access to 6 GHz can be worth more than any other feature.
When to upgrade
- You have many recent devices, particularly with 6E or 7 support, and live in an area crowded with networks: the jump to 6 GHz is noticeable.
- Your current router is Wi-Fi 4 or no longer receives security updates: upgrading is advisable regardless of speed.
- You have a fibre line faster than a gigabit and want to use it wirelessly: you need recent access points and multi-gigabit ports.
If, on the other hand, the network works, the devices are older and the problems are about coverage, the priority is to place access points better or add one, not to change generation.
In short
- Wi-Fi 6 mainly improves efficiency with many devices thanks to OFDMA and TWT.
- Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band: less interference but shorter range.
- Wi-Fi 7 brings 320 MHz channels, 4096-QAM and MLO to use several bands together.
- Speeds on the box are theoretical: clients, cabling and coverage are what count.
- Upgrade when your devices and environment benefit, or when the router is no longer updated.
