Browsing online or in-store for the best router these days, you might see WiFi 6 and 7 and wonder which to pick, while WiFi 8 starts to gain headlines too.
Marketing would suggest you should always buy the newest, but there’s more nuance to it than that.
What each generation of WiFi does
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) shifted focus from prior generations only improving raw speed, instead designed for traffic optimisation in busy homes with a lot of devices. Smart TVs, phones, laptops, security cameras and more can create problems in older WiFi versions, but WiFi 6 addressed the issue.
WiFi 6E (802.11ax extended) builds on WiFi 6 with an additional band that reduces congestion further in dense environments. The performance gain is modest for most users, but the additional 6GHz band helps in apartments and congested network conditions.
WiFi 7 (802.11be) added a big speed increase and Multi-Link Operation that allows compatible devices to connect on multiple bands to reduce latency and increase stability. With theoretical maximum speeds upwards of 40 Gbps, the focus here was speed.
WiFi 8 (802.11bn) is an upcoming standard that targets consistency to deliver reliable performance in interference-heavy environments. It’s intended to reduce latency and packet loss while increasing traffic performance. Instead of faster speeds, it tries to improve performance on busy networks.
Should you buy WiFi 7 right now?
For most Australian households, WiFi 7 is overkill. The key reason is the sheer speed availability.
Its biggest gains only become relevant on a gigabit NBN plan like NBN 1000 or higher, with a WiFi 7 router and devices. If most of your devices are older then most of them won’t touch WiFi 7 speeds even if your router and plan supports it.
An important use case is that local network transfers are much faster on WiFi 7. If you regularly back up devices to network attached storage, the extra local speed is worthwhile.
If upgrading from an older router like WiFi 5, any modern model is a step up and a solid WiFi 6 or 6E option will give you a meaningful upgrade while costing less than a WiFi 7 model.
The exception is if you’re on an NBN 1000 plan or higher and you own newer devices, the increased speed may be worthwhile.
Should you wait for WiFi 8?
There’s a case to be made to wait for retail availability of WiFi 8 infrastructure. It’s expected to hit retail later this year with devices using early draft specifications.
The underlying standard isn’t expected to be fully certified until 2028, so early adoption means you might run into a couple of issues and the speed could improve as the standard matures.
If your current router is getting the job done, it’s reasonable to hold out for a while for a better product. WiFi 8’s upgrade to reliability and traffic management is very helpful and indirectly increases performance on older devices.
In modern homes with growing numbers of connected devices, WiFi 8 will provide a boost to stability, reliability, and even speeds in some cases.
The Best Router Generation: Our Take
WiFi 6 and 6E remain a good choice for the average household. This generation offers good performance and routers on the standard are more affordable than newer standards. If the devices you use every day are older, this generation will do just fine.
WiFi 6 routers regularly run between $100 for a basic unit up to $250 for more capable models, and WiFi 6E routers run between $200 and $400.
If you’re on NBN 1000 or higher and have the newer devices to match, WiFi 7 makes sense to invest in. With a high maximum speed, WiFi 7 provides plenty of headroom and can be helpful for wireless device-to-device transfers on your local network.
WiFi 7 routers can run from $350 for a standalone unit to $700 and up for mesh device bundles.
If you’re looking to decide between extenders or mesh, here’s our guide.
For those with a router that is doing the job for now, it may make sense to hold out for WiFi 8 before committing to an upgrade. The incoming standard offers significant spec upgrades for multi-device households.
WiFi 8 routers are yet to have any retail pricing confirmed, but early technology is often expensive before the market settles.
If you’re on an older router like WiFi 4 or WiFi 5, almost any modern router should be an upgrade for you.
If you want to upgrade from your telco’s modem, here are some options.
Whichever generation you land on, the best router is the one that matches your plan, your devices, and your budget; not just the biggest number on the box.
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