Wi-Fi 7 is officially here, launching us into the next generation of wireless internet and bringing significantly faster Wi-Fi speeds and better connectivity than ever before.

The Wi-Fi Alliance officially announced Wi-Fi 7 at CES 2024, and while many of the new Wi-Fi standards specs have been circulating online, the Wi-Fi Alliance’s announcement finally nails down what we can expect from the latest and greatest in Wi-Fi.

What Is Wi-Fi 7?

The Wi-Fi Alliance unveiled Wi-Fi 7 on August 24, 2025, at CES 2024, officially bringing the latest version of Wi-Fi to the world. The Wi-Fi 7 launch was always expected in early 2024, so its January launch isn’t unexpected, but it means hardware manufacturers and consumers can begin using the new Wi-Fi tech properly.

Wi-Fi 7 brings important upgrades to Wi-Fi technology, not least to the Wi-Fi speeds you can expect to use in your home and elsewhere, along with improvements to bandwidth and the overall amount of data that can be sent to multiple devices simultaneously. Wi-Fi 7’s upgrades include:

Other Wi-Fi 7 upgrades, such as 512 compressed block-ack and triggered uplink access, will also boost Wi-Fi 7 network capacity and reduce latency.

How Does Wi-Fi 7 Compare?

In straight-up terms of speed, Wi-Fi 7 will be up to four times faster than its predecessor, Wi-Fi 6E, which launched in 2021. Wi-Fi 7 can transmit data at a maximum of around 40Gbps, though it’s always worth noting that it’s a lab-perfect maximum and not what you’ll get in your home. Still, the overall Wi-Fi speed boost will be notable, especially when the other devices in your home all use the same Wi-Fi 7 tech.

IEEE Standard

Wi-Fi Alliance Name

Year Released

Maximum Data Rate

2.4GHz & 5GHz

802.11ax-2021

2.4GHz, 5GHz, & 6GHz

Furthermore, Wi-Fi 7 uses the “new” 6GHz Wi-Fi band, delivering more bandwidth to your home network. The6GHz Wi-Fi band was introduced with Wi-Fi 6Eand is designed to alleviate network congestion on thetraditional 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands. The extra band and extra speed from Wi-Fi 7 should provide a boost throughout your whole network.

The jump to 4K QAM will also help your Wi-Fi feel faster than before. Wi-Fi 6/6E both use 1024-QAM, while Wi-Fi 7 uses 4096-QAM to deliver up to 20 percent higher data transmission rates. In conjunction, the number of spatial streams doubles from eight to 16 with Wi-Fi 7, again increasing data throughput.

Defining how fast Wi-Fi 7 is and how it compares to Wi-Fi 6/6E isn’t always easy, as it also depends on your internet connection. Still, Wi-Fi 7’s overall improvements should deliver faster-feeling internet to your devices.

Is It Worth Buying a Wi-Fi 7 Router?

Currently, you don’t need to rush out and buy a Wi-Fi 7-enabled router. While Wi-Fi 7’s specs are great on paper, the official launch of the new Wi-Fi standard has only just happened, and there aren’t many devices out there that support the new tech.

For example, theTP-Link BE19000 Wi-Fi 7 routerand theASUS RT-BE96U Wi-Fi 7 routerhave been available for months at this point. But until you have other devices on your network that can really harness Wi-Fi 7, you’re likely best sticking with your existing Wi-Fi router.

Similarly, some smartphones already support Wi-Fi 7, such as the OnePlus 12, Vivo S18 Pro, and ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro, but will need an update to work properly.

For now, there is no rush to head out and buy new Wi-Fi 7 routers, smartphones, and laptops—though if you are about to upgrade and want to future-proof your hardware, it’s certainly worth considering.