Most online sources tout Wi-Fi 7 as offering high speeds, low latency, and high throughput. While they’re not wrong, Wi-Fi 7 isn’t necessary in every situation. For example, in online gaming, gamers wanting to reduce latency will opt for a wired connection over Wi-Fi. Ethernet cables can support full-duplex gigabit or multi-gigabit throughput with little packet loss because walls and other physical objects do not obstruct data transfer.
However, the obstruction factor also depends on where you place your router in your home. If you’re looking for reliability, using a wired connection is still the best solution, since everything relies solely on a cord (your choice of Ethernet cable is important). If you primarily play games over Wi-Fi, then yes, consider Wi-Fi 7 over any other wireless connection as it is the latest standard offering the fastest speeds and data transfer. For example, a Wi-Fi 7 router, the Asus RT-BE96U, can reach up to 3,490 Mbps.
In comparison, according to RTings, a Wi-Fi 6 router, the Asus ZenWiFi XT9, reaches 1,140 Mbps at its peak. Speed and latency will also ultimately depend on the router you choose, as these values differ between brands. Please note that none of this matters if your connected device isn’t compatible with Wi-Fi 7, as this now means your gaming devices won’t take advantage of the strongest network and will default to using the best available. The PlayStation 5 Pro is the only console to use Wi-Fi 7, while the Xbox Series S and X use older standards.
When is Wi-Fi 7 worth more than Wi-Fi 6 for gaming?
To strengthen your connection to online gaming, there are a few factors to consider. The first is the location of game servers. If the server is too far away from you, Wi-Fi 7 will not compensate for the distance. Unfortunately, this is the cause of lag or delay, which results in high ping. Your ISP may be causing another problem: poor routing.
Game data may take a different path that is not efficient in communicating with the game server, adding additional physical distance (higher ping). Sometimes too many users sharing the same data pipeline results in packet loss or even network congestion. Unfortunately, a Wi-Fi 7 source can’t solve this problem – sometimes a VPN can, if the routing is so poorly optimized that relying on an intermediary to reroute traffic is more effective than your ISP’s experience. Sometimes ISPs throttle traffic – how this happens depends on where you live and your contract. What Wi-Fi 7 supported routers actually fix in gaming is latency and congestion management via Multi-Link Operation (MLO).
Although Wi-Fi 6E has access to three bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz), only one can be used at a time. MLO with Wi-Fi 7, however, allows devices to open simultaneous streams on multiple bands simultaneously, avoiding congestion. Access to the 6 GHz band is also reinforced thanks to the expansion of channels to 320 MHz (doubling the maximum obtained with Wi-Fi 6E). This approach ultimately helps gaming traffic bypass local interference, reducing lag spikes and latency.
