Every Wi-Fi generation arrives with a number that is bigger than the last one. The useful question is not how fast it can go in a lab, but which everyday annoyances it removes in an ordinary home.
The three real improvements
The wider 320MHz channels do deliver higher peak throughput, though only if your internet connection is fast enough to feed them. Multi-Link Operation, which lets a device use two bands at once, is the change you feel most — it makes connections noticeably steadier when you move around. And lower latency helps calls and gaming more than raw speed ever did.
What we measured
In the same flat, on the same 500Mbps connection, average download speed on a modern phone rose by roughly a third at close range and barely moved two rooms away. Latency during video calls was the standout: fewer of the brief freezes that come from a device hopping between bands.
Who should upgrade now
If your router is Wi-Fi 5 or older, upgrading is worth it — but Wi-Fi 6 hardware is cheaper and will cover most of the gain. If you already run Wi-Fi 6 or 6E and your connection is under 500Mbps, wait. The bottleneck is your line, not your router.
The thing nobody mentions
Your devices have to support Wi-Fi 7 for any of this to apply, and most of the ones in a typical home do not yet. A new router improves the worst case for old devices; it does not give them a new radio.
