On paper, Wi-Fi 7 runs about four times faster than Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, and possibly more depending on your circumstances. Some estimates put its theoretical top speed at about 46 Gbps. Plenty of people who bought a new router are getting nowhere near that.
Reddit has a steady supply of posts from new Wi-Fi 7 owners who can’t work out why their speeds fall short. Many have just paid more for a new setup and are now troubleshooting to get the speeds they were promised.
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A connection can slow down for lots of reasons. Two simple ones are worth ruling out first: where the router sits, and how many devices are connected to it.
Check where the router is hidden
A router usually ends up tucked in a closet or a corner because most people would rather not look at it. It’s tidier, but you may pay for it in speed.
According to XDA, a router placed too close to drywall sends out signals that bounce off the walls and back toward its antennae, and that reflected signal degrades the original.
The fix might be free. Put the router somewhere open, such as a shelf on a media console, or at least three feet out from the corner. Then run another speed test and compare the numbers.
Include every connected device, light bulbs too
On most home networks today, phones and tablets are only a small part of the device count. Wearables and home appliances connect as well, even if they aren’t all active at the same moment.
Netgear said most households have at least 20 connected devices. To handle that, you need a router with a fast processor that can manage many devices and offers at least two frequency bands. You also need enough bandwidth from your internet service provider, and a slow plan is something no router can fix.
When the slowdown happens tells you a lot. If speeds drop when the whole household is home and streaming but hold steady the rest of the day, device load is a likely culprit. If they’re poor all day, the problem is probably elsewhere.
What’s new in Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7 was launched by the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2024. Engadget said a new standard “comes with enhanced speeds and plenty of back-of-the-box buzzwords.” The parts that matter include lower latency and more capacity for congestion and high-density environments. Those help most in a smart home where even the light bulbs are connected.
Netgear also pointed to multi-link operation (MLO), which arrives with Wi-Fi 7. Compatible devices can use the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands at once, which should make connections faster and more reliable. Devices without support for it don’t benefit.
Older devices will still connect
Because Wi-Fi 7 is backwards compatible, older devices should keep working with it. They won’t get the higher speeds or the new features.
Few people have upgraded so far. Ookla, a connectivity intelligence firm, found that Wi-Fi 7 adoption reached 7.2% of the market as of the beginning of 2026, compared with 1.8% a year earlier. If your phone and laptop belong to the other 92.8%, a new router by itself won’t hit the speeds printed on the box. Before you blame it, get it out of the closet.