Wi-Fi Standards Explained: Wi-Fi 4 to Wi-Fi 7

The comparison table

Numbers in "real-world" column are single-stream estimates on a clear channel at typical home distances. Actual results vary with walls, interference and device capability.

Which do I need

Not sure which persona fits your setup? Run the Coverage Helper and it will map your answers to a specific recommendation.

Key features explained

OFDMA

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access. Wi-Fi 6 and later can split a single transmission channel between multiple devices at once instead of taking turns. Big win in dense device environments - the queue shortens significantly when 40 IoT devices all want a tiny slice of bandwidth at the same time.

MU-MIMO

Multi-User, Multiple Input Multiple Output. The router can stream to multiple devices simultaneously using separate antenna beams rather than one device at a time. Wi-Fi 5 added this for downlink; Wi-Fi 6 added it for uplink too. More spatial streams (4x4, 8x8) means more simultaneous beams.

MLO (Wi-Fi 7)

Multi-Link Operation. A Wi-Fi 7 device can use two bands simultaneously (e.g. 5 GHz + 6 GHz), bonding throughput and failing over instantly if one band sees interference. The main reason Wi-Fi 7 meaningfully lowers latency compared to 6E.

Band steering

The router automatically moves capable devices to the faster 5 GHz or 6 GHz band and leaves 2.4 GHz for IoT sensors and devices at long range. Better routers and mesh systems do this well; budget gear can leave devices stuck on 2.4 GHz.

QoS

Quality of Service. Traffic prioritisation - lets the router put gaming or video-call packets ahead of a background OS update. Useful when your household has competing uses on the same WAN connection. Usually configured via the router app; gaming routers tend to make this easier to set up.

Wired backhaul

An Ethernet cable between mesh nodes rather than a wireless link. Gives full-speed, consistent throughput between nodes with zero airtime cost. If you can run one cable between floors, your mesh performance jumps significantly. See the mesh vs router guide for placement tips.

Glossary

Mesh

A network of two or more router nodes that share the same SSID and hand devices off seamlessly as you move around the home.

Backhaul

The link between mesh nodes. Can be a dedicated wireless band or a physical Ethernet cable.

Access point (AP)

A device wired to your router that creates a Wi-Fi coverage area. Unlike a range extender it gets a full-speed uplink through the cable.

PoE

Power over Ethernet. A switch or injector that supplies DC power through the Ethernet cable, so an access point or IP camera needs only one cable.

NAT

Network Address Translation. Your router translates your single public IP address into private addresses for each device on your home network.

SSID

Service Set Identifier - the name of your Wi-Fi network as it appears on device connection screens.

Throughput vs bandwidth

Throughput is the actual data rate you achieve. Bandwidth is the maximum the channel supports. Real-world throughput is always lower than the rated bandwidth on the box due to distance, interference, overhead and the number of devices sharing the channel.

DFS channels

Dynamic Frequency Selection channels in the 5 GHz band. Higher bandwidth, less crowded, but the router must vacate them instantly if it detects radar signals. Some devices cannot use DFS channels. Better routers handle this transparently.