Do You Need Strong Wifi 7 at home? Yes? All explained

Good Wifi is Wifi that always works, and works well, and it relates also to Wifi 7.

So much for the definition of a good Wifi network.

The definition is simple, but practice shows that Wifi networks are among the most difficult technological topics.

Good Wifi is eagerly promoted by Internet Service Provider (ISP) marketing, although in practice, the Wifi network is a nuisance for both the customer and the ISP.

Why I wrote this article.

For a couple of reasons.

I had to change my home Internet provider from a cable modem to fiber optics and it turned out to be a three-month battle with “process demons” and hardened concrete, literally. This adventure made me realize how much patience a customer needs to agree with a service provider.
Calling services and this requires a good quality Wifi network at home.
And finally, because there has been a heated discussion about the wonderful benefits of Wifi7 solutions.

In this article, I decided to focus on a few issues, those that are key for the client. You will learn from this post:

How to plan a good WiFi network?
How to rebuild your broken Wifi network?
What Wifi products should good network providers offer you, or you should buy yourself?

The primary source of home Wifi problems.

I live in a block of flats in a densely populated district of Warsaw.

At the time of the construction of the block, the developer signed an agreement with several cable television providers providing DOCSIS services.

The developer built the DOCSIS network on its own and installed three conduits to each apartment, television, intercom, and RJ45 telephone connection.

Great idea.

Three conduits for each apartment, the possibility of replacing the cabling, and running cables to several rooms.

The main coaxial cable used by televisions and Internet providers was run into the living room.

In my case, the room at the end of the apartment.

Naturally, I put the TV there and asked for a modem with built-in Wifi.

And that was a mistake and the beginning of many years of problems.

I have struggled with poor Wifi quality throughout half my house for many years.

Doesn’t this sound familiar to you? Do you have similar problems?

I’ll explain why in a moment.

Look at the first drawing from the planning tool, where the whole truth is visible as if in the palm of your hand.

In this test, I used the TPLINK 66HD Wifi, which is the closest equivalent to the modem used by the ISP.

In my house, placing the Wifi in the living room turned out to be impractical, because the bedroom and the child’s room are at the other end of the apartment.

How to fix Wifi coverage with more than one access point?

I tried to fix it in various ways:

A Wifi extender was installed at the end of the corridor on the right. It worked for a while but now and then it would stop transmitting the DNS signal or hang. The problem repeated itself non-stop.
Ethernet cable through the wall to the middle room so I could connect my work computer in one of the rooms.
Thanks to this, I was able to connect additional Wifi to the rest of the house. The figure below shows how the signal quality in the apartment (in theory) improved. Unfortunately, a modem with built-in Wifi from the ISP is a fairly closed environment. I connected a second Wifi Ubiquity 6 AP, but this arrangement worked quite poorly. There were a lot of problems, especially when I (Admin) was not at home. Later it turned out that the reason was the Wifi generation 5 in the ISP modem.

Ubiquity 6AP Wifi device solved the range problem.

In 2024, I decided to connect FTTH fiber optics to my home from another operator.

All we had to do was write an email, and the next day the installer came to pull the optical fiber.

He came the next day and left three hours later without having achieved his goal.

It turned out that the cable conduits had been effectively concreted over during the laying of floor tiles in the block’s lobby.

And apparently, half of the block’s residents have this problem.

Neither the Internet provider nor the administrator were able to solve the problem for three months.

I finally pushed one of the conduits through myself using a variety of fancy tools.

Why is the issue of clogged conduit important to this article?

Because this is proof that the Internet provider does not have time or patience for such games, it is simply not profitable for the operator.

The second extremely important issue is the need to connect fiber optics to Wifi 6 and Wifi 7 devices so that you can take advantage of their advantages.

The only thing my current Internet operator recommended was to change my subscription to a more expensive one and replace the modem with Wifi 6.

Overall, this is a good direction, but not a solution to all problems.

How I finally solved all the problems with the Wifi network I will show you later in the article.

But first, let me explain why the introduction of next-generation Wifi is necessary.

Why do Wifi 6 and/or Wifi 7 technologies help get rid of Wifi problems?

Until the Wifi 5 standard (and previous ones), the main carrier band was the 2.4 GHz band, 20 MHz wide.

That’s just a dozen or so channels in total.

If we look at a block of flats where 20-100 families live, and all of them use Wifi 5 at peak hours, we have the first answer to why Wifi networks in blocks of flats do not work.

The simulation clearly shows how two Wifi devices on the 2.4 GHz band on the same channel introduce a lot of mutual interference.

I will add that the devices are approximately 160-180 meters apart and have no obstacles.

The level of interference is so high that neighbors’ Wifi networks effectively interfere with each other.

The Wifi 6 standard introduced several new radio techniques that, firstly, allow the use of the “coloring” method of the transmitted band, thanks to which other Wifi 6 devices can choose their channels better and not interfere with each other.

Secondly, Wifi 6 introduced Multi MIIMO solutions. A pair of receiving antennas also allowed to improve both range and quality.

Does Wifi 7 eliminate the problem of interference and conflicting Wifi?

Of course not.

Two Wifi 7 devices, as you can see in the 6 GHz band, also generate interference between channels, but they have many more channels at their disposal, in addition, there are various other modern algorithms in operation to improve the quality of communication.

Devices again are 160-180 meters away from the wall, without obstacles on the way. If this distance decreases, mutual interference on this channel will increase.

Wifi 7, the next-generation wireless standard that is set to revolutionize connectivity by delivering unmatched speed, reliability, and efficiency, builds on Wifi 6.

One of the biggest advantages of Wifi 7 is its ability to deliver speeds of up to 46 Gbps. That’s more than four times faster than Wifi 6.

This jump is due to the use of more 320 MHz channels on the new 6 GHz wide band.

Additionally, Wifi 7 introduces Multi-Link Operation (MLO) radio technology, which allows devices to connect to multiple bands simultaneously, increasing reliability and significantly reducing latency.

Wifi 7 also improves performance with features like 4K QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation).

Thanks to this band, MU MIMO, MLO (Multi-Link OperationF), MRU (Multi Resources Unit), and 4096QAM techniques, Wifi 7 can transmit up to 46 Gbps, theoretically.

It is much easier for devices working in Wifi 7 to select channels so as not to interfere with their neighbors.

In short, Wifi 7 is not just faster – it’s smarter, more reliable, and built with the future in mind.

So let’s check these advantages in the case of Wifi network coverage in a home installation.

Therefore, in-home networks, things should be much better since the introduction of Wifi6 and Wifi 7.

And it will be.

However, I have an additional question, which I will answer myself below.

Is the 6 GHz band the biggest advantage of Wifi 7, and is this new band even necessary?

When implementing the 6 GHz band, it is worth noting that in some countries around the world, this band is used for other purposes. For example, in China.

It is therefore not a band generally permitted for use by Wifi networks.

I decided to do a theoretical experiment using professional tools.

I used a Wifi and 4G/5G network planning software and prepared a set of relevant comparison charts.

We are talking about the new Hamina.com tool.

Below I have included a summary of eight different comparative tests.

In the first column, there are four measurements where the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands are all set to 6dBm gain.

In the second column, I performed the measurements at settings of 6 dBm for 2.4 GHz, 10 dBm for 5 GHz, and 12 dBm for 6 GHz.

These are the maximum parameters suggested by the Hamina.com tool.

Looking from the top, the following ranges were enabled (by row):

2.4 GHz + 5 GHz + 6 GHz
5 GHz + 6 GHz
5 GHz
6 GHz.

different wifi bands propagation, including wifi 7

What conclusions did I draw from this experiment?

The range of a Wifi network is mainly determined by the 2.4 GHz band

Brutal, but obvious to radio network designers.

The lower the band, the greater the range.

What are the consequences of this?

The saddest thing is of course that the 2.4 GHz band is the smallest. It has the fewest channels for transmitting data.

The band is narrow and subject to interference from millions of devices operating on the same open band.

The introduction of the new 6 GHz band with powerful Internet speed capabilities is, unfortunately, a band with a smaller physical range.

Wifi 7 on the 6 GHz band does not improve much in terms of Wifi range.

While 2.4 GHz has a greater range, it has lower throughput.

On the other hand, the use of the 2.4 GHz band alone is not enough for mass applications (apartment blocks) or industrial solutions.

Bandwidth itself is not the only aspect when it comes to Wifi coverage.

Here the solution is to use products with Wifi 6 or Wifi 7, but this may mean the need to install more devices.

This results in higher costs, a complex radio network, and a complex network of internet connections to Wifi devices and power.

It turns out from the above experiment that the electrical and mechanical construction of the antenna set inside the Wifi device, as well as the way they are mounted, are also important.

Wifi antennas for different bands have different ranges and characteristics.

For both Wifi devices used in the experiment, I am attaching general characteristics of the antenna systems, based on models from the Hamina.com program.

There are differences in the antenna range for different bands, which can also be seen in the coverages in the previous section.

For testing, I used relatively similar ceiling-mounted products with omnidirectional antennas.

Many products have more directional antennas and their positioning and the direction of the antennas is crucial for good range.

And the customer (and, I guess, often the installers too) don’t have much idea about this.

A beautiful modern box with a cable modem and Wifi lands in the living room next to the TV and this is a very suboptimal approach to this issue.

Another important conclusion follows from the analysis.

Each Wifi device installed differently provides a different range.

Therefore, optimal Wifi network planning also requires a preliminary simulation of the network design.

It may turn out in certain situations that changing the direction of the antenna or the way of hanging the theoretically omnidirectional antenna will significantly change the quality of the network.

This is especially important in large, multi-device installations.

Are you interested in seeing what it looks like in your network?

I invite you for a consultation.

Designing a Wifi 7 network requires special care due to the 2.4 GHz band.

Simply put, you cannot design an open, public, or home Wifi network without analyzing how the 2.4 GHz band will behave.

As I have already written, if you have a large budget and are considering the possibility of installing many devices, you can plan the network for a higher band (with a shorter range) such as 5 GHz or 6 GHz.

Another consequence, therefore, is the issue of costs.

Building a network based on Wifi 7 is expensive.

We already know that building a Wifi network based only on the 6 GHz band or even 5 GHz makes no sense.

However, if we want a very large, capacious, and good Wifi network, we can plan coverage based on these higher frequencies.

Unfortunately, this means much higher costs.

Wifi 6e or Wifi 7 devices are and will be more expensive.

This is not just a matter of passing novelty.

It is also a matter of more complex processors (microchips), antenna systems, and amplifiers.

The above experiment shows that the more technically advanced the Wifi 7 device, the greater its range and the higher throughput it can achieve.

However, it is the radio band coverage and physical obstacles that determine the quality of the network.

Read more about this in the chapter on “fixing” the coverage in my apartment.

Does Wifi 7 allow for faster network speeds?

Yes, yes, yes.

These radio techniques and the wider 6 GHz band enable much higher speeds.

This is shown in the following graphs.

But again, depending on the distance from the device and obstacles along the way, it looks different.

For optimal (highest) speed, as before, it is important to correctly direct the antenna.

As you might guess, it is again critical to determine the range for the 6 GHz and 5 GHz bands if we do not have 6 GHz.

And one more little problem.

Just because the 6 GHz band has so many channels doesn’t mean they won’t be interfered with.

Statistically, the more Wifi7 devices are in operation, the greater the probability that the efficiency of this band will decrease.

Now I will move on to practical conclusions and a recipe for how to better plan the Wifi network in my apartment.

Planning a Wifi network in your apartment.

In the beginning, I showed you how bad the network coverage was in my home due to the poor location of the Wifi modem.

Application?

You need to move your Wifi device.

I did it this way.

Wow!

For this experiment, I used a device corresponding to the ISP’s Wifi modem.

The effect was amazing.

Suddenly most of the apartment was within Wifi range with a reasonably good signal.

There is only a partially weak signal on the right side of the apartment in the dressing room and the corner in the living room.

In practice, it turned out to be much better.

And that’s amazing.

Cheap and optimal rebuilding of your Wifi network.

I didn’t need any new devices, I didn’t need additional devices.

I just found a better place to install my Wifi device.

Only that much, and as much as that.

The final arrangement of apartment Wifi coverage.

Take a look at the same arrangement but with a much better device with better directional antennas.

In this case, the graph is made with the Ubiquity 6U Mesh product.

The signal improved even further.

Complete success, but I will not change my Wifi device, I will stay with the modem from my Internet provider, because it simply works.

Simple and effective.

Finally, let’s check whether implementing Wifi 7 by placing the Wifi device next to the TV would solve my problem.

I used two powerful Wifi 7 devices for the experiment.

home wifi 7 coverage with wrongly placed AP

TPLINK 783 Wifi 7

home wifi 7 coverage with wrongly placed AP other type of AP

Ubiquity 7 Pro MAX

As you can see, in my case the Wifi 7 solution alone did not help.

So we come back to the most important conclusion for proper planning of Wifi network coverage in your home or office.

The basis is good network planning based on the 2.4 GHz band with a Wifi device with modern Wifi 6 or Wifi 7 techniques.

This can be done using, among other things, planning tools such as the one I used.

You can also ask me or another company specializing in such verifications for help.

Alternative ways to ensure good Wifi coverage at home

I have prepared a simple decision chart of how I would choose a Wifi solution for an apartment or a house today.

I would choose a minimum Wifi 6 device.

If we can afford Wifi 7, we can buy such equipment, but in my opinion it is an unnecessary expense.

At the end of the article, I give some good examples of devices. Those with Wifi 7 today are much more expensive.

For two reasons.

The devices are and will be more expensive, I have already written about that.
The faster we want to achieve Internet speed from Wifi 6 or Wifi 7 devices, we need to connect faster Internet to the device from a fiber optic Internet provider. Have you seen offers for fiber optics, e.g. 2-4 Gb / s? I haven’t, and I guess the price of such a service will be very high. And where is 46 Gb / s mentioned here? Even if the Wifi modem has such capabilities, the fiber optic network should have at least the same speed.

The first step is of course to do some basic planning of where to place the Wifi device.

You can use the program I mentioned, but you can also do it using your mobile phone and a Wifi scanner app.

We place the Wifi device as close to the center of the apartment as possible and measure the quality of the Wifi network on the phone.

It takes some experimentation and playing around, but the results can be ok.

The following simple flowchart will help you understand how you can proceed to do it optimally.

simple plan how to make a good wifi 7 coverage at house or home, or block of flat

If you find that you need to connect more than one Wifi device, there are a couple of different solutions you can use.

Place a pair of Wifi devices connected to an Ethernet cable
Place a pair of Wifi devices connected by fiber optics. This is FTTR technology. A new approach, where we put a thin fiber optic cable between Wifi devices in the apartment. This allows us to discreetly and easily hide the cables connecting Wifi devices. The problem is the higher cost of the solution.
Devices connecting via radio in MESH technology. I don’t like this type of consideration, because devices usually communicate with each other on the most busy 2.4 GHz band. Because of this, we lose the capacity and speed of the Wifi network, and besides, this solution is quite troublesome to maintain. At some point, I started avoiding my neighbors, because I was tired of constantly repairing their networks based on the MESH solution.

And one more trick from me.

It may turn out that your modem is already next to the TV and it would be best to move it.

While simply moving the modem and connecting it to the power supply in another part of the apartment is not a problem, pulling a coaxial or optical fiber cable from the Internet provider’s socket is not so easy.

The trick is that you can extend such cables from the supplier yourself.

Of course, a bit of manual dexterity is required.

The coaxial cable can be freely extended by appropriately trimming the ends.

Ethernet or even fiber optic connection, you can purchase appropriate extensions on Amazon for a few dollars/zloty.

Summary of How to Build a Good Wifi Network

The article and research show that there are several ways to solve the Wifi coverage problem at home.

Unfortunately, it is not true that purchasing a newer, more advanced device guarantees success.

First, you need to find out how the construction of your apartment or house can affect the network coverage.

Choose from the very beginning a better place for setting up your Wifi than just the living room.

Table comparing Wifi 5, 6 6E, and 7 techniques.

For those who like numbers, I’ve collected the most important differences between Wifi techniques in one table.

	Wifi 4 IEEE 802.11n	Wifi 5 IEEE 802.11ac	Wifi 6 IEEE 802.11ax	Wifi 7 IEEE 802.11be
Band	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz
Channel bandwidth [MHz]	20, 40	20, 40, 80, 80 + 80, 160	20, 40, 80, 80 + 80, 160	20, 40, 80, 160, 320
MU-MIMO	Yeah	Downlink 8×8	Uplink and downlink (8×8)	Uplink and downlink (16×16)
Modulation	OFDM	OFDM	OFDM, OFDMA	OFDM, OFDMA
Subscriber modulation	64QAM	256QAM	1024QAM	4096QAM
New radio feature			Channel color	MLO, MRU, Multi-AP
Max speed DL	0.6 Gbps (5MHz)	5.3 Gbps	9.6 Gbps	46 Gbps
Security	WPA2	WPA2	WPA3	WPA3