Do You Need A Wi-Fi 7 Router For Online Gaming?

Most online sources boast that Wi-Fi 7 delivers high speeds, low latency, and high throughput. While they aren't wrong, Wi-Fi 7 isn't necessary in every situation. For example, in online gaming, players who want to reduce their latency will opt for a wired connection rather than Wi-Fi. Ethernet cables can support full-duplex gigabit or multi-gigabit throughput with little packet loss since walls and other physical objects don't obstruct the data transfer.

However, the obstruction factor also depends on where you place your router in your home. If you want reliability, using a wired connection is still the best way to go — since everything relies solely on traveling over a cord (your choice of Ethernet cable does matter). If you primarily play games on Wi-Fi, though, then yes, consider Wi-Fi 7 over any other wireless connection, since it is the latest standard with 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 those values do differ between brands. Be aware that none of this matters if your connected device isn't compatible with Wi-Fi 7, since that now means your gaming devices won't take advantage of the stronger network and will default to the best one available. The PlayStation 5 Pro is the only console that uses Wi-Fi 7, while the Xbox Series S and X use older standards.

To strengthen your connection for online gaming, a few factors need to be considered. The first is the location of the game servers. If the server is too far from you, Wi-Fi 7 won't compensate for the distance. That, unfortunately, is a culprit behind lag or delay, which results in high ping. Your ISP can cause another issue: bad routing.

The game data can take a different path that isn't efficient for communicating with the game server, adding more physical distance from it (higher ping). Sometimes there's packet loss or even network congestion when too many users share the same data pipeline. Unfortunately, a Wi-Fi 7 source can't fix that — sometimes a VPN can, if the routing is so unoptimized that using a middleman to reroute traffic is more efficient 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 through Multi-Link Operation (MLO).

While 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, enables devices to open concurrent streams across multiple bands simultaneously, avoiding any congestion. Access to the 6 GHz band is also strengthened due to widening channels to 320 MHz (doubling the max you get with Wi-Fi 6E). This approach is what ultimately helps gaming traffic bypass local interference, thus reducing lag spikes and latency.