This might sound like I'm a PC Luddite, but at a time when Wi-Fi 7 is becoming common on motherboards and devices, I'm still powering my home with a humble Wi-Fi 5 router. The ISP here provides Wi-Fi 5 routers for plans up to a certain speed, so our 200Mbps connection doesn't qualify for a Wi-Fi 6E router. Instead of buying my own, I'm content using the ISP's router for the foreseeable future, because there's nothing I'm missing out on.

Wi-Fi 5 already gives me great coverage

We have just one dead spot in the entire house

Despite Wi-Fi 5 being significantly behind Wi-Fi 6E in terms of coverage, I don't have enough dead zones inside the house to justify buying a new router. Our apartment spans over 1,600 sq. ft., and we haven't found our existing connection lacking in any way. There's only one dead spot overall, which happens to be the balcony at the opposite end of the house.

Every other room and device is well-covered by our Wi-Fi 5 router, whether it's my partner's iMac in the furthest room or our Apple TV, even behind closed doors. We have been running this setup for over 5 years, and don't even need Wi-Fi extenders or access points to bolster the signal. If we shift to a larger house, we might have to switch to a better router or invest in a mesh network, but everything's working flawlessly right now.

The speed is more than enough

Even for 4K streaming and Steam Link

Range is just one aspect of a good Wi-Fi connection; speed is another. Well, we've been fortunate to enjoy slightly higher speeds than what we pay for. Our 200Mbps connection almost always returns speeds of around 230–240Mbps in speed tests. The speeds on the 2.4GHz band are obviously lower, but they're still more than enough to power any use case.

Be it 4K streaming on Apple TV, Netflix, and Prime Video, or using Steam Link to play PC games on the TV, the connection never poses any issues. Whether I use my older devices, like the iPad 9th Gen, or relatively newer ones, like the Pixel 7, the Wi-Fi 5 speeds are fast enough. Even the upload speeds are regularly in the 170–180Mbps range, eliminating the need to consider a faster plan or modern router.

There aren't too many devices connected to the router

I'm no digital detoxer, but I do what I can

One of the advantages Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E enjoys over Wi-Fi 5 is the ability to accommodate more clients without throttling speeds. This would have been a legitimate reason to upgrade our router, but, as it stands, we don't have tons of devices fighting for resources in the house. In addition to a smartphone and PC (each) for my partner and me, we only have a laptop, a TV, and an iPad that connect to the router.

There are no smart home devices in the house (yet) that would bump up the device count. So, there are no bandwidth limitations or connection slowdowns that would force us to ditch the trusted Wi-Fi 5 router. A Wi-Fi 6E router would certainly improve the connection quality on our existing devices, but I don't want to upgrade unless there's a strong reason to do so.

The battery life of my phone is fine on Wi-Fi 5

Not a good enough reason to upgrade

Wi-Fi 6E might be known mostly for increased capacity and bandwidth, and less congestion, but it can also contribute to more battery life for wireless devices. Smartphone battery life is something we all struggle with, but for the three years that I've had my Pixel 7, the battery life has been on par with what fellow users have reported.

Even my partner's iPhone 13 offers day-long battery life, so it's not like we're losing out by sticking to our Wi-Fi 5 router. The biggest factors determining battery life are the type of battery and OS optimization anyway, so upgrading the router for this particular reason doesn't seem logical.

I use Ethernet on my PC

Of course, I do

Finally, I use Ethernet on my PC, even though I have my PC's Wi-Fi antenna set up. I never actually use Wi-Fi on the PC, unless we have a rare extended power cut that renders the connection unusable, and I have to resort to my phone's wireless hotspot. And that removes the router from the equation anyway.

I tried switching to an all-wireless setup, but the drawbacks of Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet in online gaming meant that I had to switch back. Most of the time, I like to keep my door closed, so Ethernet inevitably offers a faster and more stable experience. I don't mind using Wi-Fi on every other device, but my PC is where I need the maximum download speeds and lowest latency.

Wi-Fi 5 is still fine for most people

Despite Wi-Fi 7 arriving on more and more devices every year, and the specs for Wi-Fi 8 already in the works, the older Wi-Fi 5 is still fast and reliable enough for most people. Based on the current needs and devices in my apartment, I don't feel the need to switch to a Wi-Fi 6E router. We use a 200Mbps plan, which is more than enough for everything we do. Unless we move to a faster connection, larger house, or more devices, Wi-Fi 5 is all we need.