When a new Wi-Fi standard is introduced, there’s always a lot of buzz about speed, efficiency, and reliability. But the real question is: Do those improvements actually show up in real-world testing?

To answer that, we set up a controlled throughput test using iperf3 with both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 AP. The results left no room for doubt — Wi-Fi 7 access points are a clear step ahead of Wi-Fi 6.

Test Environment

Clients:

• • 16 Wi-Fi 7 laptops With Windows 11 OS (Wi-Fi modules from Intel, Qualcomm & Mediatek)

Access Points Under Test:

• • One Wi-Fi 7 AP (with MLO off)
  • One Wi-Fi 6 AP

Radio Settings:

• • Band: 5 GHz
  • Channel: 100
  • Channel Bandwidth: 80 MHz

• Tool Used: iperf3
• Avg RSSI is -32 dBm

Test Methodology

For this test, we used a real-client approach rather than simulated clients. The setup included 16 Wi-Fi 7 laptops.

Execution:

• • All 16 clients were connected to the access point simultaneously.
  • An automation script triggered the iperf3(TCP_DL) command on all clients at the same time, ensuring synchronized test runs.
• Duration & Iterations: Each test ran for 180 seconds. We conducted 3 iterations per scenario and reported the Average of the three runs.
  
• Client Positioning: All Clients remained in static positions throughout the test.
  
• Comparison Method: Results from the Wi-Fi 6 AP and Wi-Fi 7 AP were compared based on aggregate TCP downlink throughput.

Test Results

Wi-Fi 7 AP vs Wi-Fi 6 AP (Using 16 Wi-Fi 7 Clients)

• • Wi-Fi 7 AP – Wi-Fi 7 Clients: 925.56 Mbps
    
  • Wi-Fi 6 AP – Wi-Fi 7 Clients: 582.37 Mbps

All 16 laptops were Wi-Fi 7 capable. When connected to the Wi-Fi 7 AP, the aggregate throughput reached 925.56 Mbps, nearly touching gigabit-class speeds.

However, when the same Wi-Fi 7 laptops were connected to the Wi-Fi 6 AP, the total throughput dropped to just 582.37 Mbps — a 37% reduction.

This shows a critical point: Wi-Fi 7 clients cannot realize their full potential on older Wi-Fi 6 AP. The AP becomes the bottleneck, restricting throughput and preventing the advanced features of Wi-Fi 7.

The following bar chart neatly compares Wi-Fi 7 AP vs Wi-Fi 6 AP performance for Wi-Fi 7 Clients.

What This Proves

• • Wi-Fi 7 clients benefit from the efficiency of Wi-Fi 7 APs – even when MLO is turned off to level the playing field.
  • The gains are not just theoretical — they show up in multi-client, real-world throughput tests.

Final Verdict

Wi-Fi 7 Access Points are a clear upgrade over Wi-Fi 6 APs.

If you’re deploying a new network today, Wi-Fi 7 APs don’t just future-proof your setup, they provide significant, perceivable, performance improvements. That makes them smarter, longer-term investment.