How I knew for sure I needed a new Wi-Fi router

Ruling out trouble elsewhere

Put blame where blame is due

If you're a casual tech user, it's important to remember that some performance issues could instead be linked to your internet connection, processor(s), or memory. If all your devices are losing their connection periodically, it could just be that your ISP (internet service provider) is unreliable -- your Wi-Fi router can't broadcast internet access that isn't there, even if it's just dipping out for a few seconds at a time. You should be able to verify this by checking outage reports on your ISP's app or website, or turning to third-party sites like Downdetector.

I want to spend some time focusing on speed, though. While all Wi-Fi routers have different throughput limits, normally dependent on the version of Wi-Fi they're using (more on that later), they can't deliver anything (online) faster than what you're paying for on your internet plan. If it feels like a 4K movie is buffering more than it should, or a download is taking forever, it could be that there are too many devices on your network splitting a small pool of data. Even 200Mbps can evaporate quickly in a home with two or more people.

When it comes to online games, things that seem like Wi-Fi or internet issues to the untrained eye may actually be a limitation of a device's CPU (main processor), GPU (graphics chip/card), RAM, or storage. Choppy framerates are never a bandwidth issue -- they're one or more processors struggling to render graphics fast enough. Systems with slow hard drives or too little RAM or VRAM may not be able to load textures in quickly. Pay attention to delays that only crop up around other players, or interacting with objects in the game world -- if there's any lag between input and response, then bandwidth has something to do with it.

Similar issues could be at work with less demanding apps, like your web browser. Less demanding is a relative term -- Chrome, for instance, is a notorious RAM hog, so a computer with 8 or sometimes even 16GB of RAM could struggle under the wrong circumstances. Be sure your device also has a decent amount of free drive storage for temporary files.

When a new Wi-Fi router should be in the picture

Be prepared for some tests

If you're coping with frequent device disconnections, and you're still using a router based on Wi-Fi 5 (a.k.a. 802.11ac), a replacement is overdue -- no matter if it's a standalone router or a mesh system. That's because Wi-Fi 5 can accommodate relatively few simultaneous connections, and will drop older devices to make way for new ones. I discovered this the hard way once I started testing a lot of smart home accessories. As much as I liked my Google Nest Wifi, it just couldn't keep up. Anything that talks to Wi-Fi counts as a connection, whether it's a phone, a bulb, a stove, or a smartwatch.

Things get more nuanced if you're using Wi-Fi 6 or later, as most people are. That standard is far better at handling many simultaneous devices, so most people won't run into hard connection limits, even if they have a complex smart home on top of phones, laptops, and gaming hardware. Hypothetically, Wi-Fi 7 should be even more reliable thanks to its support for MLO (Multi-Link Operation) across multiple bands, but both your devices and your router need to be compatible for that to have an impact.

It may be tempting to buy a more powerful router if you're encountering dead zones in your home, but be sure to evaluate your router's placement first. You may be able to improve reach by moving your router to a more central room, or even putting it on a desk or table instead of the ground. It definitely shouldn't be sitting in a closet or cabinet, or behind anything else that could be producing interference, like your TV. These things diminish signal quality before it has a chance to go very far. Indeed, these factors could also be responsible for flaky and/or slow connections.

Should placement not solve range or speed issues, you may be able to get away with a Wi-Fi extender, but shop carefully -- an extender that matches the performance of your router can sometimes cost so much that the cash might be better put towards an upgrade. Cheaper ones may be sufficient in some situations, yet they could be a hindrance to devices that demand a lot of bandwidth, like AR/VR headsets and gaming rigs. Also, extenders typically use separate SSIDs (network IDs) by default. This makes roaming cumbersome, and can prevent some devices from talking to each other. If those last two things are concerns, it may be wiser to buy (or expand) a mesh system. They're why I went with a Nest Wifi in the first place.

If you suspect that your router is capping device bandwidth despite an expensive internet plan, the easiest way to check is using a tool like Speedtest. Assuming there's no heavy congestion (local or otherwise), a Wi-Fi 6 device should be able to hit around 400 to 900Mbps connecting to a well-equipped Wi-Fi 6 router at close range. If your internet plan isn't that fast, you may need to rely on other tools instead, like apps supplied by your router maker or third parties.

You may need to invest in a new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 router if you want to fully exploit a multi-gigabit internet plan, or you're trying to shuttle local data around at gigabit speeds. Keep in mind that as I said, both connecting devices and your router need to share the same standard to maximize local bandwidth. Wi-Fi 7 might be ideal for streaming PC VR games to a headset, or copying 4K videos from one machine to another, but even one point with Wi-Fi 6 or 6E will become a bottleneck.