Hi everyone,
I’m moving into a single-story house with an unfinished basement and I’m trying to figure out what WiFi setup actually makes sense.
I’m not a network person at all. My wife and I are both musicians, so we mostly need reliable internet for streaming long YouTube lessons, Spotify, uploading/downloading audio files, and general work stuff. No gaming, no 4K movie theater situation, nothing crazy. The modem/router will probably be on the main floor, but we need decent WiFi in the basement too because that’s where some of the music gear and practice space will be.
Do I need WiFi 7 for this? Or is WiFi 6 enough? Could older used equipment be fine? I’m honestly overwhelmed by all the mesh/AP/router options.
Any advice appreciated.
Unfinished basement? Run Ethernet before you do anything else. Seriously, this is the rare situation where the house is basically inviting you to do it properly. Put a couple Cat6 drops in while access is easy. One for a basement AP, one or two for the main floor depending on layout. For what you described, Wi-Fi 6 is plenty. You don’t need Wi-Fi 7 to stream Spotify unless your playlist is stored on the moon.
@GoodAfternoon_sun People here always jump straight to “run cable everywhere”, but not everyone wants to turn a house move into a networking project. A decent tri-band mesh kit would probably be fine for YouTube and music streaming. Put one node upstairs, one in the basement, done. Not everything needs to be enterprise APs and a rack in the basement.
@No_Chart Maybe. But the basement is unfinished. That changes the answer.
Wi-Fi 7 is cool, but it won’t magically punch through floors better. People get caught up in the number. 6, 6E, 7, whatever. The boring answer is usually the correct one: good AP placement, wired backhaul.
Since you haven’t bought the gear yet, don’t start with “which shiny router is best”. Start with “where does the signal actually need to go?” If you can get a floor plan, throw it into NetSpot Planning mode and mock up a few setups: router upstairs only, router + basement AP, maybe two APs if the house is long. Set the wall/floor materials as close as you can and check what happens to 5 GHz in the basement.
Used business gear can be great, but only if you’re okay with a little setup. Something like used UniFi, Omada, or Aruba Instant On APs can be way better than a flashy consumer router. But if you want “plug it in and forget it”, a basic WiFi 6 mesh kit is easier.Just don’t buy ancient 802.11n stuff. That’s not “saving money”, that’s adopting someone else’s headache.
Thanks everyone, appreciate the advice. Definitely gives me something to think about.