Router buying guide: what specs actually matter

Check the WAN port first. A gigabit port cannot deliver a 2 Gbps plan, no matter how modern the Wi-Fi radio is.

For mesh, wired or dedicated-radio backhaul is the single biggest quality factor. Shared-band backhaul halves throughput per hop.

Wi-Fi 7 helps mostly through wider channels and multi-link operation. If your devices are older, a solid Wi-Fi 6 router is the better value.