TL;DR — Capacity is shared; control airtime and uplink
- Segment devices by band: Phones/laptops on 6 GHz; TVs/consoles on 5 GHz or wired; IoT on 2.4 GHz.
- Enable OFDMA + MU-MIMO + WPA3.
- Turn on QoS/SQM; cap bulk uploads to ~80–90% of upstream to kill bufferbloat.
- Use mesh with wired backhaul (Ethernet/MoCA) so nodes don’t steal client airtime.
- One SSID with band steering; avoid random extenders.
Key idea: Wi-Fi is time-shared. One slow/chatty device can hog the time and make the whole house feel slow.
Airtime, not Mbps: how Wi-Fi really splits capacity
Devices take turns talking on a channel. A weak or old device needs more time to send the same data. That’s why organizing devices and improving signal quality matters more than chasing theoretical “Gbps.”
| Client | Link quality | Behavior | Airtime impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security cam (2.4 GHz) | Fair/weak | Constant small uploads | High (chatty; steals time) |
| Smart TV (5 GHz) | Good | Bursty 4K stream | Moderate (OK if signal strong) |
| Phone (6 GHz, Wi-Fi 7) | Excellent | Interactive apps/calls | Low (fast; short bursts) |
| Laptop (5/6 GHz) | Good | Large downloads/uploads | High during transfers; QoS needed |
The Wi-Fi 7 toolbox: OFDMA, MU-MIMO, MLO, 6 GHz
- OFDMA: Splits a channel into smaller sub-channels so multiple devices talk at once—great for phones and IoT.
- MU-MIMO: Multiple streams to serve several fast devices together.
- MLO: Lets one device use multiple bands/links in parallel for steadier performance.
- 6 GHz ( 160–320 MHz): Cleaner, wider lanes for modern clients → less airtime per transfer.
Plain English: Turn these on and keep modern phones/laptops on 6 GHz so they finish quickly and leave time for everything else.
Device mix: who should live on which band
| Band | Put these here | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 6 GHz | Phones, laptops, tablets (Wi-Fi 6E/7) | Highest capacity, lowest latency near nodes; frees 5 GHz for heavier/older clients. |
| 5 GHz | TVs, consoles, older laptops | Great blend of reach/throughput. Wire when possible to save airtime. |
| 2.4 GHz | IoT (plugs, sensors), long-reach gadgets | Best penetration; stick to channels 1/6/11 to avoid overlap. |
QoS & SQM: stopping bufferbloat
The usual villain is your upload. When something maxes your upstream (cloud backup, cameras), delay skyrockets—calls glitch, games lag. Fix it:
- Enable QoS/SQM and enter your real ISP speeds (measure off-peak).
- Cap bulk uploads to ~80–90% of upstream to prevent queue bloat.
- Prioritize work devices/apps (video calls, gaming) via profiles.
# SQM baseline (example)
downlink_mbps = measured_down * 0.90
uplink_mbps = measured_up * 0.85
# Prioritize work devices; de-prioritize backups/camerasMesh & backhaul: don’t starve clients
- Wired backhaul (best): Ethernet or MoCA between nodes keeps the air free for devices.
- Wireless backhaul (good): Prefer tri/quad-band or Wi-Fi 7 with MLO to isolate backhaul from clients.
- Placement: Nodes ~30–40 ft line-of-sight; minimize heavy walls. Aim for −55 to −65 dBm between nodes.
Avoid: Random “extenders” that halve throughput and raise latency. Use one integrated mesh/AP system.
15-minute congestion playbook
- Update firmware; enable WPA3, OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 6 GHz.
- One SSID (band steering on). Let modern clients pick 6 GHz.
- Wire the hogs: TV/console/NAS via Ethernet; otherwise park them on 5 GHz.
- IoT segregation: Keep IoT on 2.4 GHz or an IoT/Guest SSID (no LAN access).
- QoS/SQM: Set speeds; prioritize calls/work devices; cap backup apps.
- Backhaul: Wire mesh if possible; else ensure dedicated wireless backhaul + strong node-to-node signal.
- Room tests: Run speed + latency in office/TV/bedrooms; nudge node placement 5–10 ft and re-test.
RouterHaus Editorial
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