I’ve been gradually upgrading the Wi-Fi setup in my house, and the latest step in that process is beginning to swap out my UniFi Wi-Fi 6 access points for the new Wi-Fi 7 models. This first step was installing the new U7 Lite, their entry-level Wi-Fi 7 device priced at $99 (compensated affiliate link).
You can see it in action in my latest video.
I started with the one in my studio since this is where I’ll likely have the most Wi-Fi 7 clients to experiment with. It’s a good test case for seeing how much of a real-world bump I can get from upgrading to Wi-Fi 7.
Physically, the U7 Lite is nearly identical to previous “Lite” models from UniFi. It uses the same mounting bracket as the AC Lite and U6 Lite, which made installation a 30-second job—twist out the old one, twist in the new one, and that was it. It requires PoE (Power over Ethernet), and I’m powering it through the UniFi Flex 2.5 PoE switch I reviewed recently. The U7 Lite, like the prior model, doesn’t include a PoE injector.
Specs-wise, the U7 Lite is a 2×2 access point for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz only—it doesn’t include 6 GHz support. For my environment, which is a rural home with minimal RF interference and modest usage, that’s fine. The jump to 2.5 Gbps Ethernet from the 1 Gbps found on older units opens up some potential bandwidth gains, and I was curious to see just how much improvement I’d get on my Wi-Fi 7 devices.
Before upgrading, I ran some benchmarks using an iPhone 16 Pro Max connected to my U6 Lite prior to its decommissioning. Downstream speeds hovered just under 500 Mbps, and upstream was a bit better, close to 600 Mbps. Those were solid numbers for a mid-range access point, and I saw similar results on my Windows PC as well.
Once the U7 Lite was installed and adopted by the UniFi Controller, I didn’t change any settings initially—just let it run with the defaults to see if the upgrade alone made a difference. And it did. Download speeds immediately jumped to around 700 Mbps. Upload stayed in the same ballpark as before, but the increased downstream bandwidth was a good early sign.
Next, I tried enabling a wider channel width. The U7 Lite allows up to 240 MHz, but that depends on client compatibility and has the potential for channel overlap and interference with other access points. I set it to 240 just to see what would happen, and my iPhone connected at 160 MHz—likely its hardware limit. Still, that change alone brought my download speeds right up to a gigabit, with upload seeing an improvement as well.
Then I tested out Multi-Link Operation (MLO), a new feature in Wi-Fi 7 that allows simultaneous connections across multiple frequency bands—in this case, 2.4 and 5 GHz. I created a new SSID and enabled MLO in the UniFi Controller, but the results weren’t impressive. Downloads dropped a bit compared to the single 160 MHz channel, and upload didn’t see much change either. Latency was slightly worse as well, with occasional packet drops during ping tests. For now, MLO seems like a feature that still needs some maturing—both in terms of firmware and client device support.
When I reverted back to the standard 160 MHz Wi-Fi 7 configuration, latency improved and speeds returned to peak levels. I’ll continue to keep an eye on MLO as I bring in new test devices with stronger radios, but it’s not quite ready for prime time in my setup.
The takeaway so far is that Wi-Fi 7, even on an entry-level access point like the U7 Lite, can deliver meaningful performance gains—especially on the downstream side. It’s a simple, affordable upgrade that integrates easily into existing UniFi networks. I’ll likely pick up another, more robust unit for my upstairs area where traffic is heavier and keep testing from there. As always, more to come!
Disclosure: I purchased the U7 Lite myself. The router I’m using, the UniFi Dream Machine Pro, was sent to the channel five years ago, but all opinions are mine and the video was not sponsored or pre-reviewed.