a leap that is worth it in almost everything

Movistar has taken longer than other operators to get on the bandwagon. Wi-Fi 7but he already did it. His new Smart WiFi 7 router It has been available for some time for customers with fiber and, as usually happens every time the operator releases equipment, the same debate of Is it worth changing to the new one?. Although this technology ends up being better in everything, it will depend on the devices you have at home that are going to connect to the network. In this article we review the real differences between one and the other, what the change costs and for whom it makes sense to do so.

Similar concept in design

At first glance, the two routers share a philosophy, being vertical devices that rest on a base and are placed in any corner of the room without too much concealment. But that’s where the aesthetic similarities end. He Smart WiFi 6 It maintains a white and gray casing, while the new Smart WiFi 7 opts for a combination of black and blue and is positioned edge-on.

The reset buttons, WPS and the telephone jack remain almost identical. Perhaps the most visible change in this sense is that the power switch becomes a button.

What changes inside: technology, antennas and ports

The important difference is not in the casing, but in the guts of the device. The Smart WiFi 6 mounts nine internal antennas (5×5 on the 5 GHz band and 4×4 on the 2.4 GHz). The new Smart WiFi 7 incorporates ten antennas, nine with configuration MU-MIMO and an additional one for DFS support.

Of course, there is one detail that should be clear: The Movistar router does not operate in the 6 GHz bandone of the great promises of the WiFi 7 standard.

In cable connectivity there is also an important leap. The previous model offered four ports Gigabit Ethernet. The new one retains three Gigabit ports, but adds one port up to 10 Gbps prepared to take advantage of the maximum speed symmetrical fiber. The SC/APC optical port also changes, as it is now compatible with networks XGS-PONin addition to the GPON.

Regarding performance, Movistar says that the new router is up to 2.5 times faster, has 50% less latency, 70% more traffic capacity and 9% less electricity consumption. In addition, according to the company, it adds a 10% improvement in coverage compared to the previous model.

The extra capacity is probably the information that may interest us most in an average home, since the house is increasingly full of cameras, televisions, speakers, robot vacuum cleaners and consoles competing for the same network.

What WiFi 7 really provides

To understand why Movistar talks about these improvements, it is important to be clear about what WiFi 7 is. It is the standard 802.11besuccessor of Wi-Fi 6 and of WiFi 6Eand the WiFi Alliance gave the green light to technology during CES 2024.

Among its benefits we have channels up to 320 MHz, twice as wide as WiFi 6. It also offers 4K-QAM modulation, which allows more data to be packed into each transmission. In addition to this, WiFi 7 incorporates the technology MLO (Multi-Link Operation)which is perhaps the one that interests us most at home and that allows a device to send and receive data on several bands at the same time. In theory we could reach speeds of up to 46 Gbps compared to 9.6 Gbps for WiFi 6.

The important nuance is that these advantages only materialize if the device that connects also supports WiFi 7. A laptop or mobile phone from a few years ago will connect to the new router without problem, but will continue to function under the previous standard. Therefore, you will not notice a substantial change in speed as long as you do not have equipment compatible with this technology.

What doesn’t change

There are functions that remain identical in both models. Both allow the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to be unified under a single SSID, both are managed from the Movistar Smart WiFi mobile application (for iOS and Android), both are compatible with the Smart WiFi 6 amplifier to extend coverage and both work with the FTTR fiber from the operator (the Movistar service that uses an ultra-fine fiber thread to bring the connection to every corner of the house). Security does not change either, since both routers continue to use the protocol WPA3.

How much does it cost and how to get it

The most direct way to get the Smart WiFi 7 without paying anything extra is to contract Movistar’s 10 Gbps fiber. It doesn’t matter if it is a new registration, a portability or a client who is already in the company and decides to upgrade to that modality, because in all cases the router is included. Movistar markets this speed for five euros more a month above the usual rate.

There is also good news for those who contract other rates from the company. As we recently mentioned, the equipment is included free of charge in new registrations. miMovistar rates since February 16, 2026, and the operator’s website already offers it along with the miMovistar Unlimited package with 1 Gbps fiber or 600 Mbps. But be careful: if the contract is for fiber without any other additional service, the equipment delivered is still the Smart WiFi 6.

If you are a customer of a fiber rate, it is possible that Movistar has already contacted you to change your router. Otherwise, you can purchase it separately:

• Self-install mode: 60 euros (compared to the 50 euros that the Smart WiFi 6 costs).
• With installation by technician: 110 euros (compared to 100 euros for the previous model).

As with the previous model, the router is delivered on a transfer basis: the customer pays only once on the invoice, but You must return it if you unsubscribe or change operator. Otherwise, Movistar applies a penalty.

So, is it worth the change?

The short answer is: It depends a lot on the scenario..

If they end up offering it to you at no cost for registering a new line with a compatible rate or for contracting 10 Gbps fiber, of course. Although home devices are not yet WiFi 7, the router will continue to offer better capacity to manage many simultaneous connections and a 10 Gbps port that future-proofs the equipment.

If, on the other hand, you find yourself in the situation of paying 60 or 110 euros to change the current Smart WiFi 6, honestly not. The real advantages of WiFi 7 are only taken advantage of with compatible devices, and the 10 Gbps port only makes sense if the fastest symmetrical fiber is contracted, which entails that monthly extra cost. For a home with 1 Gbps fiber and a few cell phones and laptops from two or three years ago, the jump is going to be rather modest.

Cover image | Movistar

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