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I need to buy a new router but I would like to buy a Wi-fi6 or 6e or even a 7 if it will connect and work well with my iMac with an M1 chip I am running Ventura 13.5.2 at the moment. Can I use one of the above router with this computer? are there any down-sides?
iMac 24″, macOS 13.5
Certain Apple Silicon computers can use the Wifi 6 and above and others can not
Except from below link
To join a Wi-Fi 6E network, you need one of these Apple devices:
Use Wi-Fi 6E networks with Apple devices
Certain Apple Silicon computers can use the Wifi 6 and above and others can not
Except from below link
To join a Wi-Fi 6E network, you need one of these Apple devices:
Use Wi-Fi 6E networks with Apple devices
Your M1 iMac will recognize a 2.4Ghz/5Ghz 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 signal (802.11ax) transmitted from a Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, or Wi-Fi 7 router, but not the Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax, 6Ghz), or Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) signals. Wi-Fi 7 is expected to be approved by early 2024 and some vendors (e.g. Netgear) are preparing Wi-Fi 7 routers for it. Expect the pricing of Wi-Fi 7 routers to be outrageous.
I purchased a Wi-Fi 6 Synology RT6600ax Wi-Fi 6 router a year ago (it was $370) and I use a couple of different SSID for Wi-FI 5/6 devices and another SSID for Wi-Fi 802.11ac/ax devices (my 2020 iMac and newer devices). The management interface is web-based and classic Synology for ease of use. It can provide bar graphs by device for 24-hour data consumption.
I also just purchased a Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro (M6550) 5G hotspot that is unlocked on ATT, T-Mobile, Verizon (supports other carriers), uses the Qualcomm X-65 radio (same as iPhone 14 Pro Max), and can do 5G on any of these carriers. Yesterday, on battery, I got four bars signal from T-mobile 5G UC and a speedtest of 350 Mbps down from their headend in Tennessee, though I am in Michigan. My local Comcast feed through the Synology router only manages 260 Mbps down.
You might consider for future proofing and cost management a Wi-Fi 6E router provided it can allow you to configure a Wi-Fi 6 SSID with the 802.11n/a/ac/ax standards to accommodate your current devices and alter that SSID configuration to accommodate future 6E capable devices.
new Wi-Fi router
