Can You Have Too Many WiFi Routers?

This video investigates the practical limits of WiFi when you massively expand a home network, using a controlled EMC chamber and a room full of access points to simulate a dense apartment scenario. The host begins by explaining that simply throwing more routers into a space can backfire due to channel congestion, interference, and non optimal channel assignments. Early experiments demonstrate that 2.4 GHz remains useful for range but is easily bottlenecked by overlaps and device listening overhead, leading to underwhelming real-world speeds even when traffic seems light. The discussion then shifts to a more realistic multi-AP setup, where neighbors and multiple devices create a congested RF environment that drastically changes performance, contradicting the naive expectation that more APs always means faster WiFi. Through spectrum analysis and real-time transfers, the video shows noticeable hitching, delays, and even complete degradation of streams as the number of APs increases beyond a manageable threshold. The host then outlines practical fixes, including selecting non overlapping channels, enabling load balancing, reducing transmit power, and moving devices to higher frequency bands such as 5 GHz and 6 GHz where WiFi 7 is available. Finally, the video emphasizes that optimal WiFi in a large home or building usually requires a well-planned mix of AP placements, proper channel planning, and sometimes turning off redundant bands, rather than simply adding more routers, to achieve consistent performance across devices and rooms.

Topics · technology · networking · home networking · consumer electronics