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We've recently noticed from community feedback that Wi-Fi 7 routers may cause connectivity issues with certain smart devices, leading to compatibility problems. These issues can prevent smart devices from connecting to the main Wi-Fi network of a Wi-Fi 7 router. We're sharing the information we've gathered in hopes that it can assist users facing similar problems. 

Key Point: Smart Device Connectivity Issue with WiFi 7 Routers

Router Features That Could Affect Smart Device's Connectivity

• WiFi 7 Router
• Multiple advanced features enabled, such as 6GHz WiFi, Multi-Link Operation (MLO), mesh networking, etc.
• Complex network topology

Potential Issues When Using Smart Devices with Such a Router.

• Smart devices may fail to connect router WiFi during the setup.
• Smart devices might be unable to detect the router's WiFi during the setup. 
• Devices may disconnect and fail to reconnect after router or network settings are changed.

Potential Cause

The Wi-Fi 7 routers have longer wireless management frames, which could impact the connection stability of smart devices. TP-Link smart devices do not yet support WiFi 7. Although Wi-Fi standards generally maintain backward compatibility, the differences in technical characteristics between different versions can still lead to suboptimal performance or connectivity problems for certain devices. If you encounter unstable connections between smart devices and a Wi-Fi 7 router, you may want to try disabling some of the router's advanced features as a troubleshooting step.

Troubleshooting Suggestions

1. Simplify the network. Turn off some advanced features like 6GHz WiFi, Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Roaming, Mesh networking, etc

2. Connect smart devices to a dedicated IOT network or a guest WiFi.

We encourage users who have experienced similar issues to share their situations and solutions here. Your insights could greatly benefit others dealing with the same challenges.