Wi-Fi 7 is finally here!
In recent months, several domestic manufacturers have intensively launched new Wi-Fi 7 routers, attracting the attention of the entire market.
The emergence of these new products marks the true entry of Wi-Fi 7 into a comprehensive commercial phase. Every user can start to experience and use this latest technology.
To get an early experience of the performance improvements of Wi-Fi 7, as a veteran digital geek, I quickly got my hands on one to provide a review.
The router I purchased is the ZTE WenTian BE7200Pro+ Wi-Fi 7 router, which was just released on December 28.
Here it is:
As per tradition, this review will include three main parts: unboxing, performance testing, and disassembly. The entire piece is packed with valuable information, and I hope everyone enjoys it!
█ Unboxing
First, the product unboxing.
Upon receiving the package, the anti-collision packaging box is as follows. ZTE blue, a roof, and a smiley face represent a smart home.
Removing the anti-collision packaging reveals the product’s official packaging:
The packaging is relatively simple, consistent with the product’s color scheme, mainly black with a touch of gold.
The full name of the product is ZTE WenTian BE7200Pro+. The “BE” comes from the scientific name of Wi-Fi 7—802.11be. The “7200” represents the total wireless rate (the theoretical peak for 2.4GHz is 1376Mbps, and for 5GHz it is 5764Mbps, totaling 7140Mbps, rounded). The “Pro+” indicates that it certainly has dual 2.5G ports.
“WenTian” is the name of the series, and the AX5400pro/pro+ that I previously reviewed also belongs to this series. In addition to WenTian, ZTE has other series like XunTian, QingTian, and XiaoFangTang, which are selling well.
Slogan: Quality Comes From Strength.
Opening the lid reveals 8 antennas. The antennas are all installed and secured with foam:
Taking out the main unit!
At first glance, it is quite stunning. The black color brings a sense of technology, while the gold adds a hint of national style:
The router looks somewhat similar to the AX5400pro, also featuring a spaceship design, which aligns well with the “WenTian” series, exploring the stars and the sea.
In specific comparison, the new router has added 2 more antennas, with changes in contour details, and more gold edges, making it look more upscale.
The front has a heat dissipation grille, designed quite discreetly, resembling insect eyes. Between the two eyes, there is a triangular-shaped indicator light.
The logo and model identification on the body. NEXT ERA means “the next era”.
Wi-Fi 7 is here:
There is also a symbol resembling a transformer, said to be a variant of the character “兴” (Xing), but I think it looks more like the character “问” (Wen), which is quite interesting:
Top view of the router:
8 high-gain antennas, all can be folded at various angles:
Now let’s look at the back:
There are a total of 5 ports, of which 2 are 2.5G (blue) and 3 are 1G.
Dual 2.5G, according to the official statement, is bandwidth exclusive. It meets the future household broadband upgrade requirement of 2000Mbps and the internal NAS (Network Attached Storage) connection requirement. Perfect! Comfortable!
Power, reset hole, mesh button, all are present. There is also a dedicated USB 3.0 port for connecting a mobile hard drive or USB flash drive, serving as a simple network storage.
The overall weight of the machine is heavier than that of typical routers, indicating solid materials, which we will see when disassembled later.
The bundled network cable is the hardest and sturdiest one I’ve ever seen:
Standard power supply:
Here’s a group photo, and the unboxing section ends here.
█ Performance Testing
Next, we move on to the performance testing section.
As per tradition, I will conduct the tests in my own home, which represents a real usage environment.
My home broadband is China Telecom 1000M. The specific speed test network configuration is as follows:
Powering on the router, I first perform basic configuration:
After configuring PPPOE and Wi-Fi, basic internet connectivity is established.
I disabled dual-band integration for the 2.4G and 5GHz bands. The 6GHz band is not open in the domestic market, so there’s no need to consider it.
Noticing a new version, I updated it:
Then I enabled the MLO switch:
MLO stands for Multi-Link Operation, a new technology introduced with Wi-Fi 7.
In simple terms, it allows the router to connect to two Wi-Fi bands simultaneously, such as 2.4G + 5G. This can achieve faster speeds and enhance reliability.
After enabling MLO, the router is forced to set dual-band integration…
Set to wall-through mode for the best signal:
After the settings are complete:
It can be seen that the true model of the router is ZXSLC SR7410.
I won’t screenshot the other network management interfaces one by one; all the necessary functions are available (e.g., WAN dual dialing, youth protection, whitelisting, Mesh, etc.).
Configuration complete, ready to start testing.
The testing phone is the Xiaomi 14. After successful connection, the Wi-Fi icon in the upper right corner changed to this:
The 7 indicates Wi-Fi 7, and the plus sign indicates that MLO is enabled. At this moment, as one of the first users, I am quite excited.
The negotiated rate is 2882Mbps, which is normal.
Using Cellular-Z, I checked the Wi-Fi environment at home and found significant interference. Signal strength is -25dbm, which is acceptable.
The neighboring Wi-Fi signals are quite strong, with channels mostly occupied, leaving no completely free channels.
I selected 2 slightly free channels and adjusted the wireless router’s Wi-Fi RF configuration.
First, let’s run an external speed test:
Over 900Mbps, which is basically okay. My home has a 1000M broadband connection, and considering the line loss (in an older house), it generally doesn’t reach the full gigabit.
Next, I will conduct an internal network speed test throughout the house. I set up an iperf3 internal network speed test service for streaming tests. The server is on the NAS, and the phone is the client.
The layout of my home is as follows. I selected 6 points for speed testing:
Some screenshots of the speed testing process (I used multiple streams, and you can directly check the SUM value):
Downlink in the living room:
It is basically around 2.1Gbps, indicating that it should have negotiated to 4096-QAM (modulation method).
This speed, while not reaching the extreme of 2.5Gbps (the wireless extreme is 2880Mbps, but the wired port is 2500Mbps), is quite impressive considering the surrounding interference.
Uplink in the living room (the speed test command does not include “-R”):
The uplink is also similar, around 2~2.2Gbps.
Master bedroom:
Study:
Kitchen:
Summary statistics are as follows:
Overall, the performance of the router is indeed good, with the farthest master bedroom also achieving a downlink speed of over 1Gbps.
I also tested the Huawei Mate60pro (which only supports Wi-Fi 6, not Wi-Fi 7) to check the Wi-Fi 6 speed of this router.
The results are as follows:
Downlink 1.98Gbps, uplink 1.6Gbps. This result is also very good.
In fact, it seems that if the home broadband subscription speed is not 2000M or higher, there will not be any significant difference in the user experience between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 (under the same configuration).
The only differences will be observed during file transfers within the internal network.General gaming, streaming, and chatting will not have a perceivable difference.
According to the domestic operators’ plans, 50G-PON commercial use and promotion will gradually begin in 2024. If household broadband speeds increase, upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 will become necessary.
Electronic products are generally bought new and not old. Purchasing a Wi-Fi 7 router now means you won’t have to worry about upgrades for at least 5 years. If you are already a Wi-Fi 6 AX5400 or above user, there is no rush to switch to Wi-Fi 7.
█ Disassembly
The final section, and the one everyone looks forward to the most—disassembly.
Through disassembly, we can take a detailed look at the craftsmanship and materials of this wireless router.
Preparing for disassembly:
Bottom side up:
There are four screws at the bottom:
Taking a glance at the nameplate, I won’t blur it out; please don’t expose me. 
After removing the screws, the outer shell can be pried open from the side seam:
The prying process is quite laborious, so be careful. It is recommended not to use a screwdriver but to use a dedicated prying tool.
After prying, the main circuit board with an oversized heat sink is revealed:
The ports for the 8 high-gain antennas. Upon closer inspection, there are 4 for 2.4GHz and 4 for 5GHz, arranged in an alternating pattern (to prevent interference from being too close).
The heat sink is really large and heavy, feeling like it could sell for a good amount. 
Disconnecting the antenna ports, I take out the main circuit board:
The back of the circuit board has a full heat dissipation base, which also helps to strengthen the fixation. The materials used are very solid, making it extremely sturdy overall.
After removing the heat sink, the true appearance of the main circuit board is revealed.
The wiring is very neat, and the component soldering is also tidy. The white ones are thermal silicone pads, with each chip having one, and some have adhered to the heat sink.
External interfaces:
Capacitors:
Now let’s see what brand the most important chip is.
First, there is ZTE’s self-developed main chip, ZX279133:
This chip is quite mysterious, with almost no information available online. I only saw in the official promotional materials that it integrates an NPU independent acceleration engine, 8 cores, and 64 threads. Additionally, it can achieve over 10Gbps forwarding. The clock speed and manufacturing process are unknown.
ZTE has always emphasized its self-developed router chips. The benefit of self-development is that it allows for deep customization, eliminating a lot of redundant designs that exist for compatibility, which can lower power consumption and help to unleash computational potential.
The memory chip is CXDQ3BFAM. After searching, it is from Hefei Changxin, DDR4, 1GB, which should be sufficient.
The Wi-Fi chip is Qualcomm’s QCN6224. There is a lot of information available online, so I won’t elaborate.
The Ethernet chip: 2 Realtek RTL8221B chips, corresponding to 2 2.5G ports.
On the right side are 8 Wi-Fi 7 spatial streams, equipped with 8 FEMs (RF front-end modules used for amplifying RF chip output power and tuning input power), neatly arranged.
After checking, it uses Qorvo, a good brand.
The back of the main circuit board has some metal shielding covers.
Upon opening, there are some pins, nothing else.
Disassembly complete:
Reassembly:
█ Final Thoughts
Alright, the entire unboxing, review, and disassembly of the router ends here.
Overall, the ZTE WenTian BE7200Pro+ Wi-Fi 7 Home Router is a product with a balanced capability across various aspects, considered a “jack-of-all-trades”.
Its appearance combines technology and national style, with a futuristic design.
From a functional perspective, it includes everything necessary, such as dual 2.5G and USB 3.0, all fully equipped.
From a performance perspective, it is supported by self-developed chips, 8 high-gain antennas + 8 high-performance FEMs, and mainstream major manufacturer Wi-Fi solutions, ensuring reliability.
The actual performance test results are also very good, achieving Wi-Fi 7 speeds of over 2Gbps even in a somewhat interference-prone environment. Throughout the review period, there were no disconnections or freezes.
Considering the price of this router (649 yuan, currently on sale for 599 yuan), it is comparable to traditional Wi-Fi 6 routers (dual 2.5G, 8 antennas, 4K-QAM), just a bit more expensive. Based on the principle of buying new over old, I recommend that if you are considering a replacement, prioritize this option.
Well, that’s all for now. Thank you all for your patience in reading!
—— The End ——
