August 20, 2026
How to get the right internet equipment for your home
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The equipment in your home directly impacts whether your devices are actually getting the high-speed fiber internet you pay for. Many people focus on how much speed is coming into their home, but real-world performance is often determined by your router's technology and placement.
Unmatched hardware standards: advanced Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7, and ongoing innovation
GFiber provides reliable hardware at no additional cost, including Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6E routers and mesh extenders to ensure total home coverage depending on your product and service area. Our 1 Gig service comes with Wi-Fi 6E and Home and Edge come with Wi-Fi 7 as standard, no upcharge, and depending on your service and home’s unique needs, up to 2 extenders, GFiber’s signature performance verification, and on-going monitoring in the GFiber app. GFiber Labs is dedicated to defining what’s next in internet by researching and testing innovations to bring customers the next-generation of internet service.
Wi-Fi standards and performance
A provider may deliver fast speeds to the edge of your home, but outdated routers (which distribute an internet connection to all the devices in your home) can result in slow Wi-Fi performance, no matter how much speed is coming into your house. When thinking about your home network equipment, consider these technical factors:
The most recent Wi-Fi standards: An industry consortium sets technical standards for each generation of equipment. The latest generations, Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, are significant advances over previous standards, offering several advantages including the addition of a third band of Internet, more efficient traffic routing, meaningful increases in speed, security and service battery management and the ability to handle more devices with significantly less congestion compared to older standards. GFiber includes this latest equipment with every plan. In fact, as standards have evolved, GFiber has had a pattern of proactively upgrading the in-home equipment of its tenured customers at no extra cost. And GFiber’s Wi-Fi 7 router was custom-made and expertly engineered for the GFiber network, leveraging the most advanced global tech.
The addition of the 6 GHz band on the highway: Multiple bands act like lanes on a highway. When numerous devices are on a single band, they compete for room and have to wait their turn, which increases latency. More bands provide more room for simultaneous data transmission.
GFiber provides reliable hardware at no additional cost, including Fiber Jacks and Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6E routers, as well as mesh extenders to ensure total home coverage. GFiber routers are pretty powerful by themselves, covering up to more than 2,000 square feet which is larger than the average home. However, for large or multi-story homes, certain layouts, or areas with dead zones, mesh extenders are a must. A mesh extender is a second node that communicates with the main router to expand your Wi-Fi coverage across your home. Depending on your plan and needs, up to two extenders are included in the GFiber price to provide up to 5,000 sq ft of coverage.
The real cost of equipment
Many internet providers charge a monthly rental fee for equipment, which can significantly increase the annual cost of service. Equipment rental fees can be up to $15 monthly, according to HighSpeedInternet.com, which adds up to $180 per year. While some providers allow you to buy your own equipment to avoid these costs, they must be compatible with your provider’s system. In addition, you are then responsible for its maintenance, upgrades and diagnosing issues. And before long, you may find your equipment has become obsolete. Others require proprietary equipment. Always review the terms of service to see if you can opt out of these fees. GFiber never charges you a monthly fee for the equipment to make your internet service work, and we provide our customers the latest technology to ensure they are getting the most out of their network.
Every GFiber product comes with the hardware you need to get your home online, including free installation, performance verification, ongoing health monitoring via the GFiber app, and always free repairs (not that you’ll need them). You’ll never see a monthly internet equipment rental fee, and there’s no additional charge for the Fiber Jack or installation in your home. All included equipment is designed to cover up to 5,000 square feet with Wi-Fi.
Your devices also play a roll in your maximum Wi-Fi speed
Understanding your Wi-Fi technology and how it was built to support your devices is the key to getting the most out of them. Why? Because the Wi-Fi enabled devices in your home were also built on a Wi-Fi standard, which defines the Wi-Fi speeds they’ll get. Some older devices only support earlier standards of Wi-Fi technology. If you have an older device, it may not be able to go as fast as your GFiber internet could otherwise take it
Fiber infrastructure and the right equipment improves connectivity
Even the best high-performance routers cannot resolve the inherent limitations of asymmetrical speed of infrastructure that is not 100% fiber. Equipment performance is most effective when powered by robust infrastructure. Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology delivers symmetrical upload and download speeds – meaning speed that is as fast when sending data as it is when receiving dataThis combination of hardware and technology is particularly critical for high-bandwidth activities like video conferencing, large file transfers, and multi-user households.
Equipment and installation are always included with GFiber
GFiber provides a complete FTTH service with the latest Wi-Fi standards and mesh extenders included at no additional monthly cost. We install a multi-gig Fiber Optic Jack—the small device that connects your home to our network—and a GFiber Wi-Fi Router.
Core 1 Gig: Includes a Wi-Fi 6E router.
Home 3 Gig and Edge 8 Gig: Include the latest Wi-Fi 7 router.
Installation: Professional or self-installation included at no extra cost for all products.
Mesh extenders: up to 2 Included if your home layout requires an extender to cover dead spots and ensure a seamless whole home network.
Learn more about Wi-Fi from these classic blogs:
Learn more about GFiber installation here.
Internet provider equipment comparison
GFiber offers high-speed symmetrical internet with advanced Wi-Fi standards, plus equipment and professional or self installation included.
Disclaimers
AT&T, Xfinity, Quantum, Spectrum, Metronet: Source of competitor equipment and installation fees is based on publicly available "Nutrition Label" data and competitor websites as of February 2026.
Customers canceling service will have to pay a replacement fee (including any applicable taxes) if they fail to return equipment within 60 days after cancellation.
Actual internet, Wi-Fi speeds, and Wi-Fi coverage are not guaranteed and can vary based on factors such as home or business size and layout, construction materials, hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.