Enterprise WLAN & Wi-Fi upgrades: What leaders should know

The decision framework

Organizations must weigh security, performance, cost and complexity alongside evolving technologies such as AI and IoT in network modernization projects.

Performance, security and pragmatism

Our research shows that security and performance dominate upgrade priorities -- but successful executives are balancing these technical requirements against practical concerns around cost and complexity. This isn't about choosing the most advanced technology --it's about selecting solutions that deliver measurable business value while remaining operationally sustainable.

Planning vs. deployment

What's particularly interesting is how organizational concerns shift from planning to reality. Take Wi-Fi 6 deployments for example: while 48% of organizations initially worry about higher equipment costs, this drops to 41% post-deployment. However, concerns about configuration complexity increase after implementation -- jumping from 37% to 42%. This suggests that while hardware costs might be negotiable, operational complexity can catch teams off-guard.

AI and IoT

Here's where the conversation gets compelling for networking and IT executives: AI and IoT projects are fundamentally changing the urgency around Wi-Fi upgrades. These are no longer simply conceptual -- they have matured into business transformation projects that demand robust, reliable wireless networking infrastructure. Organizations implementing AI-driven analytics, edge inferencing, smart building systems or IoT-enabled operations are discovering that their current Wi-Fi networks might not support the bandwidth, latency and device density requirements these initiatives demand. This creates a compelling business case for wireless modernization that extends far beyond traditional incremental growth in usage and demand.

Wi-Fi or private 5G -- or both?

One other important finding for strategic planning: Wi-Fi remains complementary to private 5G rather than competitive in most enterprise scenarios. This suggests that organizations should view these technologies as serving different business needs rather than forcing an either-or decision. Wi-Fi continues excelling in traditional enterprise environments -- offices, campuses and customer-facing spaces -- while private 5G addresses specific industrial applications requiring broad coverage areas or unique performance characteristics.

Infrastructure integration

It is also essential to understand that Wi-Fi upgrades can't happen in isolation. A Wi-Fi 7 upgrade might deliver impressive features for advancing endpoint connection performance, but without adequate LAN and WAN capacity, it might not be able to realize expected benefits at scale. Taking a holistic approach acknowledges that promising Wi-Fi performance requires supporting infrastructure investments.

Our research indicates that WAN and LAN expansion initiatives are also underway as organizations prepare for Wi-Fi upgrades, which is crucial for budget planning and project management. Wi-Fi 7 adoption is driving the most attention on this front -- well over 50% of those planning deployments were also looking at both LAN and WAN upgrades in parallel, versus roughly 40% when deploying 6 or 6E.

The path forward: strategic recommendations

For leaders planning Wi-Fi infrastructure investments, three key principles emerge from our research:

1. Budget for complexity, not just hardware. Implementation challenges often exceed initial expectations, requiring adequate resources for training, integration, and ongoing management.
2. Align upgrades with broader business initiatives. AI and IoT projects provide compelling justification for WLAN investments and may in fact rely on upgrades to deliver expected business value.
3. Adopt a holistic infrastructure perspective. Successful Wi-Fi modernization requires coordinated planning across all network segments, not isolated technology upgrades.

The Wi-Fi landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by business transformation initiatives rather than just technological advancement. Organizations that approach these decisions strategically -- balancing technical capabilities with operational realities -- will be best positioned to leverage wireless infrastructure as a competitive advantage in an increasingly connected business environment.

Jim Frey covers networking as principal analyst at Omdia.

Omdia is a division of Informa TechTarget. Its analysts have business relationships with technology vendors.