Yeah, I would do the plywood. I know from (work) experience that things may appear solid, but over time the drywall can fatigue. You could even run some boards across the stud spacing and then bolt your rack from that. You could perhaps run a board across the wall under the rack to bolster it there (screw into studs, preferably)
There’s a little risk in that the standard is not yet adopted. Some years ago some early-to-market device buyers got passed by when there was a change in the spec and their hardware was unable to be upgraded. So, the hardware out there now is similarly risky. The other thing is that the stuff that’s out there is “early adopter priced”. It’s going to come down in price, and as tech marches on, performance will probably get better. Just sayin’.
You don’t actually say what the problem is that you are trying to solve. I can guess it is wifi coverage. You’ll get much more help here if you say what the problem is, and what hardware you currently have - and people can help from there.
Meanwhile, did you know the wifi 7 standard has not even been officially published? It’s not expected until early 2024. Wifi 7 is a protocol for wireless devices and those devices must be wifi 7 capable to use it. It is not a better network system, it will not help increase your coverage. How many wifi 7 devices do you have? I can guess pretty accurately that it’s zero. So don’t waste your money on anything wifi 7 - it’s going to be a couple of years before you see many wifi 7 clients.
Just so you know - modems and routers don’t need to be compatible with each other. The modem simply provides an ethernet connection and you can connect whatever you want to it. The router is similar in that it just needs an ethernet connection and an IP address, and the modem provides that.
Don’t do the unknown brands on Amazon, the alphabet soup names. Much of the offshore stuff isn’t manufactured with quality control and a failed wire buried in the wall would not be fun at all.
Like u/Born-Basis7489 says, big box store stuff is usually reliable. Online - Monoprice, TrueCable are a couple of good ones. The big names like Belden are fine too of course.
The luxury of being able to ignore cable management.
Ubiquiti UniFi or TP-Link Omada - both prosumer, a step up from consumer stuff and especially mesh. Both are centrally managed, multiple APs and switches are a breeze. If you’re setting up VLANs later you will appreciate the control. Seriously, if you’re wiring, no need for mesh stuff.
Thanks for the follow up post with your results! Glad to hear you are up and running.
It’s saying it is searching for a downstream connection. I’d suggest you call your ISP.
For what its worth - I got started in UniFi when my Asus’ wifi got flaky. I turned off the radio and added a UniFi AP (AC-Lite). Problem solved. I just had the AP sitting on top of a bookcase, not even noticeable. It covered my then house at 1700 sq ft. Maybe just adding an AP could improve your situation for now. (In a different house now, I have a complete UniFi setup - including that AC-Lite, which is doing fine!)
You could take a look at the UniFi Dream Router (wifi 6 4x4 MiMo AP built in) or Dream Machine (wifi 5 4x4 MiMo built in) - both are all-in-ones.