Wi-Fi upgrades have boiled down to a lot of similar talking points over the past decade or so. Every few years, a new generation of Wi-Fi comes along and promises more speed, more bandwidth, more range, and so on. But now, with Wi-Fi 7 still slowly making its way into homes around the world, things are looking different.
Wi-Fi 8 is already starting to take shape, and for the first time in a while, it isn't about speed at all. The IEEE has dubbed this version of Wi-Fi "Ultra High Reliability", and it's about time this became the focus. It may not be the most exciting upgrade on paper, but it could be the one you'll feel the most.
Speeds aren't changing
At least, not on paper
Since the introduction of Wi-Fi 4 (corresponding to the IEEE 802.11n standard) back in 2009, the maximum theoretical data rate for new versions of Wi-Fi has always increased significantly with each release. Wi-Fi 5 increased the maximum data rate by more than 10 times, and while further increments have been smaller in percentage, speeds have always increased very significantly.
Some improvements have been made to help fight interference and improve throughput in areas with lots of devices connected, but they always felt secondary to the improvements in maximum theoretical speeds. But with Wi-Fi 7 reaching a maximum theoretical throughput of 23Gbit per band, that's more than enough for the current internet speeds most users have, so it's arguably time to slow down.
While Wi-Fi 8 is still in development, the goal this time is very different. This new standard will have approximately the same maximum data rate, support the same number of spatial streams, use the same 4096-QAM modulation, work on the same bands, and support the same 320MHz channel bandwidth compared to Wi-Fi 7.
Instead, the organization is focusing on improving the reliability and the effective throughput of Wi-Fi networks by reducing interference and handling non-ideal conditions more effectively. The stated goals of Wi-Fi 8 include a 25% increase in throughput at different signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) levels, reduce latency by 25% for the 95th percentile scenarios with latency, and decrease MAC protocol data unit loss (MPDU) by 25%.
The official introduction to Wi-Fi 8 pits it against cellular networks, specifically 6G, which it will likely be competing against for a good chunk of its life (Wi-Fi 8 is expected to be finalized in 2028, while 6G should arrive in the early 2030s). Cellular networks notoriously have to handle massive numbers of devices connected at once, so the focus with Wi-Fi 8 is to improve the experience when there are lots of Wi-Fi devices nearby as well.
What's actually new
Lots of new technology at play
Since the aim is to improve effective throughput and the overall experience in real-world scenarios, Wi-Fi 8 focuses on introducing or enhancing features that help with those specific aspects.
One example are Distributed-tone resource units, or DRUs, which allows devices distribute its transmissions across a wider range of bandwidth, resulting in higher transmit power without violating regulations around how much power can be transmitted in a given piece of bandwidth. In practice, this means devices with lower transmit power can still offer more reliable connectivity, which can be especially useful for things like smart home devices that may have weaker antennas.
Interference mitigation pilots are another notable feature, which aim to help resist interference from unexpected interferences, particularly in unlicensed bands. This new standard will also leverage unequal modulations, allowing each spatial stream to be used more efficiently by adjusting the modulation individually based on the SINR for each one. This also goes along with new Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS) being added to improve throughput even more.
Latency reductions come from new features such as P-EDCA, which helps speed up channel access for prioritized devices while mitigating the effects on non-prioritized devices. Wi-Fi 8 also allows devices to communicate exclusively on non-primary channels, even when the primary channel is busy, allowing for throughput improvements by reducing wasted bandwidth.
Other scenarios being addressed include seamless roaming, meaning the transition from one access point to another. The goal is to ensure next to no downtime when moving between access points. Additionally, Wi-Fi 8 should improve connectivity when using multiple access points at the same time, leveraging various coordination features to ensure a more reliable connection and higher throughput in these scenarios.
A much-needed change
There are just too many devices now
As much as raw speed improvements are appreciated, the reliability focus for Wi-Fi 8 is sorely needed both at home and in work environments. There are simply massive numbers of devices connected to Wi-Fi networks nowadays, and they'll only keep increasing as smart home tech becomes more prevalent.
Smart lights and appliances, streaming boxes, and devices like phones and PCs continue to increase the demand for Wi-Fi networks to serve multiple devices at the same time. Even though smart home products often don't need a lot of bandwidth, their mere existence can slow down your more demanding connections, and Wi-Fi 8 is aiming to improve connectivity for all those devices.
At the same time, if you've been fighting off degrading network quality by adding more access points, Wi-Fi 8 is addressing that too, so it's looking like a very ambitious and well-rounded approach to improving connectivity in every scenario. It may actually be a more exciting upgrade than the past couple of iterations.
It will take time
Wi-Fi 8 may look like it's slowing down in terms of innovation, but in reality, it's focusing on oft-overlooked aspects that are very important in real-life situations. Refining the connection and improving reliability make this a big step forward, but it will be some time before we can see it in action. The standard should be finalized by May 2028, and devices with early Wi-Fi 8 support should start appearing that year.
If you're thinking of upgrading your home Wi-Fi, it may actually be worth waiting for this new wave of devices rather than invest in Wi-Fi 7 right now. Wi-Fi 7 may have big throughput gains on paper, but unless you have multi-gigabit internet, those benefits may not even be all too noticeable.