Wi-Fi 8 is an attempt to fix the biggest problem with wireless internet

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Because perfection currently remains just out of range.

Sometimes, better doesn't mean faster. With Wi-Fi 7 realistically capping out at about 23 Gbps (a number virtually nobody will see in the real world), speed is more than covered in the current generation. At this point, the biggest concern is reliability. Released in 2024, Wi-Fi 7 has been known to suffer from pain points like poor stability, weak wall penetration, and relatively short range. 

Wi-Fi 8, which is still in development, is designed to address the considerable reliability issues plaguing the internet today. Final approval is expected in 2028, although companies like ASUS and TP-Link wasted no time announcing their first Wi-Fi 8 router based on the draft spec.

Minimizing the rough patches of Wi-Fi

Most home internet plans offer speeds of a few hundred megabits per second, which older Wi-Fi 6 routers should handle with ease. For faster speeds, like a 2 Gbps fiber connection, Wi-Fi 7 can largely keep up (especially if you're sitting right next to the router). Wi-Fi 8 shifts the focus to stability, aiming to plug the holes that lead to shaky connections. It's being designed to fix common issues, like a weak signal in one part of the house, an apartment building with 20 networks competing for airtime or a clunky mesh handoff when walking between rooms.

The underlying standard, 802.11bn, is nicknamed "Ultra High Reliability," accentuating its focus on consistency and stability. Wi-Fi 8 should achieve 25 percent better throughput for weak signals, 25 percent fewer dropped packets (especially when moving between access points) and 25 percent lower latency at the shakiest moments.

The main way it gets there relates to how access points work together. Today's routers share channels by taking turns, and not always in the most efficient manner. Wi-Fi 8 refines that by letting compatible access points coordinate when each one transmits. That will make the most sense with mesh systems.

The catch

Although you can buy an ASUS gaming router or mesh system built on Wi-Fi 8 today, with a TP-Link model coming soon in some regions, they won't make much difference yet. For the upgrades to show themselves, both the router and the device (phone, laptop or tablet) on the other end need to support it as well.

So buying one now is more about investing in the future than some mythical immediate payoff. (Not that you'd know it from the marketing.) And since these first devices are built on a draft spec, there's no guarantee they'll support everything in the final version.

Eventually, Wi-Fi 8 should be worthwhile, especially if you live in a congested building or use a mesh network. Just be prepared to wait a year or two before you reap the benefits. For now, Wi-Fi 7 is still a perfectly reasonable choice for a new router. And if yours isn't positioned ideally, moving it to a central location will likely do more than any new standard, whether draft or final, will