identical flow rates for the benefit of improved stability? Here’s what we know

According to MediaTekone of the main players in the development of this technology, Wi-Fi 8 will maintain the same 23 Gbps bandwidth as its predecessor, Wi-Fi 7. The fundamental technical characteristics, such as 4096QAM modulation and frequency bands (2.4, 5 and 6 GHz)will also remain unchanged.

The innovation lies in the introduction of several promising optimization technologies. Coordinated Spatial Reuse (Co-SR) will allow access points to harmonize their output power, with an expected improvement in throughput of 15 to 25%. Coordinated Beamforming (Co-BF), on the other hand, promises impressive performance gains ranging from 20 to 50% in mesh networks, by directing signals with increased precision.

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Wi-Fi 8 promises to be even smarter than previous standards

One of the most notable advancements is Dynamic Subchannel Operation (DSO). This revolutionary technology could increase flow rates by up to 80% in intelligently assigning bandwidth based on the capabilities of each connected device. No need to reserve a fixed subchannel: the access point will automatically decide on allocation priorities.

Refined Modulation complements these improvements by providing more precise flow rate adjustments, allowing for smoother transitions as users move through their space. Expected performance gains vary between 5 and 30%.

However, consumers will need to be patient. The first routers equipped with the Wi-Fi 8 standard are not expected to hit the market until the second half of 2028. This new iteration, also known as IEEE 802.11bnis currently in development, mainly driven by Chinese companies which seem to have taken the advantage in this technological race.