Only one in 50 homes in the US currently uses a Wi-Fi 7 router, but the next generation of wireless routers is already on the way. New details on Wi-Fi 8 were just released by Qualcomm, with the standard expected to be finalized in 2028.
While Wi-Fi 7 is all about speed, increasing the maximum amount of data that could be transmitted from 2.4Gbps to 5.8Gbps, Wi-Fi 8 will focus on improving reliability. The initiative is being called Ultra High Reliability, and it states its goal as making connections “faster, more responsive and more robust.”
The reality is, most of us have all the Wi-Fi speed we need. Online gaming and videoconferencing don’t require more than 50Mbps speeds, but the median US household gets 288Mbps. The real pain point for most of us is when our internet drops out or fails to reach parts of the house. Those are the problems Wi-Fi 8 is looking to solve.
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“Over the generations, we’ve had significant increases in throughput and speeds and area. Now we're at a stage where we really need to make sure that we have a very high-quality, reliable, low-latency user experience,” Rolf De Vegt, Qualcomm’s vice president of technical standards, told CNET.
According to the scope document published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Wi-Fi 8, or 802.11bn, will have the following targets:
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At least 25% higher throughput in challenging signal conditions.
25% lower latency at the 95th percentile of the latency distribution.
25% fewer dropped packets especially when roaming between access points.
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