First official Wi-Fi 8 details emerge — and it's slower than you might expect

Wireless internet is a constantly changing area of technolgy. It feels like we were just celebrating the speed and performance offered by Wi-Fi 6 and then Wi-Fi 7 came along. Now, we're already getting teasers for what Wi-Fi 8 could bring to the table. Surprisingly, it's not speed that's the main selling point.

In a press release, Qualcomm detailed Wi-Fi 8 and its key features. "Wi-Fi 8 is being defined to prioritize reliable performance in challenging real-world conditions, enhancing connectivity even in congested, interference-prone and mobile environments," said Qualcomm's Rolf De Vegt.

Notice that nowhere in there did they mention anything about how fast it would be, which is typically one of the biggest selling points when a new Wi-Fi standard is teased. Instead, they're talking about reliable performance and working well in congested areas — all things that could certainly be improved even in today's high-performing Wi-Fi standards. Wi-Fi 8 is also designed to reduce latency, which is particularly beneficial for gamers.

"Wi-Fi 8 marks a fundamental pivot — moving beyond peak speeds to prioritize reliable performance in challenging real-world conditions. It’s designed to deliver consistent, low-latency and near-lossless connectivity even in highly congested, interference-prone and mobile environments," De Vegt said.

The release highlighted three key benefits of Wi-Fi 8: at least 25% higher throughput in challenging signal conditions, 25% lower latency at the 95th percentile of the latency distribution, and 25% fewer dropped packets, especially when roaming between access points (such as in a mesh network).

Qualcomm said we'll have to wait until 2028 to experience Wi-Fi 8, but that "Leading technology companies," including itself, are working on it and being led by "task group IEEE802.11bn under the initiative known as ‘Ultra High Reliability’ (UHR)."

"Going forward, the 802.11bn task group will be busy finalizing a solid and high-quality basis of the future Wi-Fi 8 generation — a generation that is again anticipated to be used in billions of devices in the next decade," Qualcomm's Rolf De Vegt said to wrap up the release.

In the meantime, be sure to grab one of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers so you can make the most of the technolgy available now.

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