Wifi technology is constantly evolving. And while Wifi 7 is still in its infancy, Wifi 8 is already in the works. This new standard, called 802.11bn or Ultra High Reliability, will probably not arrive until 2028. But thanks to a white paper published by the company Mediatek, we already know what developments to expect.
Technology focused on reliability
Each new version of Wifi brings significant improvements. But generally, the developers of this standard focus more on the peak speed of WiFi than on other performance indicators. But, according to Mediatek, things will be different with Wifi 8 since, this time, this technology should above all improve the reliability of the networks, but not the maximum speed.
“Wi-Fi 8 prioritizes connection reliability over increased trunk speeds to more efficiently use the same tri-band spectrum (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz)”indicates Mediatek in a blog post. For this, Wifi 8 should have new features that optimize data transmission. For example, Mediatek discusses a feature called Multi-AP Coordination that allows multiple WiFi access points to coordinate to reduce interference. Another feature called Optimized Spectrum Utilization is supposed to improve the reliability of a Wi-Fi network when multiple devices are in use.
Thus, according to the company, Wifi 8 should improve WiFi performance by 25% thanks to reduced interference. In addition, this new standard should improve speed by 80% during peak hours.
Still a long way
But as mentioned above, Wifi 8 still has a long way to go before becoming an official standard. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that at the moment this is still only the point of view of Mediatek, one of the players in the industry. The official characteristics will only be known when the Wifi 8 standard is finalized by the Wifi Alliance.
- While Wifi 7 is only in its infancy, Wifi 8 is already being prepared
- And according to Mediatek’s white paper, this should mainly improve network reliability, not maximum speed
- The company mentions new features that limit interference, or improve speed during peak hours
