The Wi-Fi 7 standard has just been released not long ago, but the technology race never stops. And now, Wi-Fi 8 – the next generation of wireless connection – has officially entered the first hardware testing phase.
Recently, TP-Link announced that it has successfully tested a hardware prototype for the new generation Wi-Fi standard, marking an important milestone in the development of the 802.11bn standard, the official technical name of Wi-Fi 8. Although it is still in its early stages and has no specific launch date, this is a necessary first step before the new standard is mass produced and commercialized.
The new standard focuses on stability rather than speed.
TP-Link says the test hardware was developed through 'industry collaboration' – a common approach to ensuring compatibility and reliability of new connectivity standards. The company predicts that Wi-Fi 8 devices could appear on the market before the standard is officially ratified by the IEEE, similar to what happened with Wi-Fi 7. The standardization process is expected to be completed by 2028, meaning users could see the first Wi-Fi 8 routers in the next 2–3 years.
Unlike previous generations that focused on theoretical maximum speeds, Wi-Fi 8 is designed with the primary goal of increasing connection reliability. Instead of racing towards gigabits per second, Wi-Fi 8 aims to maintain a stable and continuous connection, even when dozens of devices are accessing the network.
In an age where phones, laptops, TVs, IoT devices, and smart home devices are all competing for bandwidth, maintaining a stable connection for all your devices is a big challenge. Wi-Fi 8 was born to solve that problem.
Faster, stronger and more stable
Of course, that doesn't mean Wi-Fi 8 is slower. The new standard will still use the same 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands as Wi-Fi 7, with a maximum channel bandwidth of 320MHz and a theoretical data transfer rate of up to 23Gbps. However, the biggest highlight of Wi-Fi 8 is its ability to improve real-world performance and connection stability, especially in environments with many devices running simultaneously.
While Wi-Fi 7 is still a great option, the arrival of Wi-Fi 8 promises to deliver a more stable, intelligent, and efficient wireless networking experience than ever before.