what’s coming with Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn)
Wi-Fi 8 ain’t just more bars. it’s smarter, tighter, more reliable – and meant for the next-gen stuff. here’s what you’ll probably see baked into 802.11bn once it lands ~2027.
- multi-band, multi-link done right: takes Multi-Link Operation (MLO) from Wi-Fi 7 and turns it pro. better aggregation, smarter switching, lower latency.
- AI-assisted optimization: think predictive client behavior, real-time traffic tuning, smart power management. all inside your AP – local ML for smoother sessions.
- lower and stable latency: like, real deterministic. targeting use cases like AR/VR, gaming, and industrial robots where 20ms just won’t cut it.
- uplink finally gets some love: better scheduling and channel access for upload-heavy use. yes, the days of download bias are numbered.
- power savings mode++: tight integration with wake-up radio (802.11bi), TWT 2.0, and hinting (802.11bh). great for wearables, IoT, and battery-huggers.
- next-level QoS and scheduling: smarter airtime allocation based on flow type and client context. even if everyone’s yelling at the AP, it knows who to listen to first.
- smarter channel access: better BSS coordination, spatial reuse, and co-channel behavior. fewer collisions, more throughput, less waiting.
- robustness and mobility: better support for high-speed movement (e.g., trains) and noisy environments. good news for industrial deployments.
- support for new apps: built with holographic conferencing, real-time 3D, and digital twins in mind. no joke – that’s in the actual use case list.
- future-proof PHY: expect further tweaks to modulation (maybe 4096-QAM?), better coding schemes, and tighter error correction for dense or fast channels.
Wi-Fi 8 isn’t just faster. it’s more responsive, aware, balanced, and ready for **whatever next-gen stuff you plug in**.