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WiFi 8 Ultra-Reliable, Every Day.

Ultra-High Reliability What is WiFi 8?

WiFi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) is a new generation of wireless communication focusing on Ultra-High Reliability (UHR) to deliver incredibly steady performance where it matters: in everyday use. WiFi 8 introduces smarter coordination between routers and devices, bringing two major improvements to modern homes: faster speed at mid-to-long distances, and better handling of heavy network traffic.
Built on this foundation of reliability, WiFi 8 is also ready for AI-driven experiences. It provides stable uplink capacity and masters complex environments; by actively minimizing interference from neighboring networks and devices, WiFi 8 offers a smooth, uninterrupted AI experience.

  • Up to 2X FasterReal-World Average Speed

  • Up to2X WiderIoT Coverage

  • Multi-AP CoordinationLower Latency

  • Smarter Spectrum in CrowdsMulti-Device Boost

*Full use of WiFi 8 features requires both the router and client to support WiFi 8. As the standard is not expected to be finalized until a later date, these figures are based on preliminary vendor test data; actual performance varies by device and environment. Some features are optional or implementation-dependent.

User Profiles Who Needs WiFi 8?

WiFi 8 is designed for networks that may encounter unstable connections, frequent drops, or severe congestion in complex, multi-router and multi-client environments. It aims to achieve ultra-high reliability and wired-grade performance by enhancing stability and linkquality. It can also be a backbone for AI-driven networks and applications that demand zero-fault connectivity and consistent, low-latency performance.

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WiFi 8 is poised to eliminate signal congestion in environments such as apartment buildings or large households packed with IoT and other connected devices. It leverages multi-AP coordination and interference mitigation to deliver stable bandwidth to every WiFi 8 device, helping to ensure all network activity works well at the same time.

Woman sitting on the floor working on a laptop at home, with smart home device icons displayed around the living room.

Solutions & Pain Points How Does WiFi 8 Work?

WiFi 8 is engineered for consistent, reliable performance where people actually use it. This new generation of technology prioritizes reliability in everyday use, tackling four core challenges in the real world: range drop-offs, IoT instability, dense-area interference, and multi-device contention.

Sustained Speed at Mid-to-Long Range

As you move away from a router, signals typically fade and speeds drop—especially where walls, upper floors, patios or garages are involved. WiFi 8 reduces sudden slowdowns at mid-to-long range, improving the throughput falloff rate and keeping connections more stable across the whole home.

A comparison animation showing sudden throughput drop-offs before WiFi 8 and more stable performance at mid-to-long range with WiFi 8.

New MCS
Modulation and Coding Schemes

WiFi 8 adds more MCS levels, making speed changes smoother when signal strength varies. This leads to fewer sudden drops and incredibly steady performance.

An animation compares MCS levels before WiFi 8, which cause sudden data-rate drops at mid and long range, with WiFi 8 adding new MCS levels to smooth speed changes.

UEQM
Unequal Modulation

WiFi 8 UEQM assigns each spatial stream a modulation level based on signal quality. When signal conditions vary, strong streams stay fast and weak streams no longer hold the rest back, improving overall throughput consistency.

An animation showing WiFi 8 UEQM enabling strong spatial streams to maintain higher modulation without being limited by weaker signals.

Balanced Device-to-Router Connectivity

Most IoT devices transmit at lower power than routers, resulting in weak return signals and frequent disconnections. WiFi 8 strengthens two-way communication, enabling low-power devices to maintain stable links.

An animation compares frequent disconnections of distant IoT devices before WiFi 8, with more stable two-way communication enabled by WiFi 8.

ELR
Enhanced Long Range

ELR uses a more robust coding format to extend usable range, so devices stay reliably connected farther from the router. This improves edge coverage with fewer drop-offs and a steadier signal—ideal for upstairs rooms, garages, and outdoor cameras.

A comparison showing IoT connection drop-offs at coverage edges and improved long-range connectivity enabled by WiFi 8 ELR with four-times data coding.

DRU
Distributed-Tone Resource Units

Previous generations of WiFi were limited by power spectral density regulations. Distributed tone resource units (DRUs) overcome this limit by scattering tones across the wireless spectrum. This enables devices to maximize their transmit power, boosting uplink connections and enabling AI to operate smoothly even from the farthest corners of a home.

An animation shows WiFi 8 distributed-tone RU spreading tones across the spectrum to improve device transmit power under the same regulated power limit.

Seamless Multi-AP Coexistence in Dense Environments

In modern homes and apartments, your router signal can interfere with that of a nearby router. WiFi 8 introduces smarter spectrum coordination and interference mitigation, keeping speeds stable even in densely populated environments.

An animation comparing WiFi interference in dense apartments with improved stability enabled by WiFi 8 multi-AP coordination.
Before WiFi 8

Co-BF
Coordinated Beamforming

Co-BF enables multiple access points to focus their signal energy on one target device. This reduces inter-AP interference and boosts network capacity, keeping connections more reliable in densely-packed environments.

An animation shows WiFi beams focusing on a targeted device through coordinated beamforming, helping the device maintain a stable wireless connection.

Co-SR
Coordinated Spatial Reuse

Co-SR enables access points to coordinate transmissions and power levels, so they can share the same channel without creating overlap interference. This boosts spectrum efficiency in densely populated networks.

An animation shows how Co-SR enables two routers to coordinate their transmissions and power levels to avoid overlapping interference

Co-TDMA
Coordinated Time-Division Multiple Access

Co-TDMA enables a WiFi 8 router to make sure that each device gets a turn to use the network. In previous WiFi generations, devices competed for airtime, leading to signal collisions and forced waiting periods that created connection hiccups.

An animation shows Co-TDMA using a coordinator to assign clear transmission turns to multiple access points, avoiding collisions and smoothing data transmission.

NPCA
Non-Primary Channel Access

NPCA in WiFi 8 lets an access point use secondary sub-channels when the primary channel is busy, helping to ensure a consistent connection.

An animation shows NPCA improving spectrum efficiency by allowing access points to use available secondary sub-channels when the primary channel is busy.

Seamless Roaming

With MLO in WiFi 8, devices can maintain multi-band links to nearby access points—staying connected on one link while smoothly moving to another. APs also share client profiles, so handoffs happen seamlessly, keeping calls and video smooth when a user is moving around.

WiFi 8 using MLO to maintain simultaneous multi-band links between a device and nearby routers, enabling seamless roaming as the device moves from one router’s coverage area to another.

Enhanced Multi-User Capacity

When multiple devices connect simultaneously, traditional WiFi often experiences congestion. WiFi 8 enhances spectrum efficiency and dynamic scheduling, helping to ensure that every megahertz of bandwidth is used effectively, improving both overall throughput and latency.

An apartment filled with many IoT devices maintaining stable connections through WiFi 8 multi-device coordination.

DSO
Dynamic Sub-Band Operation

DSO lets an access point with a wide channel share slices of that bandwidth with devices that can make use of narrow channels, so the available spectrum gets used more efficiently.

An animation comparing spectrum usage with and without DSO, highlighting reduced waste in transmissions between the access point and its connected devices.

EDCA
Enhanced Distributed Channel Access

BBefore WiFi 8, QoS (quality of service) often meant simple priorities—for example, gaming could come first, while other connections waited. WiFi 8 refines EDCA with smarter AP-client coordination, so the network gives each activity what it needs at the same time: low latency for gaming, smooth streaming for movies, and steady bandwidth for downloads.

An animation comparing QoS and WiFi 8 EDCA, showing how smarter router-device coordination allocates resources to different activities simultaneously without degrading others.

WiFi Generation Comparison WiFi 8 vs. WiFi 7 vs. WiFi 6/6E vs. WiFi 5

WiFi 8 WiFi 7 WiFi 6 / 6E WiFi 5
IEEE Standard 802.11bn 802.11be 802.11ax 802.11ac
Max Theoretical Data Rate 46Gbps 46Gbps 9.6Gbps 3.5Gbps
Bands 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz (6GHz in WiFi 6E) 2.4GHz, 5GHz
Bandwidth Up to 320MHz Up to 320MHz 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 80+80MHz, 160MHz
Modulation 4096-QAM 4096-QAM 1024-QAM OFDMA 256-QAM OFDM
MIMO 16x16 MU-MIMO 16x16 MU-MIMO 8x8 MU-MIMO 4x4 MU-MIMO
RU Multi-RUs Multi-RUs Single RU No
Multi-Link Operation (MLO) Yes Yes No No
Multi-AP Coordination Yes No No No
DSO / NPCA Yes No No No
DRU Yes No No No
Security WPA3 WPA3 WPA3 WPA2

Upgrade to WiFi 8 Should I Wait for WiFi 8?

ASUS is a leader in WiFi 8 (802.11bn) development. Building on world-first early real-world testing, ASUS plans to introduce its first WiFi 8 routers and mesh systems in 2026. If you are considering your network upgrade now, ASUS WiFi 7 products deliver immediate gains for today's devices—faster speeds with MLO and lower latency.

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See More WiFi 7 Gaming Routers >
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See More WiFi 7 Mesh Systems >
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See More WiFi 7 Performance Routers >

FAQ

  • WiFi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) is new-generation wireless technology focused on Ultra-High Reliability (UHR) for better performance, smoother roaming, and smarter router and client coordination. WiFi 8 is still in development. ASUS is demonstrating prototypes and conducting real-world tests to validate the new technology.

  • The primary difference lies in the core focus of each wireless standard. WiFi 8 represents a strategic shift toward Ultra High Reliability (UHR) and deterministic low latency. In contrast, WiFi 7 prioritizes raw speed and throughput via technologies like MLO and 320MHz channels. WiFi 6/6E focused on efficiency and capacity improvements through OFDMA and MU-MIMO.

  • Peak theoretical speeds are comparable. The essential difference is that WiFi 8 significantly improves real-world performance by focusing on Ultra High Reliability. It prioritizes stability and smarter spectrum use for advanced router and client coordination, making it a strategic evolution beyond previous standards like WiFi 7.

  • Yes, WiFi 8 will be fully backward compatible with all previous standards. While full features require WiFi 8 support on both the router and the devices that connect to it, older devices can still benefit from the network's improved coordination and interference mitigation. WiFi 8 users will get more stable connections and fewer drops on legacy devices facing congestion and signal-strength issues.

  • WiFi 8 continues to use the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands with up to 320MHz channels, focusing on smarter coordination and spectrum use.

  • Multi-AP coordination, including Co-BF, Co-SR, Co-TDMA, NPCA, and improved seamless roaming, reduces interference and contention between overlapping networks.